The Blog.
Notes from the work — benchmarking, building data, policy, and what actually happens when a portfolio meets a deadline.
Deep Dives
Free Help Exists: Where to Get Your Questions Answered
There's a phone number you can call, right now, and a person will answer your Clean Buildings question for free. Washington built a genuinely good support network for this program, and most of it goes unused because owners don't know it's there.
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"I Don't Want to Figure This Out Myself": How to Find a Reputable Service Provider
Tier 2 compliance requires a credentialed qualified energy manager, which means the law assumes most owners will hire someone. Here are the six questions to ask before you do, and the four red flags worth walking away from.
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The Northwest Grid's Real Test Is a Cold, Dry Week
Planners say the Northwest's biggest grid risk is a multi-day cold snap in a low-hydro year. Here is what the numbers say, what the federal government has already done about it, and what buildings can do.
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More Reading
Quick Reads.
Click any post to open it in place.
One State, Eight Clean Energy Regions
A clean buildings program built for Seattle won't fit Spokane. SCALE 2030's answer is eight regions that adapt one statewide direction to local building stock.
The Split Incentive: Climate's Hardest Building Problem
One in three homes in Washington is a rental. The landlord buys the furnace and the tenant pays the bill, and that single mismatch quietly stalls a third of our housing.
The 15-Year Decision Hiding in Every Appliance Swap
A furnace installed in 2030 will most likely still be running in 2045. That is the real case for a zero-emission heating standard, and it is more modest than the headlines suggest.
A Strong Start, Not the Whole Job
Washington has one of the stronger building performance laws in the country. The catch is that it doesn't reach most buildings — and SCALE 2030 names that gap directly.
Notes from the Founders Summit at 9Zero Seattle
Pacific Northwest Climate Week, a conversation with StepChange's Ben Eidelson, and a reminder that building a startup does not have to be a solitary pursuit.
You Can't Rebate Your Way Out of Three Million Buildings
A rebate here, a voluntary program there. The appeal is understandable, but it is the wrong-sized tool for a state with more than three million buildings.