San Diego among cities with most eco-friendly homes in the U.S.

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- Recent research has found that some metropolitan cities are doing more to protect the environment than others by offering "greener" places to live in, including San Diego.

According to an analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, California has been doing relatively well in protecting the environment and being energy efficient. In fact, it is the country's leading producer of solar and geothermal energy resources, with solar energy accounting for most of its renewable electricity generation.

Research from WalletHub ranked California in the top 10 U.S. states for home energy efficiency, so it's no surprise that San Diego has placed among the list of metropolitan cities with the most eco-friendly home listings on the market.

According to Realtor.com, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad market ranked fifth in having the most eco-friendly homes in the nation, with over eight percent share of listings.

Experts said hardscaping might be better for the environment than maintaining green lawns that depend on water and pesticides.

For example, this home in Pacific Beach listed at nearly $2.25 million includes solar panels and a mix of landscaping and hardscape in both the front and back of the property. Located in the southeast part of the county, this Otay Mesa home listed at $750,000 also has solar panels meant to help cut hefty energy bills.

Two other California cities topped the list -- Yuba City ranked number one with over 12 percent share of eco-friendly homes on the market, according to Realtor.com, followed by Vallejo with about 11 percent.

The methodology used in the analysis looked at eco-friendly keywords including “eco-conscious,” “zero-energy,” and “solar panels” in home listings on Realtor.com then divided that figure by the total number of listings in the metropolitan areas.

You can find the full list of cities with the most eco-friendly real estate listings here.