Resources & Reports
Buildings & Energy Resources
Municipal Building Energy Performance Reports
2011-12 City Buildings Energy Performance Report
Energy benchmarking results for City-owned buildings comparing calendar years 2011 and 2012. The report covers facilities greater than 20,000 square feet as well as many smaller public service facilities.
2012-13 City Building Energy Performance Report
Energy benchmarking results for City-owned buildings comparing calendar years 2013 and 2014. The report covers facilities 10,000 square feet and larger as well as public service facilities – community centers, libraries, fire stations, and police stations – regardless of size.
Seattle Building Energy Benchmarking Analysis Reports
2011/2012 Seattle Benchmarking Report
In 2013, Seattle completed the Energy Benchmarking and Reporting program ramp-up phase by collecting whole-building annual energy use for commercial and multifamily buildings greater than 20,000 square feet. This first report summarizes program outcomes, building characteristics, trends, and recommendations.
2013 Seattle Building Energy Benchmarking Analysis Report
This report presents results, accomplishments, trends, and recommendations from analysis of Seattle’s building energy benchmarking data for the 2013 calendar year, the third year of energy performance data reported to the City of Seattle.
2014-2016 Seattle Building Energy Benchmarking Analysis Report
This report presents updated results, accomplishments, trends, and recommendations from Seattle's building energy benchmarking data for 2014-2016.
Additional Resources
City of Seattle Refrigerant Emissions Analysis
May 2020 by PAE. An analysis of building refrigerant leakage potential and related GHG emissions.
2012 Seattle Energy Code/ASHRAE 90.1-2010 Comparison
July 2014 by Mike D. Kennedy, Inc. An analysis comparing the code stringency of the 2012 Seattle Energy Code to ASHRAE 90.1-2010, the standard used by the US Green Building Council’s LEED rating system, finds that buildings in Seattle are expected to be, in aggregate, 11.3% more efficient than similar buildings constructed to the ASHRAE standard.
Building Energy Targets
Results of a study to develop a baseline model for energy use and GHG emissions for Seattle’s building stock, in aggregate and by building type, and to establish energy use intensity and emissions targets through 2050.
Cost Effectiveness of Deep Green Alterations
An evaluation of the impact of a range of energy conservation measures, and associated costs, that can be used to retrofit Seattle’s existing multi-family buildings for improved energy performance.
Green Roof Performance Study
To evaluate performance of green roofs in local climate conditions, SPU and OSE managed a multi-year monitoring effort. This project collected data from green roofs on five buildings, including continuous monitoring of a variety of characteristics. The findings from this study improve our understanding of how green roofs work in Seattle.
Preserving Envelope Efficiency in Performance Based Code Compliance
The report evaluates options in the Seattle Energy Code of limiting trade-offs of building envelope components less stringent than the prescriptive code envelope requirements by using better-than-code but shorter-lived lighting and HVAC components through the total building performance modeled energy compliance path.
Seattle High-Efficiency Space Heating
A roadmap for transition to alternate heating technologies in commercial buildings that may be more efficient for Seattle’s climate, resulting in lower energy consumption and reduced or eliminated carbon emissions.