King County Executive Climate Office (ECO)

The King County Executive Climate Office (ECO) is working to increase access to affordable energy and protect public health as residents face extreme weather conditions. We just released a new survey in partnership with the The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) and community partners examining how costs impact renters. It spotlights several factors to consider when implementing new programs to make sure everyone has the chance to access benefits. You can learn more about the findings and some actions the county is taking to support all communities at kingcountyclimate.com!

Congratulations to our King County Energize team & community partners on their *100th heat pump installation*, reducing emissions & providing efficient heating and cooling for residents! Details: Today King County’s Energize program marked its 100th heat pump installation, part of an effort to reduce emissions and ensure frontline communities have access to clean, efficient and comfortable heating in the winter and cooling during increasingly hotter summers and extreme heat events.  Energize launched as a pilot program targeting single-family homeowners and renters in several South King County neighborhoods, and has since expanded to serve adult family homes and family home child care centers with funding from the state’s Climate Commitment Act. “The Energize program is helping residents from frontline communities switch to cleaner and more affordable home heating and cooling systems,” Energize program manager Neil Larsen said. “This helps meet the county’s climate action goals to lower utility costs, reduce carbon emissions, and increase climate resilience.” The first installations focused on homes in Skyway and White Center, selected because they face less tree canopy cover and more pollution than many other areas of the county. Heat pumps provide energy-efficient heating in the winter and cooling in the summer in a way that reduces emissions and lowers energy costs. In some cases, applicants did not have a working heating system before applying to Energize; in others, the technology helped households move away from expensive and polluting heating oil furnaces and offer lower energy costs. Three quarters of installations were 100% paid for by Energize, going to households at or below 80% or less of the area median income. This year, Energize expanded with several awards from the Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The state awarded $2.6 million through the Home Electrification and Appliance Rebates program to go toward single-family homes and family home child cares, and another $1.5 million for installs and upgrades in adult family homes. The state Department of Ecology also put $2.3 million toward efforts to improve indoor air quality in homes, family home child care centers, and adult family homes near the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.  The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.  The Energize program reduces climate pollution by replacing older, fossil fuel powered systems with heat pumps powered by clean electricity, creates jobs by hiring local contractors, and improves public health by protecting residents from unsafe temperatures and improving air quality. To learn more about the program, visit kingcounty.gov/energize #heatpumps #kingcountywa #climatecommitmentact #ccawa #waleg

Check out our new video to learn how young adults aged 18-24 can access trades education, paid work experience and mentorship to enter clean energy fields & skilled trades in King County! The story: A new King County workforce program aims to help young people from underrepresented communities pursue careers that contribute to a cleaner, healthier King County—and it’s already seeing results. Operated through the King County Executive Climate Office (ECO) in partnership with the King County Department of Community and Human Services, JumpStart works with local training partners and contractors to connect participants with the programs and pre-apprenticeships they need to begin careers in clean energy and the skilled trades.  “My long-term dream is to be an electrician, and this is for sure helping me get there,” JumpStart graduate Matthew Rodriguez said. "I’m getting hours, I'm around electricians every day, I’m learning new things every day, and I’m getting better every day.” Read the full feature here & hear more from our partners including contractors like Puget Sound Solar and programs like Seattle Central College's PACT: https://lnkd.in/gfzDjq6C #cleanenergy #skilledtrade #solar #hvac #workforceeducation #kingcountywa

New climate action investments in the proposed King County Parks Levy: Today Executive Dow Constantine and the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks proposed plans to protect and expand parks, trails, recreation and open space in King County through the 2026-2031 King County Parks Levy.  Among other items, this would be the first Parks Levy to establish a climate response fund that would help communities adapt to emerging climate risks. The funds would be available for such programs and actions as splash pads and sprinklers at parks, cooling and heating systems at trusted community spaces, and playgrounds better designed and built for extreme heat.  King County Parks would be able to create more urban forest parks similar to Glendale Forest in North Highline where children and families can stay cool, safe, and connected during extreme heat events.   Both of these measures align with recommendations in the county’s first Extreme Heat Mitigation Plan, which lays out actions municipalities and partners can take to prepare frontline communities for growing exposure to heat waves. The levy would also sustain funding for Parks’ growing forest stewardship program, which has allowed the Department of Natural Resources and Parks to accelerate large-scale restoration projects to prepare county forests for a warming climate, as well as add staff dedicated to urban forestry and wildfire planning and preparation. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/gA9qTm38

Check out this morning's KING 5 Media Group feature on King County JumpStart, a workforce development program through the King County Executive Climate Office!: https://lnkd.in/g86Yd4Nm JumpStart helps young adults start careers in clean energy and the skilled trades, and the program emphasizes electrical, HVAC, solar, and project management career pathways. Thanks to Farah F. Jadran for interviewing our program manager Dani Hurula, JumpStart graduate Matthew Rodriguez, and our partners at Puget Sound Solar. We are accepting new contractor partners and participants; just visit kingcounty.gov/jumpstart to learn more!

