Houston 2024 City Clean Energy Scorecard: City ranks 34th in U.S.

HOUSTON - The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has released their 2024 City Clean Energy Scorecard, ranking Houston 34th out of the 75 largest U.S. cities.

The scorecard grades U.S. cities on climate efforts like clean transportation policies, reducing energy waste in buildings and homes, cutting climate pollution as well as energy policies that advance racial and social equity.

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Overall, Houston scored 28%, earning 70/250 across five categories:

Community-wide initiatives: 11.5/45 Points

Building policies: 14.5/70 points

Transportation policies: 15.5/70

Community energy infrastructure: 13.5/40

Local government operations: 15/25

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According to the scorecard, Houston performed best in the local government operations category, scoring higher than the median score of the other cities, but had the most room for improvement in the building policies category.

The scorecard also shared recommendations for Houston like establishing building energy performance standards to reduce energy use and GHG emissions, creating and expanding bike networks that connect people with diverse destinations, and implementing affordability requirements in buildings incentives programs.

<div>Photographer: Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg via Getty Images</div>
Photographer: Aaron M. Sprecher/Bloomberg via Getty Images

San Francisco ranked as the top city, scoring a total of 158.5 points across the five categories. In Texas, Austin ranked the highest, coming in 17th place with 96 points.

To see the full ranking and more on each city's report card, click here.