Seattle, WA

Building for sustainability – how Seattle City Council and DPD are taking a lead on smart buildings to counter CO₂ emissions

Published

4 months ago

February 23, 2024

Building for sustainability – how Seattle City Council and DPD are taking a lead on smart buildings to counter CO₂ emissions

The building sector has a key role to play in tackling climate change. Buildings are currently responsible for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions. This includes 28% from the energy needed to heat, cool and power them, and 11% from materials and construction.

The high level of emissions means the sector has huge potential for reducing the overall amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere.

There’s now much more awareness around building design regarding the need for lower emissions, but that hasn’t always been the case. According to research from Brivo, the top three priorities for architects and building designers today are sustainability, safety, and security. But a decade ago, safety, materials used, and reliability made up the top three, with no place for climate impact in the top priority list.

Seattle initiative

To counter this lack of emphasis on sustainability in older buildings, Seattle City Council passed a building emissions law in December, which requires owners of existing buildings to take new steps to reduce their building’s greenhouse gas emissions.

The new Building Performance Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) requires owners of existing buildings larger than 20,000 square feet to incrementally reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. According to Seattle City Council, the policy will reduce emissions from buildings by 27% and reduce the city’s total core emissions by about 10%. Today, buildings account for 37% of total emissions across Seattle.

Building owners have a few years to ensure they comply with the upcoming legislation. They will need to start disclosing emission data, building equipment, and planned actions to achieve mandatory greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity targets from 2027 onwards; the actual targets will have to be met from 2031 onwards.

In the meantime, Seattle City Council will have to develop a robust digital system to track this information, ideally via collaboration with utility providers and self-disclosure from building owners, advises Dr Jens Hirsch, Chief Scientific Officer at BuildingMinds.

Hirsch notes that several other cities, such as New York City, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Boston and St. Louis, have all introduced or are planning to implement similar building emissions laws, indicating a growing trend to address building emissions and promote sustainable development in urban centers.

It’s expected that 80% of today’s building stock will still be standing in 2050, so the focus of these cities on retrofitting buildings is no surprise. Retrofitting current buildings can reduce their life-cycle carbon emissions by up to 83%.

For organizations that need to start complying with these rules, efficiency and cutting demand to a minimum should be a top priority. Hirsch adds:

Reducing demand to a minimum can be achieved through highly efficient systems operated by smart control systems and sensors, as well as by improving a building’s thermal envelope to minimize energy losses.
The first step in taking appropriate measures to reduce a building’s emissions is to gain a comprehensive understanding of its current energy consumption and the main drivers of emissions. With this data in hand, building owners can identify the most effective strategies for reducing emissions. For owners of large portfolios, this task cannot be managed using traditional methods and instead requires smart digital systems to collect and analyze data.

Technology plays a vital role in turning existing buildings into energy-efficient ones, by integrating advanced systems and sensors to control and optimize energy consumption. Smart software and data platforms can be used to analyze energy usage, identify inefficiencies and implement targeted improvements. Hirsch says:

By combining innovative technologies within the buildings and leveraging data analysis, companies can develop comprehensive strategies to reduce emissions and turn their properties into smart, sustainable buildings.

DPD delivers

Olly Craughan, Head of Sustainability at DPD UK, agrees that the first step to reducing the emissions of any building should be an accurate measurement of current emissions. DPD UK already uses 100% renewable electricity throughout its sites by either purchasing it or generating it via the company’s solar network. Craughan adds:

We monitor our energy usage closely per site and have smart systems fitted in many of our sites to ensure that our gas heating switches off when warehouse doors are open, reducing gas usage by 34% YoY. We also have Energy Champions in each site and they monitor energy usage and raise awareness to ensure our employees understand the impact.

Cutting-edge technologies like automation, artificial intelligence and IoT-enabled monitoring systems offer real-time data analysis and predictive maintenance, vital for firms wanting to improve their buildings’ energy efficiency. Digital systems have the potential to reduce 20% of global emissions, according to the World Economic Forum. Ionut Farcas, Executive Vice President of Power Products, Schneider Electric, notes:

These innovations empower companies to address safety concerns and monitor building occupancy rates to regulate temperatures, turn off lights when not in use, and much more – all designed to optimise energy use.

