Description
Local action is required to realize the full benefits from federal, state, and local emission reduction policies in the building sector. For building owners, the process of retrofitting a building to improve efficiency and reduce GHG emissions can be daunting. Incentives and utility rebates alone are not sufficient for many frontline community members to implement retrofits. Barriers include not having funds to pay for retrofits or living in rental housing where they do not own the building and cannot themselves conduct improvements. King County can help bridge this gap, by securing federal and state grant funds to directly facilitate retrofit programs in frontline communities to reduce emissions and provide access to cooling. King County will administer a building retrofit program that prioritizes clean-energy conversions for low-income residents, senior residents, oil-heated homes, in-home daycares, and adult family homes. Additionally, the County will pursue retrofits of both subsidized and naturally occurring affordable housing, as well as single-family LMI rental households. King County has secured funding from federal and state grants to support this work and will continue to seek additional funding. The County will conduct a building retrofit prioritization analysis to assess building types and establish retrofit priorities for existing building and occupancy types with the greatest opportunity for GHG reduction and equity benefits. Program design will prioritize installation of heat pumps that provide the added benefit of cooling and reduce health risks during extreme heat events, and will evaluate opportunities to pair solar installations with retrofits to reduce energy costs. The program will also evaluate how to align with other building repair and safety needs at the same time, such as addressing the seismic hazards of unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings that often have LMI residents and/or residents that are black, indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC).