Seattle City Council unanimously advances climate-friendly building policy

Yesterday, December 12, the Seattle City Council voted unanimously to pass a groundbreaking climate policy that will transition large buildings away from fossil fuels to clean electricity.

Buildings are still one of the largest and fastest-growing sources of climate pollution in Washington, so building emission performance standards, along with building codes (which outline building guidelines for new construction) are important tools in reducing pollution from buildings. This victory comes just two weeks after the Washington State Building Code Council finalized their landmark state building code, which almost entirely rules out the use of fossil fuels in new construction in the State.

Building performance standards (BPS) are energy or emission targets that exisiting buildings must meet over time to improve energy effiency and reduce climate impacts. Seattle’s building emission performance standard is projected to reduce building emissions 27% by 2050, making it one of the most ambitious policies in the country.

Seattle’s new building performance standards will require buildings over 20,000 square feet to start reducing their greenhouse gas emissions incrementally beginning in 2031, with all covered commercial buildings reaching net zero emissions by 2045 and all multifamily buildings by 2050.  The policy allows for building owners to have multiple pathways to achieving their greenhouse gas reduction targets, offering flexibility to account for different building types and needs.

Seattle’s BPS builds on years of local and statewide clean buildings work and sets communities up to take advantage of almost $200 million in state and local funding to subsidize safe electric heat pumps, weatherization, and other clean energy and energy efficiency.