A rise in sensors should make this easier for organizations to manage. Farcas notes that by 2030, there will be triple the number of IoT devices in buildings compared to 2020.

Deploying a Building Management System (BMS) is a useful way to turn any existing building into a smart building, while also reducing emissions generated. A BMS manages and monitors heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, security, fire prevention and energy supply via a mesh network.

According to Brian Bishop, President of the Open Connectivity Foundation (OCF), a comprehensive BMS provides significant reductions in energy consumption, maintenance costs and environmental impact:

This is achieved by reducing excess energy usage through adjusting the settings of building systems in real-time using data collected by sensors and meters. A BMS will also provide real-time information and alerts to building operators and managers, allowing them to control and optimise the performance of the building.

There’s also the added benefit of providing detailed reporting metrics that let companies demonstrate regulatory compliance.

Bishop maintains that for a building to become truly smart, it’s essential to make all systems open protocol, managed via a single platform solution and breaking down silos even within a building. He adds:

This makes the role of your facilities management team so much easier, delivering even greater efficiency.

Existing BMS pilot projects suggest cost savings of up to 80%, with ROI achieved within eight months, Bishop says. This is on top of reduced emissions as well as providing validated data that can be used to enhance business operations.

Legislative challenges

Even with the availability of technology that can help businesses assess, manage and reduce energy use, there are likely to be challenges in delivering legislation around building emissions, including Seattle’s new law. Verification is one of these challenges, as Giles Clifford, Partner, Gowling WLG, notes:

It’s easy to spot someone driving too fast or on the wrong side of the road; far harder to enforce a law in respect of a building’s contribution to the emission of invisible gases. Much of the control needs to be done by way of proxy – physical or other verifiable measures that will be expected to have the necessary GHG impacts.

A simple prohibition is too often only effective if coupled with a genuine threat of being caught and punished. Even without corruption, which cannot be discounted, if the lawmaker doesn’t also have access to robust and well-resourced enforcement, the chances of success will be limited.

DPD’s Craughan says any legislation to lower emissions is a useful opportunity to reduce our impact on the climate. But he noted that the local government’s ability to implement the law is dependent on the resources available to monitor and enforce it. Craughan says:

“Making the law more attractive by providing subsidies and initiatives to modernise the buildings – solar and wind energy systems, and bio gas – and reduce emissions would help gain support for such a law, and could potentially boost the local economy due to the workforce needed to make these adjustments to the buildings.”

My take

Hopefully Seattle City Council will find the means to monitor and enforce its new legislation, and similar rules will be widely rolled out, as this is a major aspect of tackling climate change. As buildings are currently responsible for almost 40% of carbon emissions, smart buildings is an area where tech can make a real difference to our planet.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Weather: Monday morning clouds to sunshine, highs in the 70s

Published

2 hours ago

July 1, 2024

Press Room

Seattle Weather: Monday morning clouds to sunshine, highs in the 70s

Morning clouds to afternoon sunbreaks and then back to some evening clouds on this Sunday. Highs today peaked in the mid to upper 70s.

Tonight we will see increasing clouds with a slight chance of a pop-up shower through early Monday morning.

Overnight cloudy skies will keep temperatures very mild with lows in the mid to upper 50s.

Clouds will be around to start the work week, but skies will start to give way to more sunshine by midday.

High temperatures will be again in the mid 70s, above average for this time of year.

Regional Highs Tomorrow (FOX 13 Seattle)

Skies will clear out for the afternoon and evening, with only potentially a few clouds lingering around the Central Puget Sound.

Looking ahead to the holiday, the Fourth of July is looking picture-perfect! Highs in the low 80s and sunny skies!

High pressure will continue to build and strengthen starting Independence Day through the weekend. Temperatures will warm into the mid to upper 80s for some parts of the Pacific Northwest by the weekend.

No major rain or active weather expected for the extended forecast. One thing we will be keeping an eye on is the risk for wildland fires.

