The 'Energy Atlas' of Los Angeles County Lets Planners and Citizens Track Energy Use

"Not knowing which kinds of buildings consume what is like not being able to gauge differences between a diesel truck and a hybrid car."

1 minute read

October 7, 2015, 12:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Laura Bliss reports on a new tool produced by Stephanie Pincetl, a UCLA environmental planning scholar, and her colleagues at the California Center for Sustainable Communities to measure the energy use of buildings around Los Angeles County.

The Energy Atlas, as it's known, provides a database that "charts and maps previously unreleased data on household natural gas and electricity consumption obtained from utilities alongside Census records." Bliss also adds that the Energy Atlas is "fully searchable: The curious can sort L.A.’s energy use by income, neighborhood, energy type, building age, and plenty of other measures."

Bliss then puts the Energy Atlas to good use, exploring its database for a few conclusions about energy use in Los Angeles. So, for instance, Bliss uncovers this probably-not-at-all surprising revelation: "Given that low-income families tend to live in multi-family buildings, perhaps it’s not surprising that the highest energy users were also those with the highest incomes. Residents of wealthy beachside Malibu used more than 10 times more energy per capita than those in working-class Bell, a city south of east L.A."

Tuesday, October 6, 2015 in CityLab

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Flat modern glass office tower with "County of Santa Clara" sign.

Santa Clara County Dedicates Over $28M to Affordable Housing

The county is funding over 600 new affordable housing units via revenue from a 2016 bond measure.

May 23 - San Francisco Chronicle

Aerial view of dense urban center with lines indicating smart city concept.

Why a Failed ‘Smart City’ Is Still Relevant

A Google-backed proposal to turn an underused section of Toronto waterfront into a tech hub holds relevant lessons about privacy and data.

May 23 - Governing

Pale yellow Sears kit house with red tile roof in Sylva, North Carolina.

When Sears Pioneered Modular Housing

Kit homes sold in catalogs like Sears and Montgomery Ward made homeownership affordable for midcentury Americans.

May 23 - The Daily Yonder