The Board of County Commissioners approved an interlocal agreement to support two initiatives advancing the implementation of the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan.
The two initiatives focus on reducing the energy required for residential buildings, which, according to Climate Mitigation Senior Program Manager Rebecca Harvey, is the county's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.
The first initiative is to launch a residential energy efficiency and electrification (EEE) campaign to inform residents about financial incentives for electrifying their homes or converting to more energy-efficient systems. The program includes a public outreach campaign, an online information hub, and advisory support services.
The agreement covers the campaign's first phase, which focuses on the planning and design, and the development of another interlocal agreement to implement the program.
The second initiative is to create a home energy score model ordinance, a disclosure policy to help residents assess the energy performance rating of their homes and determine their expected energy costs. The agreement will cover the entire development of the new ordinance, from policy research to eventual adoption. Another expected outcome of the initiative is to design a program to administer the policy.
Other parties to the agreement include Olympia, Lacey, and Tumwater, which, together with the county, are collectively working on these projects as the Thurston Climate Mitigation Collaborative.
The county will contribute $14,875 as part of the agreement, the same amount as the other parties. The funds will be used to hire one or more contractors to provide public advisory and engagement services for the EEE Campaign and to facilitate stakeholder engagement for developing the home energy score policy.
According to the agreement, Olympia will be the contract manager and work directly with the hired contractors. The other parties, and the county, will support Olympia by providing a staff member to manage the initiatives. A staff member from the county has been selected to serve as the project manager for the EEE campaign.
The cities of Olympia and Lacey approved the agreement earlier this month, while the city of Tumwater is still working to authorize it. Tumwater’s Public Works Committee recommended that its city council approve the agreement on February 22.
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AugieH
"The second initiative is to create a home energy score model ordinance, a disclosure policy to help residents assess the energy performance rating of their homes and determine their expected energy costs. The agreement will cover the entire development of the new ordinance, from policy research to eventual adoption. Another expected outcome of the initiative is to design a program to administer the policy."
This sounds innocuous, but why is there a little voice in my head screaming "Government Micromanagement!"?
Tuesday, February 27 Report this
wildnature
I think it's a good thing. We all need to do our part to save our home. Not just some of us.
Tuesday, February 27 Report this
Yeti1981
This will create a market that stalls upward mobility. Folks will refer to this "energy audit" when they go to purchase a home. Those who can't afford to retrofit or upgrade their home will be stuck in the home they are in and this will cause a ripple effect that will either hold people hostage in their outdated homes or drain a significant amount of equity from the seller and hurt their ability to purchase a new home. And, of course, that will mean less inventory of available/affordable homes who would potentially jump into the market. This does not bode well for the affordability crisis. The only way I could potentially see this working is if the upgrades and retrofits are 100% covered and not a major cost to the homeowner. This is more policy that hurts everyday working families in it's current form.
Tuesday, February 27 Report this
Southsoundguy
The global warming climate crisis is a scam perpetrated by the government to further regulate our lives and take more of our money. No one is doing any part to save anything. This only leads to malinvestment and wasted opportunities.
Tuesday, February 27 Report this