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District Energy: Seattle’s Opportunities

Imagine a central energy plant that heats and cools multiple buildings – that’s district energy at its most basic. It’s an important strategy for increasing energy efficiency in Seattle and reaching our climate protection goals. It’s also complex and requires advance planning to identify the best opportunities in Seattle for district energy and the necessary policies to help advance these opportunities.

The City completed a study earlier this month that evaluated the neighborhoods where district energy is likely to be a promising strategy. The First Hill area creates the best near-term opportunity for district energy given the planned Yesler Terrace redevelopment.  Policy recommendations to pursue will be available in the fall, and additional analysis will be done on other promising neighborhoods next year, such as Capitol Hill, South Lake Union and the University District. The latest information is available at the Office of Sustainability & Environment’s website.