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Seattle’s Benchmarked Buildings Reduce Emissions Nearly 5%

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NEWS RELEASE

FROM THE OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY & ENVIRONMENT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:              Sara Wysocki, Office of Sustainability & Environment, sara.wysocki@seattle.gov

 

Seattle’s Benchmarked Buildings Reduce Emissions Nearly 5%

City’s largest buildings are using less energy and reducing climate pollution

 

SEATTLE (Sept. 26, 2018) – A new report released today by the Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment reveals that Seattle’s benchmarked buildings are reducing climate emissions, saving money, and improving performance. Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking ordinance went into effect in 2011 and requires owners of commercial and multifamily buildings 20,000 sq. ft. and larger to track their energy performance and report it annually to the City of Seattle.

“Seattle’s buildings are responsible for one-third of Seattle’s climate pollution. City programs like Energy Benchmarking give building owners the tools they need to be part of our climate solutions,” said Jessica Finn Coven, director of the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment. “Tracking and reporting energy use is the first step towards improving building performance and this analysis shows that Seattle is on the right track.”

The Seattle Energy Benchmarking program is a key piece of Seattle’s climate strategy. In addition to the climate benefits, the program also assists building owners and managers by showing how their buildings are using—and in many cases wasting—energy. Benchmarking helps building owners stay competitive in a market where tenants and prospective buyers are driving demand for increased for energy efficiency in buildings.

Highlights from the Seattle Energy Benchmarking Analysis Report include:

 

  • Buildings reporting three or more consecutive years of data have reduced overall energy consumption and greenhouse emissions. From 2014 to 2016, total energy use for these buildings declined 3.7% and total emissions declined 4.8%.
  • The median ENERGY STAR score for all buildings has increased by seven points—or 10%—since 2013 while the program has maintained over 99% compliance every year. Additionally, between 2013 and 2016, Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking program added 136 buildings and nearly 43 million square feet of space as Seattle’s construction boom has continued.
  • Although energy improvements since 2014 have led to reduced emissions, many buildings still have room for significant improvements. Hotels, hospitals, high-rise multifamily buildings, labs, and restaurants have the highest emissions per square foot and offer the largest savings opportunities.

 

Seattle’s benchmarked buildings include more than 3,300 properties, representing 323 million square feet of Seattle’s largest commercial and multifamily buildings. In almost every building category, including offices, residential buildings, retail stores, and educational institutions, median energy use per square foot is lower than previous years even when accounting for variations in weather. This is the result of owners adopting more efficient technology, improving building operations and implementing utility incentivized energy efficiency measures.

Data on Seattle’s benchmarked buildings is now easier for the general public and potential tenants to access. Earlier this year, Seattle moved to online building performance profiles to allow for easier public sharing and customized reports for all buildings including information on ENERGY STAR scores, fuel usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and EUI (energy use intensity). The online profiles also give an estimate of annual energy costs and savings opportunities.

 

More information on Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking program is here.

Energy Benchmarking Data Portal

 

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Environmental Justice in Action: Pilot Project with the Ethiopian Community in Seattle

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This article is the first in a series: “Seattle Environmental Justice in Action” — highlighting projects and organizations that are advancing environmental justice in our city. 

Created in 2017 as part of the Equity & Environment Initiative, the Environmental Justice Committee (EJC) supports City staff in creating and advancing environmental programs with strong ownership and collaboration from communities of color and connections to community-based solutions. An early priority for the EJC has been to support and cultivate projects and partnerships that demonstrate environmental justice in Seattle.

Last year, the EJC forged a partnership with the Ethiopian Community in Seattle (ECS) to develop a pilot project that achieved the goals of building partnerships between local government and communities of color and leveraging existing cultural hubs to support place keeping and maximize environmental benefits.

Public spaces represent an important bridge between the physical and symbolic capacity for critical civic engagement. Today, these spaces continue to be where communities of color can gather to exercise their civil rights through meetings, rallies, teach-ins, demonstrations, and celebrations of religious and cultural festivals with (minimal) fear of being targeted by law enforcement or explicit acts of racism. The EJC created and adopted the Principles of Public Space for Communities of Color to guide the process of the project.

