SCALE 2030
Developing Washington State’s
Capacity to Transform Buildings
JasonExplore the Clean Buildings Roadmap
SCALE 2030 is a collaborative project to catalyze alignment around bold, transformative strategies and investments that can scale an affordable transition to clean buildings in Washington by 2030.
Modernizing our residential and commercial buildings is indispensable to providing our population with the essential, resilient infrastructure necessary to thrive in the 21st century. Washington faces multidimensional building sector energy challenges, including decarbonizing electricity, electrifying end uses, and adapting to a changing climate with more extreme weather and smoke.
Changing how we use energy in the buildings where we live, work and gather can ensure healthy environments, make buildings a resource that responds to grid stress, and advance Washington’s economy by reducing reliance on Canadian natural gas and creating high-quality jobs in the building sector. Current progams, incentives, and policies for buildings are not adequate to drive the major transition that is required.
Washington needs more institutional and market capacity to deliver clean buildings at scale. The scale of this challenge is also an opportunity for policy makers, utilities, lenders, the real estate industry, service providers, regulators, community-based organizations, and advocates to lean in and maxmize the benefits for buseinsses and communities as we ensure a modern building stock for current and future generations.
Resilient, Affordable, and Clean Buildings for All by 2050
SCALE 2030 envisions that in 2050 nearly all commercial and residential buildings in Washington state are:
- Zero emission
- Efficient
- Optimized for affordability and equity
- Grid-interactive, and a resource to the grid
- Hosting onsite renewable generation and storage
A Fully-Scaled Clean Buildings Ecosystem by 2030
Washington must build out the institutional and market capacity to implement an effective, affordable clean buildings transition by 2030. Starting between 2030 and 2035 all new/replacement equipment going into Washington’s residential and commercial buildings should be zero emission and highly efficient. This vision requires:
- Statewide targets for the building sector in place to guide and track progress to 100% clean buildings by 2050.
- A clear regulatory path that guides building owners and occupants through energy upgrade decisions
- Policies and price signals that encourage emissions reductions, efficiency, onsite generation, and demand flexibility.
- Zero-emission, efficient equipment that is cost-competitive with alternatives, and reliably available.
- Consumers aware of and able to adopt clean buildings technologies and services for their buildings, with access to financing and technical support.
- Enough trained service providers/contractors to install key equipment, across the state.
- A clean buildings sector that supports employment and economic growth across Washington.
SCALE 2030 Clean Buildings Roadmap
The SCALE 2030 Clean Buildings Roadmap proposes six levers containing 16 actions that would advance major changes to the state's approach between now and 2030 and build a foundation for rapid, large-scale implementation.
Explore the Clean Buildings Roadmap