reducing emissions 🤝 increasing access to heating & cooling for frontline communities King County ECO's Energize program offers free or reduced-cost heat pumps to eligible homes in #KingCountyWA, and we have a few workshops coming up soon! Heat pumps are an energy-efficient way to heat and cool your home at a lower cost than traditional heating systems. Find out if you qualify for a free or discounted #heatpump or other home improvements covered by King County at an upcoming in-person or online workshop. Visit kingcounty.gov/energize or call 206-263-3003 for more information. Heat pumps are also available for eligible family home child cares. The Energize program supports public health & #climateresilience in frontline communities. It aims to support areas that disproportionately face the impacts of extreme heat, and that have dealt with worse air quality due to historical environmental injustice. It also reduces emissions and works toward King County's goals on #buildingdecarbonization, as laid out in the Strategic Climate Action Plan (SCAP). You can learn more at kingcounty.gov/climate

VOICES OF CLIMATE ACTION: Dinah Wilson, Climate Equity Community Task Force A broad range of community members, local groups, climate experts and policymakers play a role in climate action efforts for King County, Washington. One of those is the Climate Equity Community Task Force, which designed the county’s first climate justice framework and offers ongoing consultation as departments work to reduce emissions and ensure preparedness. In this video, get to know member Dinah Wilson as she shares insights about her path into environmental justice and climate action work– and visit www.kingcountyclimate.com to read the full story. -- Growing up in a rural area of Virginia, Dinah Wilson witnessed forms of environmental injustice and inaction on climate – but says she didn’t have the correct language at a young age to describe what she experienced. She just knew something wasn’t right. “We didn’t have trash pickup, so people would burn it in barrels, with toxins going into the air, and much later I learned the ‘official’ terms of what was happening in my neighborhood compared to more affluent neighborhoods in the city near me; it was called environmental injustice,” Wilson said. After moving to Washington, Wilson founded the Kent Cultural Diversity Initiative Group, which sponsored the first Refugee Employment Summit in King County. Because of her ties within the community, King County asked Wilson to join its first Climate Equity Community Task Force (CECTF). “We were able to meet people across communities and organizations and we really rolled up our sleeves and worked to come up with a strategic plan for people on the frontlines,” Wilson said. “There were a lot of battles we fought to be part of that conversation. It wasn’t always easy, and being on the task force we found our voice and realized our power. We learned to fight resistance and that to support what we were trying to do, we had to reach out and stand up for what we believed in.” Wilson’s perspective is one of many that contributed to the Sustainable and Resilient Frontline Communities (SRFC) section of the 2020 Strategic Climate Action Plan, a framework that will be carried on into the 2025 plan. It centers the people most impacted by the effects of climate change, ensuring that the county’s work and financial investments will be effective for the people they’re meant to serve. “A lot of folks who work in the environmental field think people who are often marginalized in our community – that they’re not aware of environmental issues, but they are aware,” Wilson said. “They may not have the language for it, they may not know where to go to do something about it, but they are knowledgeable about the impact it can have on them.” 📖 Read on at our blog, www.kingcountyclimate.com #climateaction #climatejustice #climateequity #kingcountywa

Have you heard about King County’s Forest Carbon program? 🌲 Forests have multiple climate benefits – and a first-of-its-kind King County program is helping to protect them.  The Forest Carbon program has so far generated around 65,000 carbon credits, providing $850,000 for forest preservation. Along with trees absorbing carbon, projects have improved air and water quality, and enhanced habitat.  The program, operated by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, contributes to King County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan and the Land Conservation Initiative. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/grkQkvSc 

Just in: King County doubles down on renewable energy and saves money by extending contract with PSE program King County councilmembers approved a plan by Executive Dow Constantine to extend an agreement with Puget Sound Energy (PSE) that energy purchased for county operations come from renewable sources. The move is expected to save the county more than $1 million. PSE’s Green Direct program offers government and corporate customers the opportunity to purchase their energy from new wind and solar facilities in Washington state. Since 2020, greenhouse gas emissions from King County government operations have dropped by 16% as a result of purchasing renewable electricity from PSE. Previously, King County entered into a 10-year contract; now, it will move to a 20-year contract. As directed by the Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act, PSE will supply net zero carbon by 2030 and 100% clean (renewable and non-emitting) by 2045 to all customers. Currently, approximately 40% of electricity provided by Puget Sound Energy for standard customers is from fossil fuel sources. According to King County staff, Green Direct is less expensive than standard energy from PSE, and King County is already on track to save about $250,000 a year when compared to the standard cost of power. Under the extension, the agreement will last until 2040, and because Green Direct Energy prices are lower in a 20-year contract, staff estimate the cost savings with this move will be more than $1 million. PSE says King County is currently the largest customer of Green Direct energy. King County’s Executive Climate Office (ECO), Facilities Management Division (FMD) and other departments are working on a broad range of efforts to reduce emissions from countywide operations and buildings across the region. This includes programs to increase affordable access to clean energy for more people, such as the Energize program, which installs free or lower-cost heat pumps to homes in areas where people are likely to be disproportionately impacted by the effects of climate change. You can learn more about King County’s climate efforts through our newsletter. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/gsrYkKVr

Interested in electric appliances and want to learn more about local options? King County teamed up with other counties, cities and partners to offer a one-stop-shop for education, incentives and a contractor directory! Check out The Switch Is On at https://wa.switchison.org/ King County is also committed to increasing access to climate-resilient technology for all communities, especially those most impacted by climate change. Check out our Energize program, which installs free and low-cost heat pumps and other clean technology in income-eligible houses, childcare centers and adult family homes! Learn more at kingcounty.gov/energize  Pierce County City of Seattle City of Olympia Thurston County Government Shift Zero Climate Solutions City of Tacoma