Over the course of the pilot project, the partners worked together to co-create an outdoor gathering space for community that also connects to environmental investments in the neighborhood. The collaborative design process with ECS ensured that the voices of their members and residents were centered throughout the development. The process created space for ECS staff to gain insight into city design and environmental solutions while increasing the capacity of government to listen to community and build environmental solutions that center the local users.

The pilot project redesigned a 20 x 21-foot space for an outdoor style “parklet.” The Ethiopian Community of Seattle staff led and leaned into a collaborative design process with the City of Seattle, Framework, and the University of Washington.

The focus from the outset was to enhance multigenerational gathering while supporting culture, growing food, showcasing plants that are native to Ethiopia or similar in type/look to Ethiopian plants, and including outdoor “classroom” elements to share about Seattle’s environmental programs and protections and East African heritage.

The project was also an opportunity for the City to invest in providing an outdoor “cooling” spot in an area that is exposed to heat events and supports climate preparedness in communities by increasing social cohesion.

During the process of creating the pilot project, ECS was able to participate in other built environment projects both on their own site and in their neighborhood. In the summer of 2018, ECS was selected as a recipient of the Equitable Development Initiative Capacity Building Grant for the community center to move forward on their plan to redevelop the property into senior affordable housing with a senior center and daycare on the ground floor.

The EJ pilot project is a model for local government to support community lead design projects that provide quick wins while planning for longer-term projects. ECS was able to go through a quicker, tailored, and implementable design process. The ability to continue to run through a design process and then see it come to fruition, allows community members involved to have a deeper ownership of a space and the learned experience that will carry to future design projects. The collaborative design process of the EJ Pilot Project had an overarching goal of increasing environment investment but did so through a tailored community process that responded to a community priority.

 

City of Seattle and Safeway Partner to Launch Fresh Bucks at Safeway for Residents with Low Incomes

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Residents with low incomes now have greater access to fresh fruits and vegetables

Today, the City of Seattle announced a new partnership with Safeway to make fresh fruits and vegetables more affordable for Seattle residents with limited incomes. Fresh Bucks at Safeway—a healthy food incentive program for SNAP/EBT (food stamps) recipients—launched today at all Safeway locations across the city. Seattle Safeway shoppers can now leverage their purchase of fruits and vegetables into additional healthy produce.

OSE Director Jessica Finn Coven at Fresh Bucks at Safeway launch

“Some of our neighbors in Seattle have to choose between paying their rent, paying medical bills or buying groceries. Cost should not be a barrier to buying healthy food for our children and families. The Fresh Bucks program makes healthy food more affordable, and by partnering to expand these benefits, Seattle families will get the good produce they deserve,” said Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan.

Fresh Bucks at Safeway gives shoppers who buy at least $10 worth of fresh fruits and vegetables using their SNAP/EBT and Safeway Rewards card a Fresh Bucks coupon for $5 off their next purchase of produce. There is no limit as to how often shoppers can qualify for a Fresh Bucks coupon. Fresh Bucks at Safeway will be available at all Safeway stores in Seattle.

“Safeway is committed to meeting the needs of our customers in Seattle,” said Sara Osborne, Safeway Director of Public Affairs. “Fresh Bucks helps customers afford the foods they need to lead healthier lives and we are proud to serve them. We look forward to continuing this program and working with the City of Seattle on this partnership.”

Another aspect of the program is Fresh Bucks Rx. Qualified shoppers can receive Fresh Bucks as a “prescription” from participating health systems and organizations. These fruit and vegetable Fresh Bucks prescriptions can be redeemed at face value for fresh produce at all Seattle Safeway locations with no purchase necessary.

Jeri, a Fresh Bucks recipient who regularly shops at her neighborhood Safeway, looks forward to spending more on fresh fruits and vegetables with Fresh Bucks, “I live on a limited budget and that means I am always looking for ways to stretch my dollar, especially when it comes to buying healthy foods. Fresh Bucks means I can shop for a variety of fresh produce, which also helps improve my diet. My food budget is supported by programs like Fresh Bucks.”