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Seattle, WA

Seattle Mariners Breakdown: Storylines after 4th straight series loss

Published

9 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

Seattle Mariners Breakdown: Storylines after 4th straight series loss

After a rough East Coast road trip, the first-place Seattle Mariners were hoping a return to the friendly confines of T-Mobile Park would help them get back on track.

It didn’t work out that way.

MLB insider reports on Mariners’ trade pursuits

The Mariners dropped two of three to the Minnesota Twins this weekend and lost a series at home for the first time since mid-April. It ended a streak of nine consecutive series wins at T-Mobile Park, which was the second-longest such streak in franchise history.

Seattle benefited from some chaos ball in the series opener, rallying for a 3-2 walkoff win in 10 innings on Friday night. But the Mariners dropped the final two games, losing 5-1 on Saturday and 5-3 on Sunday.

Seattle (47-39) has now lost four consecutive series overall. The Mariners are 3-8 since rattling off a 17-5 stretch earlier this month.

Standings update

Less than two weeks ago, the Mariners held a commanding 10-game lead atop the AL West. It’s a much different story now.

Seattle’s lead has dwindled to just 3.5 games over the second-place Houston Astros (42-41), who have surged back into contention with nine wins in their past 10 games. One piece of good news: The Mariners are still 8.5 games ahead of the third-place Texas Rangers (37-46), who have lost six straight.

Hitting struggles continue

The Mariners’ hitting woes this season have been well-documented. They continued with another rough series at the plate this weekend, as Seattle mustered a total of just seven runs in the three-game set.

In some ways, the Mariners were fortunate even to scratch across that many runs. Their game-tying run on Friday night came on an error. Their game-winning run later that night came in extra innings, with the benefit of an automatic runner starting the frame at second base. And on Sunday, one of their runs came one batter after Minnesota center fielder Byron Buxton lost a fly ball in the sun.

Seattle’s offense continues to sit at or near the bottom of the majors in nearly every key statistical category. Through Saturday, the Mariners ranked 27th in runs per game (3.87), dead-last in batting average (.218), 25th in on-base percentage (.298), 26th in slugging percentage (.366) and 26th in OPS (.664). They also have the highest strikeout rate in the majors at 27.9%, which is 1.6% higher than the next-closest team.

Bullpen gives up game-changing homers

With the Mariners playing in so many low-scoring games, their bullpen consistently finds itself in high-stress situations. That pressure has only been amplified by a slew of injuries that have tested the group’s depth. So, it’s not surprising that the bullpen has been showing more and more cracks of late.

Seattle relievers combined for four scoreless innings in Friday’s extra-inning victory, but they surrendered game-changing homers the next two days. In the sixth inning on Saturday, right-hander Trent Thornton left a center-cut fastball over the plate that Buxton belted for a three-run homer, which stretched the Twins’ lead to 5-1. And in the eighth inning on Sunday, right-hander Ryne Stanek threw a splitter that caught too much of the plate. Trevor Larnach made him pay, hitting a tiebreaking two-run shot that proved to be the difference in the series.

Thornton has been great this season, posting a 0.97 WHIP that ranks among in the top 20 among AL relievers. Stanek entered Sunday with a 10-game scoreless streak. But overall, ever since a dominant first month of the season, Seattle’s bullpen has been trending downward. Since May 1, the Mariners’ ‘pen ranks 23rd in the majors in ERA (4.59) and 15th in WHIP (1.25).

Gilbert wraps up dominant June

After tossing eight scoreless innings in each of his previous two starts, Logan Gilbert took a shutout into the sixth inning Friday night to extend his scoreless streak to 21 frames. The streak ended on a two-run homer by Carlos Correa, but that was the lone blemish in another strong outing for Gilbert. The 27-year-old right-hander limited the Twins to just two runs over six innings, giving him his MLB-best 14th quality start.

