Welcome to HDC’s Sustainability Update for January 2026!
Happy New Year!
HDC’s Sustainable Buildings Initiative is kicking off the new year with enthusiasm for our plans to deliver meaningful events, impactful project learnings, and new opportunities to collaborate with our members! Our sustainability staff and partners remain committed to supporting our members with improving building performance through identification of resources (financial and technical), design and implementation learnings, and support along compliance pathways required for State and Seattle-based standards.
Bookmark this page monthly and check our Digest newsletter weekly to receive timely updates for new and ongoing programs that provide funding and technical assistance; as well as current events available virtually and in person. This year’s Sustainability Learn at Lunch Sessions are kicking off January 15, at noon highlighting Addressing Toxins in Affordable Housing Flooring, register here.
Funding Opportunities
- King County’s Energize – Multifamily Homes Program is now open for application; submissions are encouraged before January 23, 2026. This program is available to multifamily apartment buildings in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish Counties for both subsidized and non-subsidized properties serving income-qualified residents.
- Washington Department of Commerce has released a Combined RFA supporting Clean Buildings Portfolio Standards. Register for Preproposal Conference 2 on Jan. 28, 2026, 12-1 p.m. Applications are due March 4, 2026, with a funding period from May 2026 – June 2027, four categories of projects to support CBPS compliance are rolled into this single RFA in the following amounts:
- Clean Building Performance Grants ($4.8 million)
- Energy Audits for Public Buildings ($12.2 million)
- Energy Efficiency Retrofit Grants ($10.6 million)
- State Project Improvement Grants ($4.8 million)
- A new RFA for Capital Project Capacity Grants to Non-Profit Organizations is being offered for a variety of early-stage capital project work. Grant funds of up to $50,000 must be spent by June 30, 2026. Phase 1 Initial Project Summary is due January 20, 2026, and Phase 2 (by invitation only) is due February 12, 2026 at 10 am. Please note that rural and small non-profits are being prioritized.
- Visit the Tier 2 Early Adopter Incentive Program to learn how multifamily buildings over 20,000 square feet can qualify for financial incentives to support compliance with Washington’s Clean Building Performance Standard.
Technical Assistance
- The BEACON Fellows team is available to assist with your WA Clean Buildings Performance Standards compliance needs. These highly-trained Fellows are available to assess your current needs and support progress to the next steps. From compliance education, to benchmarking, to site visits, to O&M and EMP development – these fellows are a free resource available to assist!
- The City of Bellevue is helping large buildings (20,000+ sf) to reduce energy use, save on costs, and comply with WA State Clean Buildings Law. Free building energy services include energy benchmarking, scoping assessments, incentive navigation, and compliance reporting support – an estimated $18,000 value. Plus, Free Training Webinars: WA Clean Buildings Law Compliance
- Visit the CBPS Helpdesk website for a free consultation to support your Washington State Clean Building Performance Standard compliance requirements.
Education Events & Sign Ups
- Our first Sustainability Learn at Lunch of 2026 is scheduled for January 15, 2026 virtually at noon. Addressing Toxins in Affordable Housing Flooring will share updated details for clean and healthy flooring materials that are available to replace current toxic flooring. Register today!
- Sign up to receive regular updates from Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment to stay aware of deadlines, tools and featured opportunities.
- Seattle City Light is offering a new no-cost program for commercial and multifamily buildings that are larger than 20,000 square feet. The Multifamily Strategic Energy Management (MSEM) program will launch in March! A second Commercial Strategic Energy Management cohort will launch in Fall 2026. This coaching and training program will help commercial and multifamily buildings lower their energy consumption, prepare to meet the requirements of the Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard (WA CBPS) and—for buildings within the city limits of Seattle—the Seattle Building Emissions Performance Standard (Seattle BEPS). Here are some of the benefits of participating in this program:
- Learn how to lower operating costs and achieve persistent energy saving and emissions reduction.
- Get on the path to compliance with both the Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard and Seattle Building Emissions Performance Standard.
- Join dynamic quarterly workshops, offering technical and organizational training and the opportunity to share practices and solutions alongside peers.
- Work with an energy and climate coach for ongoing support throughout the program – up to two years. This includes:
- One site walkthrough to identify energy-saving opportunities and help prioritizing project implementation.
- Assessments and action plan to support integrating energy into business practices.
- Coordination with the organization’s extended energy team to address specific needs and goals.
- The program is free for participants. Your investment is your time spent attending workshops and activities – an investment which should yield energy savings as well as valuable organizational benefits.
- Want to learn more about the Seattle City Light SEM program? Join an upcoming 60-minute information session! Register in advance:
- More information is available on Seattle City Light’s SEM webpage. Questions? Email: Graham Goodman, Senior Program Manager, [email protected]
Updates
- HDC DAHN 2025 Learn at Lunch Series Resources. Check this link to access all eight of our 2025 Learn at Lunch sessions covering a variety of funding and technical assistance programs along with valuable strategic information for planning of your sustainability projects. The link above provides brief overviews along with access to YouTube video replays, slide presentations and resource links.
- Washington State Department of Commerce has established a Qualified Contractor Network to identify professionals available to help expand opportunities for practitioners and tools for building owners/operators.
Sustainability Updates are a robust topic area that is always evolving. We look forward to improving this feature based upon the feedback of our members. As always, please feel free to reach out directly via email, we welcome your feedback!