A few weeks ago, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s office came out with a dual announcement about buildings and climate change. On one hand, the most recent greenhouse gas inventory for the city showed that buildings emissions had unfortunately gone up between 2017 and 2018. On the other, Mayor Durkan’s office was also introducing a policy to eliminate most fossil fuel uses in new commercial and large multifamily buildings in Seattle.
Seattle residents rightly wondered why residential buildings weren’t included in this policy. The answer was pretty wonky: the proposed change came as part of an already-scheduled update to the Seattle’s energy code, which does not cover residential buildings. When Seattle City Council moves forward with approving the policy, it will have taken the first step towards all-electric buildings in Seattle, but there will still be work to do to make sure all buildings are covered by future policies. And that work will need to come from multiple fronts.