The City of Seattle partnership with Safeway is funded through revenue from the City of Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax (SBT). SBT revenue is used in part to make healthy food choices more accessible for low-income communities and expand food access programs like Fresh Bucks.

Fresh Bucks first launched in 2012 and includes strategies to increase healthy food access for families with low-incomes and underserved communities, while also keeping food dollars circulating in our regional economy. Fresh Bucks is also available at farmers markets and neighborhood grocery stores. The Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment (OSE) administers the Fresh Bucks program in Seattle. To learn more about Fresh Bucks, visit www.freshbuckseattle.org.

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Announcing the Environmental Justice Fund

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Deadline for proposals is October 15.

In partnership with the Seattle Foundation, the Office of Sustainability & Environment is excited to announce the Environmental Justice Fund, a new grant opportunity for community-led projects that improve environmental conditions and respond to impacts of climate change.

The Environmental Justice Fund was co-created by the Environmental Justice Committee—12 people with deep community roots who work closely with communities on environmental justice issues—with support from the Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment.

The Environmental Justice Fund recognizes that the most effective environmental and climate solutions come from the community itself and that community members are in the best position to design and carry out projects that include community, culture, nature, family, health, food and/or education.

Communities of color and people of color-led organizations are invited to submit proposals for projects. Projects should be led by and benefit the people most affected by environmental inequities: communities of color, immigrants, refugees and Native people—including people with low incomes, youth, and seniors—who live, learn, work, worship and play in the City of Seattle.

There is $250,000 in funding available from the City of Seattle, with grants administered by the Seattle Foundation. The maximum grant award will be $40,000. Projects may begin as soon as January 2019 and must be completed by June 2020. Proposals are due by 4:00 pm on Monday, October 15, 2018.

Environmental Justice Fund Guidelines (PDF)
Environmental Justice Fund Application (Word Doc)

 

Creating a Roadmap to Becoming a 100% Renewable Energy and Carbon Neutral City

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OSE is embarking on a 100% Renewable Cities Project, a three-year effort to develop equity-centered climate strategies with members of the Environmental Justice Committee and the community. OSE is partnering with Puget Sound Sage, SDOT and City Light in this work. Actions will focus on reducing climate emissions by transitioning to fossil fuel-free heating & hot water, increasing efficiency, electrifying transportation & reducing VMT, and expanding solar and other renewables. A potential initial priority for the group is developing a residential roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality in residential buildings by 2050.

With a generous grant from the Kresge Foundation, Puget Sound Sage is partnering with the City to work with the community to co-create a roadmap to become a 100% renewable energy and carbon neutral city. The City/Community collaboration will work to 1) embed equity in the policies and programs developed to implement the Mayor’s climate agenda and 2) design a roadmap to fully transition Seattle to an equitable, renewable, and carbon-neutral energy future.

Mayor Durkan recently released an updated Climate Action Strategy, a suite of actions designed to significantly reduce GHG emissions from the buildings and transportation sectors, Seattle’s largest sources of emissions. The overarching strategy is to transition these sectors to Seattle City Light’s clean and carbon neutral electricity. The Equity and Environment Agenda includes a suite of process and outcome recommendations to embed equity in the city’s environmental work and creates the foundation for advancing equity through climate action.

Fresh Bucks helping Casa Latina clients eat healthier

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Clients at Casa Latina recently had front row seats to a live cooking class as they learned about healthy, affordable meals on a budget. And now, buying fruits and vegetables to make healthy meals for their families just got easier thanks to a partnership between Casa Latina and the Fresh Bucks program.

The Fresh Bucks program is working with Casa Latina to provide Fresh Bucks vouchers for Casa Latina clients to buy high-quality, local produce from any of the 33 farmers markets or six neighborhood grocery stores participating in the Fresh Bucks program in Seattle and King County.

