Buildings are a central part of daily life—they house workplaces, schools, homes, and gathering spaces. However, not all buildings have the same impact. Their effects on people and the environment are shaped not only by how they are used, but also by factors such as age, maintenance, utilities, and the fuels they rely on. These factors all play a role in the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) they emit.
Residential and commercial buildings currently contribute over 43 percent of King County’s GHG emissions through building heating, cooling, lighting, and other energy uses. Existing buildings and new construction both provide opportunities to reduce energy demand and fossil fuel emissions. Stronger building codes, appliance standards, and building performance standards can significantly reduce energy demand and fossil fuel use. Incentive and assistance programs can reduce barriers and accelerate retrofits in existing buildings. Overall, advancing green building ensures buildings have lower climate impacts, are more beneficial for the environment, and are adaptable to a changing climate. It also provides opportunities to improve comfort, lower costs, and promote healthier communities and families.
What's at stake
The buildings sector is the second largest contributor to GHG emissions in King County. Both the County and Washington state have made great strides in addressing building impacts through the state Clean Buildings Performance Standard, local performance standards, and the state’s Clean Energy Transformation Act (CETA), which requires electricity provided by utilities be GHG-neutral by 2030. However, these regulations alone will not achieve emissions reduction goals for the built environment in King County, as many buildings continue to burn fuels onsite (natural gas, propane, and fuel oil) that emit GHGs and other air pollutants even as the electrical grid becomes cleaner.
A better outcome
King County envisions a healthier future with cleaner air, more efficient energy use, and less fossil fuel use. The actions in this section demonstrate how the County can improve wellbeing, comfort, and utility costs for all residents, with a specialized focus on low to moderate-income residents and frontline communities.
What we've done to get here
- Established the C-PACER (Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy and Resiliency) program with $80 million of project financing for energy efficiency and water conservation.
- Launched the Energize Program and installed more than 100 heat pumps in low- and moderate- income (LMI) homes in Skyway and White Center.
- Integrated green codes into the 2021 WA State Building Codes through the Regional Code Collaboration.
- Adopted strong green building codes prohibiting new fossil-fueled water and space heating for unincorporated King County.
- Secured federal and state funding to strengthen and expand green building and retrofit programs.
- Increased green building knowledge of building owners, tenants, architects and contractors through the Green Building Handbook.
- Applied $5.5 million of Economy & Climate Equity Capital Pool Funds toward the installation of green building elements/systems in affordable housing and homeownership projects.