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Exploring Building Performance Standards: A New Policy to Reduce Building Sector Emissions

In Seattle, buildings are one of the largest and fastest growing sources of climate pollution, responsible for more than a third of our City’s greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions pollute our air, accelerate climate change, and harm people’s health and the environment, disproportionately impacting communities of color and people with lower incomes. Building performance standards (BPS) are energy or emissions targets that existing buildings must meet over time to improve energy efficiency and reduce climate impacts.

The Office of Sustainability and Environment is conducting stakeholder and community engagement on creating draft legislation for new City of Seattle ‘Building Performance Standards,’ which will require commercial and multifamily buildings 20,000 square feet and larger to gradually reduce climate-polluting emissions over time towards a goal of cleaner, healthier, ‘net-zero’ carbon emissions buildings by 2050, while improving the quality of life for residents and creating local, well-paying jobs.

At an Open House on April 5, OSE will present about the potential policy and the links between buildings, climate pollution, equity, and health. The meeting will include listening sessions to hear participant’s ideas and concerns. OSE is planning another online Open House for late spring in the evening (date TBD). Presentations and meeting summaries will be posted online after the events. 

Closed captioning will be provided. Live translation is available upon request – email cleanbuildings@seattle.gov to request.