Category Archives: Uncategorized

B4.2 Building energy goals Establish energy goals/benchmarks (e.g. LEED) for new buildings, and adopt permitting practices and building code and/or design guidelines that support clean and efficient energy practices and technologies (e.g., passive design, rooftop solar panels and water heaters, … Continue reading →

B2.1 Commercial energy benchmarking and disclosure * Require energy performance ratings for commercial structures so that owners, tenants and prospective buyers are informed before making purchasing or rental decisions. BuildingRating.org is “an international exchange for information on building rating policies … Continue reading →

B3.3 Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Develop and adopt commercial PACE program. Assess whether residential PACE is still desirable and, if so, how local and state policymakers could pursue a legislative solution or state constitutional amendment to develop a PACE … Continue reading →

B4.10 EV-ready residential building code (See T3.5 EV-ready building code) Modify the residential building code to require builders of new single-family and multi-family housing units to install wiring, boxes, and other infrastructure to charge plug-in electric vehicles. The availability of … Continue reading →

B5.8 Solar-ready Amend local development code to require solar-ready construction for all building types. Installing solar photovoltaics on existing buildings is often difficult and cost-prohibitive. The roof space on older buildings is not designed with the addition of a PV … Continue reading →

Some data about density and our climate goals 1. What’s our current density? Olympia – 18.22 sq. mi., 52,555 people = 2,884/sq. mi. Tumwater – 17.5 sq. mi., 23,688 people = 1,353/sq. mi. Lacey – 17.2 sq. mi., 50,718 people … Continue reading →

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service evaluated 160 conservation standards, and identified 35 as positively reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon sequestration. They provide an on-line tool, COMET Planner, that estimates the potential reductions at the county level for … Continue reading →

B5.9 On-bill financing Provide additional utility incentives (such as on-bill financing) to support energy efficiency and renewable energy investments (such as rooftop solar or insulation) in buildings. On-bill financing allows a utility to facilitate a customer’s repayment of a loan … Continue reading →

B1.1 Residential energy performance ratings * Require energy performance ratings and disclosures for homes at time of sale, lease, or rent so that owners, tenants, and prospective buyers are informed before making purchasing or rental decisions. The local jurisdictions are … Continue reading →

B4.6 Energy efficiency tax exemptions * Create a local property tax reduction or credit for new buildings that meet an energy efficient performance standard. Virginia and Maryland have enabling statutes that allow municipalities to grant property tax credits, or establish … Continue reading →