Casa Latina, an immigrant worker rights organization, empowers low-wage Latino immigrants with knowledge and resources to achieve their goals. Araceli Hernandez, Director of Day Worker Center at Casa Latina says, “Our clients face a number of barriers when it comes to accessing federal resources and we work to identify and address gaps— such as food insecurity—that are disproportionally affecting our community. Partnering with the Fresh Bucks program gives our clients the ability to choose healthy foods, regardless of income.”

This year, Fresh Bucks is serving more shoppers by expanding the program from EBT/SNAP (food stamp) recipients to also providing the benefit to families who may not meet the federal requirements for food assistance programs, but still face hardships when it comes covering their food expenses. This expansion is made possible through funding from the City of Seattle Sweetened Beverage Tax.

“This program allows me to stretch my dollar,” said a program participant. “Buying fresh fruits and vegetables can be expensive, but with this support, I can now regularly visit the farmers market to get my produce, and the kids love going too. I want to teach them what I’ve learned about cooking with fresh ingredients.”

Shoppers can use Fresh Bucks at 33 farmers markets in Seattle and King County, as well as six, ethnic grocery stores open year-round. To find participating locations or to find out more about the Fresh Bucks program, visit the Fresh Bucks website.

Got Oil? Now’s the Best Time to Ditch It

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If you’re still heating your home with oil, the City of Seattle is offering an instant rebate up to $2,000 right now through the end of 2018 to switch to an energy-efficient heat pump. Here are several reasons why now is the best time to make the switch:

  1. Heat pumps provide year-round comfort, which includes air-conditioning. And, since you need to heat your home in the winter anyway, why not invest in a system that provides air-conditioning too? No more sleepless nights this summer!
  2. Heating oil is not friendly to the environment. Burning fossil fuels emits carbon pollution which contributes to global warming.  In addition, underground oil tanks leak over time and can contaminate soil and groundwater.
  3. Seattle’s electricity is local and clean. Did you know that Seattle City Light provides carbon neutral electricity?
  4. Heating oil is expensive. Oil prices are volatile and you’re likely to pay a full heating season’s worth of oil all at one time. Heat pumps save about 50% of your heating costs.
  5. The heating season is the busiest season for contractors – by installing a heat pump in the off-season you have more time to get additional bids and to coordinate your project – plus you’ll be well prepared when winter arrives.
  6. Once you have switch to clean electricity to heat and cool your home, you’ll be eligible for Seattle City Light’s insulation and window rebates.

For more information about the City of Seattle’s Oil Conversion Rebate Program visit www.NoMoreOilHeat.com or contact Christine Bunch, Christine.bunch@seattle.gov, 206-615-1633

Seattle is now home to TWO LEED Platinum Fire Stations

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Photo: Nic Lehoux, DJC.com

Seattle’s Seattle Fire Station 32, located in the West Seattle Junction, opened in early November 2017 and was recently been certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as LEED Platinum. This prestigious distinction demonstrates the best-in-class achievement of sustainable design and construction practices for the 21,534 square foot facility.

The old Station 32 (located in the same location), was approximately 40 years old and needed replacement. The building systems were old, and the station offered inadequate space for modern apparatus and staffing levels. The station was also out of regulatory compliance in many areas, and was structurally substandard for seismic survivability.

Given the old station’s condition and the capacity of the station to play a more central role in West Seattle, the Station was completely rebuilt at the existing location. As part of the rebuild, Station 32 received major improvements and became the lead station for Battalion 7, which covers all of West Seattle, southwest Seattle, Harbor Island and the industrial areas lining both sides of the Duwamish River.

The Fire Station 32 project incorporated sustainable features such as solar hot water systems, photovoltaic arrays, green roof, water-efficient landscaping, energy-efficient LED lighting systems, energy-efficient HVAC systems, recycled building material use, low volatile organic compound (VOC) building material use, natural daylighting of common spaces and individual thermal controls of sleeping areas.

The station’s design was led by architectural firm of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, and the station was built by general contractor, Howard S. Wright. With the designation of LEED Platinum, Seattle Fire Station 32 joins Seattle Fire Station 20 (West Queen Anne) as two of the only three fire stations currently in the state with LEED Platinum status.