It capped a dominant June for Gilbert, who posted a 1.51 ERA and a 0.62 WHIP in five starts this month, along with 31 strikeouts and only one walk. Gilbert leads the majors with a 0.88 WHIP this season and ranks fifth in opponents’ batting average (.195) and ninth in ERA (2.72). He has allowed one earned run or fewer in nine of his 17 starts and has surrendered more than four runs only once all season.

Up next

After an off day Monday, the Mariners continue their nine-game homestand with a three-game set against the AL East-leading Baltimore Orioles. Baltimore (53-30) recently had a season-long five-game losing streak, but has since responded with four straight wins.

The Orioles’ heavy-hitting lineup averages an MLB-leading 5.25 runs per game and leads the majors in slugging percentage (.464), OPS (.781) and home runs (139). Baltimore has blasted a whopping 60 homers in June, which is 18 more than any other team. Power-hitting shortstop Gunnar Henderson is tied for second in the majors with 26 homers and outfielder Anthony Santander ranks fifth with 22 long balls, including an MLB-best 12 this month. Baltimore also has one of the top pitching staffs in baseball, ranking third in ERA (3.36) and fourth in WHIP (1.16).

The Mariners lost two of three to the Orioles at Camden Yards in mid-May. Henderson homered in all three games.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Rowland-Smith: What stands out about Mariners pitchers’ recent hiccups
• Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez putting in extra work to solve struggles
• Seattle Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Bryan Woo, Gabe Speier and more
• Seattle Mariners reliever Gregory Santos to begin rehab assignment
• Big Game Hunting: Two splashy potential Seattle Mariners trade targets

Follow @CameronVanTil

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Seattle, WA

MLB insider reports on Mariners' trade pursuits

Published

16 hours ago

June 30, 2024

Press Room

MLB insider reports on Mariners' trade pursuits

With a struggling lineup and a bullpen that’s been hampered by injuries, the first-place Seattle Mariners certainly have some clear needs to address ahead of the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

Big Game Hunting: Two splashy potential Mariners trade targets

According to one MLB insider, that process is already underway.

“The Mariners already have begun talking with teams about possible trades, with the deadline exactly one month away,” MLB Network’s Jon Morosi posted Sunday morning on social media. “For now, Seattle’s focus is an everyday bat and bullpen help.”

The Mariners already have begun talking with teams about possible trades, with the deadline exactly one month away. For now, Seattle’s focus is an everyday bat and bullpen help. @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 30, 2024

The Mariners currently sit atop the American League West at 47-38, holding a 4.5-game lead over the second-place Houston Astros and a nine-game lead over the Texas Rangers. Seattle has built that lead with its elite starting rotation, which leads the majors with 50 quality starts and ranks fourth with a starting pitching ERA of 3.41.

However, the Mariners’ exceptional starting pitching has been contrasted by an offense that sits at or near the bottom of the majors in nearly every major statistical category. Seattle ranks 27th in runs per game (3.87), dead-last in batting average (.218), 25th in on-base percentage (.298), 26th in slugging percentage (.366) and 26th in OPS (.664). The Mariners also have the highest strikeout rate at 27.9%, which is 1.6% higher than the the next-closest team.

Bats aren’t Seattle’s only need, though. The Mariners’ injury-depleted bullpen could also use some help. Over the first month of the season, Seattle’s bullpen led the majors in WHIP (1.04) and ranked third in ERA (2.56). But since May 1, the Mariners’ bullpen ranks 23rd in ERA (4.59) and 15th in WHIP (1.25).

The Mariners have been without two of their top three relievers this season, with Matt Brash out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery and Gregory Santos missing the first half of the season with a lat strain. Gabe Speier also is on the 15-day injured list with a rotator cuff strain, Tayler Saucedo missed three weeks with a hyperextended knee and closer Andrés Muñoz recently missed a few days earlier this month after aggravating a lower-back issue.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Rowland-Smith: What stands out about Mariners pitchers’ recent hiccups
• Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez putting in extra work to solve struggles
• Mariners Injury Update: Latest on Bryan Woo, Gabe Speier and more
• Mariners reliever Gregory Santos to begin rehab assignment
• Rost: The two things about first-place Seattle Mariners’ season that are baffling

Follow @CameronVanTil

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