Happy Spring Ahead!

There’s still time to register for HDC’s Annual Celebration! As in the past, this celebration of all the great achievements in our community is not to be missed. We will have a “Sustainability” table in the event lobby, please come by to say “hi” and connect with others doing this important work.

Our sustainability task forces have been busy. We now have two events open for registration:

• Let’s Get Ready to DECARBONIZE! – April 7 from 12-1 pm. Join us for an informative Learn at Lunch as HDC unveils a new Decarbonization Readiness Guide, designed to help affordable housing operators align asset management planning with current regulatory requirements and resources. The presentation will break down what the tool is and how you can start using it right away to make strategic building planning decisions. Spend your lunch hour discovering a resource that will set up your organization to successfully save money, reduce carbon emissions, and create healthier buildings for your residents and staff. In collaboration with HDC, our speakers will be representatives from the Guide development team of Elevate and Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment.
• Sustainability Innovations Summit is a live event on April 23rd, 9:30 – 3:30 in the beautiful Panorama Room at Pacific Tower on Beacon Hill (Seattle), co-hosted by Smart Buildings Center. We will hear from development teams and energy professionals that are innovating building methodologies, mechanical and technological advances to achieve higher performance, and reduced carbon emissions, in new construction and renovation projects. Philanthropic investors and educators will be sharing about what they are researching, testing and investing in for a peek at what we might expect in the future. Product vendor and manufacturing representatives will round out the program by showcasing their equipment and technology. We hope you can join us!

Funding Opportunities 

• Washington Department of Commerce has opened applications for two categories of Capital Funding for Preservation: (1) Housing Preservation -available to current Housing Trust Fund contractors for capital improvements. (2) Continuing Affordability -available to any Washington affordable housing project at risk of losing affordability, including unsubsidized properties.  See links for office hours and detailed information. Applications are due April 17.
• King County’s Energize – Community Spaces Program is now open for application; the deadline to apply is April 20, 2026. This program is available to community-facing buildings to improve energy efficiency, indoor air quality and building occupant comfort, and to lower energy costs. This program is open to non-government owned community spaces located in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish Counties. 
• King County’s Energize – Multifamily Homes Program remains open for application. This program is a great way to get ahead of the benchmarking compliance that is coming through both the State and City of Seattle. Applicants can be multifamily apartment buildings in King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish Counties for both subsidized and non-subsidized properties serving income-qualified residents. 
• 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 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 Training Webinars: WA Clean Building Law Compliance on March 17 and March 23, both sessions will run 11 am – 12 pm.
• City of Seattle Office of Sustainability & Environment is offering FREE Building Emissions Performance (BEPS) coaching cohorts to help owners prepare for BEPS compliance. In anticipation of the next multifamily cohort sign up, please watch the recorded one-hour online info session. 
• Seattle City Light is offering a NO-COST program for owners and facility managers of multifamily buildings that are larger than 20,000 square feet. The Multifamily Strategic Energy Management (MSEM) program will launch in March with a coaching and training program to prepare for compliance with the Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard (WA CBPS), which is in addition to the above-referenced BEPS requirement for Seattle buildings. Register now for one of the Information sessions.
• Visit the CBPS Helpdesk website for a free consultation to support your Washington State Clean Building Performance Standard compliance requirements. 
• Stillwater Energy supports multifamily portfolios outside of Seattle King County with similar services for state and local standards compliance with the following utilities: Avista Utilities, Clark PUD, Pacific Power, Puget Sound Energy, Snohomish PUD. For more information click here or feel free to email for direct assistance: [email protected].

Education Events & Sign Ups

• Sign up to receive regular updates from Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment to stay aware of deadlines, tools and featured opportunities. 
• Register now, for HDC’s Sustainability Innovations Summit, April 23, 9:30 am – 3:30p, at Pacific Tower’s Panoramic Room (Seattle).
• Register now, to join Let’s Get Ready to DECARBONIZE! Learn at Lunch, April 7, 12 – 1 pm.

Updates 

• Our first Learn at Lunch of the year was a great discussion about replacing affordable housing toxins in existing flooring with clean / healthy flooring materials to enhance tenant and staff environmental equity for better health. If you missed the live session, here are links to the YouTube recording and the healthy flooring alternatives matrix.
• 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. This link above provides brief overviews along with access to YouTube video replays, slide presentations and resource links. 

Please feel free to reach out directly via email, we welcome your feedback!