Seattle’s progress toward climate-resilient and efficient community centers, libraries, pools, and more!

Reducing the emissions that cause climate change takes all of us. We at the City are taking bold action against major sources of pollution, including buildings, which are responsible for 40% of emissions in Seattle.  

We’re leading by example by reducing climate pollution, or “decarbonizing,” in City-owned spaces. Across Seattle, we’re upgrading pools, community centers, libraries, and more to reduce energy use, improve indoor air quality, and make buildings more comfortable for the communities who use them. 

Our new Municipal Buildings Decarbonization Dashboard shares our progress with the public by tracking energy and emissions data for more than 300 City‑owned buildings. We also stay connected with people on the ground to understand how these upgrades are improving the lives of the community members. 

These improvements help City buildings meet emissions-reduction goals under Seattle’s Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) law, which requires most large buildings to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Our Building Decarbonization Grants program is currently accepting applications through August 10 to help community buildings prepare for BEPS.  

Below are a few recent upgrades we’ve made to make buildings healthier, more comfortable, and ready for the future. 

Energy Efficiency Upgrades in Community Spaces 

A new exhaust energy recovery system is now operating at Helene Madison Pool. Pools are among the most energy-intensive building types because they require constant heating, humidity control, and ventilation.  

The new system captures heat from outgoing air and reuses it to reduce emissions. This is resulting in a 26% reduction in gas use and an 8% reduction in total energy use. This upgrade builds on lots of previous work at public pools with partners and our colleagues at Seattle Parks and Recreation. 

According to Treasa Sweek, principal at Sweek Engineers LLC, one of our partners in this work, “The EER and locker room controls adjustments are saving approximately 2 therms an hour of gas by reducing unneeded heating and reusing waste heat from the pool exhaust air.” 

Upgrading to light-emitting diode (LED) reduces energy use in buildings and provides brighter, more consistent light, making community spaces energy-efficient, welcoming, and safer.  

We installed lighting upgrades at several well-loved public facilities, including Seattle Center Armory, The Center School, Magnuson Community Center Gym, and Woodland Park Zoo’s Zoomazium. This work was supported by more than $300,000 in funding from the Washington Department of Commerce and brought to life through partnerships with City departments.  

An additional lighting upgrade at South Seattle’s Van Asselt Community Center uses LED lighting to improve visibility and reduce energy use in areas like walkways and parking lots. The project was designed by Blanca Lighting and installed in partnership with OSE, Parks and Recreation, and Ecotope. 

Our partners installed upgraded LED theater lighting in Zoomazium’s public learning space. This is expected to reduce the Zoomazium’s energy use by 45% and save $12,280 in annual utility and maintenance costs. That money can instead be used for zoo wildlife and conservation education.

“OSE brought the technical expertise we needed to compete successfully for this funding,” said Megan Schenk, Resource Conservation and Sustainability Manager at Woodland Park Zoo. “This partnership has strengthened our conservation efforts and shown what’s possible when organizations work together on climate action.” 

See the Progress in Our New Municipal Buildings Decarbonization Dashboard 

The Municipal Buildings Decarbonization Dashboard tracks our progress toward Seattle’s Municipal Building Decarbonization Plan, our guide to eliminating fossil fuels from City-owned buildings by 2042. We’ll update the dashboard as projects finish and new data becomes available. 

City Staff, building owners and managers, and our engineering and construction partners are using the dashboard to find individual buildings’ energy use and emissions, see if buildings are meeting BEPS emissions targets and Washington Clean Building Performance Standard energy targets, and view progress in removing fossil fuels from buildings. We also created a simple video walkthrough for people to learn more on our YouTube channel.  

Explore the Municipal Buildings Decarbonization Dashboard here. 

More to Come

Throughout 2026, we will be reducing emissions and upgrading heating and cooling systems at Rainier Beach Community Center and Pool and the Beacon Hill, Ballard, and Rainier Beach branches of Seattle Public Library. Stay tuned by subscribing to our Buildings & Energy newsletter!  

Reducing emissions is one part of building a more climate-ready Seattle. Learn more about how we’re partnering with neighbors to build community climate resilience. All of this work advances the goals of Seattle’s Climate Action Plan, which underscores that solutions must happen at all scales and come from individuals, communities, businesses, and government.   

For more information about Seattle’s building decarbonization work and open grant opportunities, visit our website.