Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels announced on April 22, 2009, a multi-tiered strategy to save energy and reduce the climate change impacts of Seattle’s buildings and homes. Energy use in residences and other buildings accounts for 21 percent of Seattle’s carbon footprint. By 2020, the Green Building Capital Initiative will increase the efficiency of existing buildings by 20 percent, and raise the energy performance of new buildings and major retrofits to a level consistent with the 2030 Challenge goals. The 2030 Challenge calls for a zero net fossil fuel footprint for buildings by the year 2030.

After pledging in his 2008 State of the City speech that Seattle would improve the energy efficiency of residential and commercial buildings and create job opportunities in the green economy, Mayor Nickels convened a Green Building Task Force to provide guidance on specific proposals for single-family homes, multifamily residences, and commercial buildings. Jointly led by DPD and the Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE), the Green Building Task Force included 50 stakeholders representing a range of perspectives on environmental and policy issues. Task force members met regularly in 14 meetings, between July 2008 and January 2009. The task force provided feedback on the range of policies the City could implement to meet the Mayor’s goals, taking into account criteria such as:

• Energy Efficiency Potential
• Economic Impacts
• Cost of Implementation
• Cost Effectiveness
• Administrative Feasibility

The strategies announced on Earth Day, the result of this process, can be shared with cities across the region that receive federal stimulus money for energy efficiency programs. The Green Building Capital Initiative:

• Offers 5,000 residential home energy audits, using state-of-the-art diagnostics to analyze a home’s heating and cooling systems. Funded through a partnership with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) and Seattle City Light, the audits will be available at $95, a steep discount from the $600 cost. Residents may call 206-684-3000 to schedule an audit.
• Develops a loan program so residents will be able to make energy-saving home improvements. The public-private partnerships would be funded, in part, by $1.2 million of federal stimulus money from the Federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant.
• Requires measurement and disclosure of energy usage, beginning in 2010, for commercial buildings larger than 50,000 square feet and multifamily buildings with more than 20 units. The program will be expanded to smaller buildings over two years. The data can be used by property owners to determine energy-saving measures, and will be made available to prospective buyers, tenants and lenders to inform them of potential operating costs.
• Encourages greater innovation in new buildings and major renovations by launching a new expedited permit process for building projects that meet higher energy performance standards, and creating an Innovation Review Sub-Committee to make recommendations for permitting of innovative, sustainable technologies.
• Establishes that future updates of the Seattle Energy Code will be in alignment with the 2030 Challenge targets.
• Defines a goal of developing an enhanced energy code for the City and implementing a pilot for energy code compliance that emphasizes a whole building approach to energy efficiency, and considers both projected and actual building performance metrics.
• Ramps up and expands existing training programs for auditors and other energy-efficiency technicians. The strategy is expected to generate about 230 jobs.

“By making our homes and businesses use energy wisely, we save on our utility bills, and we help the planet,” said Nickels. “We’ve been working on green buildings for years, but now we have a partner in the White House. We’re ready to join with President Obama to create jobs, clean the air, and lead the world.”

“We have made great progress on Green Buildings—bringing together economic opportunity and environmental stewardship. But we can do more, and right now it is essential that we work harder to win the rewards of conservation investments,” said City Council President Richard Conlin. “This next stage of the Green Building initiative will help working families and those affected by the economic downturn by reducing their costs for energy. We can shape a future that truly works for Seattle as we enter the era of the new, green economy —together as a community.”

Van Jones, special advisor for green jobs, enterprise and innovation for the White House, said: “Smart, green solutions are the way of the future for all Americans—whether they wake to see New York City’s skyline or Seattle’s Space Needle. Our nation’s mayors are showing leadership from coast to coast regardless of their backgrounds or the very different cities they represent. We know they hold one thing in common: a passionate commitment to cutting wasted energy, reducing carbon pollution and increasing jobs for their citizens. We are proud to support these efforts as they help lead American cities to a better future. President Obama shares this dedication to a green recovery.”