As a multifamily building owner or property manager, you're continuously juggling building and resident concerns. We offer complimentary assistance and financial incentives to help you save energy and money and increase building performance and tenant satisfaction.
Financial Incentives for Energy Efficiency Initiatives
Improve comfort and save money and energy with our Multifamily Retrofit Incentives.
Take control of tenant comfort by weatherizing your multifamily property. Air leaks and insufficient insulation contribute to drafts and uncomfortable temperatures. We offer incentives for window retrofits and insulation upgrades to help you improve tenant comfort and reduce energy use.
Upgrades are available for owners of electrically heated apartment buildings, condominiums, retirement communities, and/or cooperatives with 5 or more units located in the our service area.
Learn more about our multifamily retrofit program requirements and how to participate.
Discover additional Commercial, Industrial, and Multifamily Retrofit Incentives.
If 50% or more of your building tenants are income-qualified, your project may be eligible to participate in City of Seattle Office of Housing HomeWise Multifamily Weatherization Program which offers incentives up to 90% of project cost.
Commercial building retrofits of lighting fixtures, lighting controls, and HVAC controls can provide excellent energy and cost savings. Multifamily buildings with 5 or more units are eligible for common area upgrades and projects can include multiple energy conservation measures.
Review our commercial retrofit program requirements and commercial retrofit incentive list.
Typical incentives include common area and in-unit lighting, windows and insulation, appliances, whole-house fans, heat recovery ventilators, heat pump water heaters, heat pump dryers, heat pumps for in-unit space heat, Built-Green certification, and custom energy efficiency measures.
City Light offers energy efficiency incentive programs for new construction of commercial and multifamily buildings.
Equipment and whole building incentives are available for approved new commercial building construction projects.
Find additional energy efficiency programs for existing buildings.
We have partnered with distributors to offer instant discounts for qualified lighting, heating, and cooling solutions.
Lighting to Go
Our Lighting to Go program offers instant discounts on qualified commercial LED products to help your building enjoy energy savings and high-quality lighting for years to come. Lighting to Go is only available for common area measures in multifamily buildings.
Review our Lighting to Go factsheet to find eligible products and discounts and visit one of our participating distributors to purchase your discounted commercial lighting.
Heating and Cooling Equipment
Contractors can receive instant discounts on qualified heat pumps under 5.4 tons and heat pump water heaters less than or equal to 120 gallons.
Have your contractor contact a participating distributor to purchase discounted equipment on your behalf.
We offer easy and quick rebates to help reduce the cost of energy-efficiency projects. Multifamily properties with 5 or more units may be eligible for energy conservation measures in common area spaces. These simple rebates do not require pre-approval, however, be sure to carefully review eligibility requirements, and rebate applications must be received within 90 days of purchase.
Advanced Rooftop Controls
Adding advanced rooftop controls to constant speed packaged rooftop units can save up to 60% on your fan energy costs and provide improved comfort, better indoor air quality, and remote-control energy monitoring and management.
Visit Trade Ally Network NW to learn more.
City Light is increasing our incentives! In an effort to offset the administrative costs of participating in efficiency programs, we will be bumping up incentives on May 15, 2025. However, as of May 15, the Project Development Incentive (PDI) will no longer be available.
The Project Development Incentive (PDI) is a limited-time, supplemental incentive designed to offset contractor or customer administrative costs of participating in efficiency programs.
City Light is offering program participants an opportunity to earn more on commercial and industrial HVAC, lighting, and multifamily weatherization retrofit projects. This supplemental incentive means that participants are eligible for an additional $0.025 for every kilowatt-hour of electricity saved on eligible projects that are completed, with all required documentation submitted to City Light, by June 15, 2025.
This supplemental incentive will also allow City Light to fund a project beyond the 70% incentive cap, but not to exceed 100% funding for a project.
The PDI is an on-going offering and any future rate changes for this incentive will be determined prior to the current rate expiration date. City Light reserves the right to change the rate at any time without prior notice.
How to Participate
- Increased Earnings: Contractors and customers should contact a City Light Energy Advisor to ensure their project meets the energy-saving criteria. Contact SCLEnergyAdvisor@seattle.gov or (206) 684-3800 to get started today!
- Act Quickly: To maximize earnings, contractors must complete eligible projects prior to June 15, 2025 to be eligible for the largest incentive rate.
- Submit Documentation: Provide necessary project documentation to City Light for energy savings verification by the specified date to receive the incentive offered during that time period.
- Receive Payout: Once approved, participants will receive this supplemental incentive on top of other incentives the same project may have already been eligible for. The customer, in conversation with their selected contractor, will determine how the incentive payment is directed.
Electrification
More and more City Light business customers are considering whole building electrification to benefit from affordable, clean electricity with a net-zero impact and to improve tenant and customer satisfaction.
Learn more about our electrification plans and strategies.
Find financial incentives for electrically powered equipment for existing facilities.
Thinking about hosting electric vehicle (EV) charging at your building? Learn more about the City of Seattle's Drive Clean Initiative and find more information about installing Electric Vehicle (EV) charging for Seattle-based multifamily properties.
Additional Resources
While we do not provide contractor recommendations or endorsements, we do recommend that you get a minimum of three bids and always check references. Here are a few resources to help you find a contractor for your project:
Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heaters
HVAC and Lighting
Building Envelope
ASHRAE Modeling
Tune Up Specialists
Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standards (CBPS)
Non-residential and multi-family buildings greater than 20,000 square feet need to comply with Clean Buildings Performance Standards. Clean buildings are essential to meeting our state energy goals. In 2019 the Clean Buildings bill was signed into law, expanded in 2022, and augmented in 2023. The objective is to lower costs and pollution from fossil fuel consumption in the state’s existing covered buildings, multifamily buildings, and campus district energy systems. The law also provides Tier 1 and Tier 2 incentives to encourage building owners to make energy efficiency improvements earlier than required.
Seattle Clean Buildings Accelerator
Seattle City Light is partnering with Office of Sustainability and Environment (OSE) to help businesses jumpstart compliance with the Clean Buildings Law. Through the Seattle Clean Buildings Accelerator program, customers will find free technical support and training for building owners and managers to comply with Clean Building Performance Standards and the Seattle Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS). Program offerings allow you to move at your own pace, or to join a cohort of your peers for a variety of shared learning opportunities.
Puget Sound Energy's Clean Buildings Accelerator
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) offers assistance to help you comply with Washington’s Clean Buildings Law (HB 1257, 2019). Their Clean Buildings Accelerator program unpacks the complex law, meets you where you’re at with your energy use, and teaches you how to comply and go beyond through a hands-on approach using your own building(s). The PSE Clean Buildings Accelerator program is better suited for City Light customers who may manage facilities outside of Seattle city limits and do not need to comply with the City of Seattle's Building Emissions Performance Standards.
Lighting Design Lab
Register for classes, get resources, and find support for electric building technologies and building decarbonization with City Light's Lighting Design Lab.