In 2000 the City of Seattle became the first city in the country to require that all city buildings over 5,000 square feet achieve LEED silver rating. The City’s goal in doing that was to spur development of LEED buildings by demonstrating their value and increasing the familiarity of the local design professions and contractors
October 1 Deadline for Seattle Building Owners to Complete Energy Benchmarking Reports
By Elaine Spencer on
The City of Seattle has set a goal of reducing energy use by 20 percent over 2005 levels by 2020. To do that, it has to make major improvements in the half of all energy use which occurs in buildings. The City’s energy code for new buildings is state of the art. But that alone…
Urban Wood Waste Cuts Seattle Steam’s Fossil Fuel Carbon Emissions in Half
By Elaine Spencer on
Seattle Steam Company was founded in 1893. It has 18 miles of steam pipes running under the streets of downtown Seattle, which it uses to distribute steam to approximately 200 downtown buildings, and the First Hill neighborhoods. That steam heats the buildings, sterilizes hospital instruments, and creates the hot water to wash mountains of hotel…