New website to track building energy use, energy efficiency improvements in City buildings, and new ENERGY STAR ranking Today the City of Seattle announced three notable achievements that underscore the City’s progress and commitment to reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in Seattle’s largest buildings. Buildings account for 33%… [ Keep reading ]
Many families rely on monthly SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits to help put enough food on the table. However, when people are on a tight food budget, one of the first things that is dropped is fresh fruits and vegetables as they tend to be more expensive than processed… [ Keep reading ]
Seattle is known for its progressive policies, stunning natural environment, a thriving economy, and an overall high quality of life. However, we also share same urban challenges of other large cities including significant racial disparities around housing, economic opportunity, education, and public health. Our rapid pace of our growth threatens to amplify these… [ Keep reading ]
The City of Seattle was recently awarded a $350,000 Energy Efficiency Grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce. The grant will fund energy efficiency upgrades at six buildings that house organizations that provide vital community services. While the buildings are owned and managed by the City, the tenants are community… [ Keep reading ]
While we are used to the occasional short heat wave in Seattle, this most recent one has certainly been longer than usual and made worse by the smoke from the British Columbia wildfires. Unfortunately, our changing climate means we can expect more extreme heat events like these along with a… [ Keep reading ]
OSE and the City’s capital departments are working to shrink our energy use and reduce GHG emissions in City-owned facilities. Seattle’s Resource Conservation Management work is a fairly technical body of work but absolutely critical in terms of leading the way to meeting the Citywide goal for an 82% reduction… [ Keep reading ]
To help prepare energy service providers and on-site building operators for the new Seattle Building Tune-Ups mandate, the Seattle Office of Sustainability and the Environment has partnered with the Northwest Energy Efficiency Council (NEEC) to offer a Building Operator Certification Course Level II this spring. The training BEGINS MARCH… [ Keep reading ]
OSE is pleased to issue OSE Director’s Rule 2016-01 which implements the Seattle Building Tune-Ups Ordinance adopted in March 2016. The Director’s Rule further explains the Tune-Ups requirement, and is the result of more than a year of collaboration with stakeholders to make this new policy clear and workable, with a… [ Keep reading ]
Today the Mayors of Seattle, Washington and Vancouver, Canada signed a Memorandum of Cooperation committing to work together in growing their respective cities’ resilience to the challenges of climate change, seismic risks, affordable housing, and aging infrastructure. The cities of Seattle and Vancouver share many similarities—including geography, economy, and a deep… [ Keep reading ]
In Seattle’s ongoing commitment to foster energy efficiency, the City passed a Building Tune-Ups ordinance earlier this year. The Building Tune-Ups ordinance phases in a periodic tune-up requirement for commercial buildings 50,000 square feet or larger, beginning in 2018. What’s Happening Now City staff are working to develop a Director’s Rule… [ Keep reading ]
