Reduce building energy consumption

Energy conservation is the first step in moving toward a zero-carbon energy future. Buildings are a major energy consumer in the County, and energy use over the past ten years has only seen a slight reduction despite technological advances and the availability of much more efficient alternatives to highly polluting and wasteful systems of the past. Furthermore, natural gas consumption per capita has declined only slightly since 2010.

Although new construction presents opportunities to integrate modern technologies and design strategies, most of the buildings that will exist in 2045 are already standing today. Thus, guiding existing building owners and managers toward carbon neutrality is a tremendous and necessary challenge.

An initial step to reducing energy consumption in existing buildings is to track energy use to better understand consumption patterns and identify opportunities for deep energy retrofits. Building owners also need access to affordable capital to make these energy- and cost-saving retrofits. The County can do more to accelerate both energy efficiency and the shift from natural gas to electricity-based systems, all of which should also include workforce development in these areas. Providing workforce training opportunities focused on clean buildings can accelerate retrofit projects across the County’s portfolio and enable the overall reduction of building energy consumption.