Seattle announces multiple wins in building energy efficiency

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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% of Seattle’s greenhouse gas emissions and Seattle’s ongoing efforts in this area are critical to meeting our climate goal of becoming a carbon neutral city by 2050.

“During this time when our federal government is actively working to block meaningful climate action, staying focused on aggressively pursuing climate solutions is critical,” said Jessica Finn Coven, Director of the Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment. “While we are fortunate to have a carbon neutral electric utility, the key to achieving our building energy climate goals will always be rooted in efficiency. Seattle has been a leader in building energy for years and we will continue to lay down a path for other cities to follow.”

The Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) released details on the energy use in 2016 of over 3,330 commercial and multifamily buildings, including 85 City-owned buildings in a new data visualization website. Collected as part of Seattle’s Energy Benchmarking Program, the information—including annual energy used per square foot, ENERGY STAR scores, and greenhouse gas emissions—is easily understandable and allows people to see how much energy a specific building uses (its “building performance”) as well as compare it to similar buildings. More detailed building performance data for both 2015 and 2016 is available for download through the City of Seattle’s Open Data portal.

Transparent, accessible data about individual buildings are key tools in driving greater awareness about how much energy buildings use which helps create long-term market demand for energy efficient buildings and protects tenant interests.

“Having this data available and accessible is a prime example of where the market is headed,” said Cliff Majersik, Executive Director for the Institute for Market Transformation. “We know building performance, specifically energy efficiency, is becoming more important to prospective tenants and buyers. Seattle’s tool is especially compelling because it reports on greenhouse gas emissions, identifies potential savings opportunities, and allows users to drill down on a specific building, not just a building type.”

As part of the City’s Resource Conservation Program for municipal buildings, the City of Seattle is tracking and reporting energy use on all its buildings 10,000 sq.ft. or larger, as well as all public service facilities—community centers, libraries, fire stations, and police stations—regardless of size. A recent Seattle report shows energy use in City buildings decreased by 3.7% between 2015 and 2016 which brings the total energy reduction for City-owned buildings to 12% since 2008. This places the City on track to achieve its 20% energy reduction by 2020 goal. Seattle recently established a new target of an overall 40 percent energy and carbon emissions reduction by 2025.

“Given that most of the buildings that will shape Seattle in 2050 have already been built, improving the performance of our existing buildings is fundamentally important,” said Fred Podesta, Director of the Seattle Department of Finance and Administrative Services. “By improving as much of our municipal stock as possible, the City is realizing both significant environmental and economic benefits and setting a great example in the community.”

Seattle’s efforts in driving building energy efficiency show results in national rankings. Seattle climbed two spots over 2016 in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) list of U.S. metropolitan areas with the most ENERGY STAR certified buildings. In 2017, 164 Seattle area buildings, representing over 40 million sq. ft. earned the ENERGY STAR. This was a 22% increase over 2016, leading to a 38% increase in cost savings.

To qualify for the ENERGY STAR, a building must earn a 1 – 100 ENERGY STAR score of 75 or higher, indicating that it is more energy efficient than 75 percent of similar buildings nationwide. ­Is your building a Certified ENERGY STAR building? Visit  www.seattle.gov/energybenchmarkingmap and look for the ENERGY STAR logo on the building’s report view.

Data Visualizations Website Images for use:
Dashboard Snapshot
Building Pop-Up Snapshot
Energy Use Intensity (EUI) graph

 

 

 

 

Conservation Grant Applications Now Being Accepted!

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The King Conservation District (KCD) – Seattle Community Partnership Grant Program is requesting applications from non-profit organizations and community groups committed to making natural resource improvements and advancing environmental equity. Organizations and groups are encouraged to apply for projects that meet at least one goal of the City of Seattle’s Equity & Environment Agenda and improve Seattle’s natural resources through direct improvements, education and outreach, pilot or demonstration projects, or capacity building.

Letters of Intent (LOI) are due by 5pm on Monday, May 7, 2018. For more information and for application guidelines please visit the KCD website. For any questions, contact Jessica Saavedra at 425.282.1906.