Analysis by Emerald Cities Seattle determined that cost-effective upgrades could potentially save Plymouth over $100,000 in annual utility costs across our 13 buildings.

 

Story by Kim Lokan, Director of Facilities, Plymouth Housing Group

 

Plymouth has always been committed to being good stewards of resources, both environmental and financial. To us, energy efficiency, healthy built environments, affordability and fiscal responsibility go hand in hand.

Our new construction projects meet or exceed Evergreen Sustainable Development standards. In fact, Plymouth’s Pat Williams Apartments in South Lake Union earned LEED platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and honorable mention from the Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition. (Read more about it here).

But Plymouth’s environmental stewardship doesn’t stop with our new construction. And that’s what one of our newest partnerships is all about.

 

 

 

 

 

Emerald Cities Seattle, part of the nationwide Emerald Cities Collaborative, is a public-private-nonprofit partnership comprising civic, labor, community, business and environmental leaders committed to working together to address the issues of carbon pollution, energy waste in the built environment, job quality, equitable opportunities, and healthy communities.

You can imagine how delighted we were when they reached out to ask us if we’d be interested in being part of their Affordable Housing Sustainability Program. Their work has taken Plymouth’s capacity for energy efficiency to a whole new level.

Steve Gelb, director of Emerald Cities Seattle, started with a comprehensive energy audit of all 13 Plymouth buildings, searching for places with the greatest potential utility savings. The data pointed us right to the St. Charles (in Pioneer Square), the Colwell (in the Cascade neighborhood), and Plymouth Place (in lower Queen Anne). (Learn more about those properties here).

Steve is spending a lot of time with staff in these three buildings, getting a comprehensive understanding of all of the energy systems and of the ways tenants and staff use and maintain their space. He’s training staff to use simple tools to track and report their utility use, and he’s working with Puget Sound Energy, Seattle Public Utilities, MacDonald Miller, City Light, HomeWise, and the Washington State Housing Finance Commission to find energy savings programs we’d qualify for.

“Emerald Cities Seattle is thrilled to be working with Plymouth Housing Group to improve the efficiency, comfort and performance of its buildings.  Plymouth’s commitment to improving the living conditions of its tenants, reducing its environmental impact, and improving the community align with Emerald Cities’ values and mission.  Additionally, Plymouth continues to demonstrate leadership within the affordable housing community by pioneering a portfolio- wide approach to sustainability.” –Steve Gelb

 

Plymouth is a complex organization. But Emerald Cities brought patience and tenacity to learning about us and to identifying what’s keeping us from making all the headway we could be in utility conservation. Steve recognized our roadblocks and jumped in to fill our gaps, teaching us simple ways to track our use and reduce expenses. We’re grateful that Emerald Cities is covering the initial costs of assessments until Plymouth reaps the utility savings from the proposed upgrades.

We’re excited to watch this collaboration unfold! For more information, watch for updates on our website or contact me at klokan@plymouthhousing.org and 206.374.9409 x155.

 

More exciting partnership news: Read how Virginia Mason executive chef Brian Brooks is putting the words fresh, healthy, simple and delicious right in the hands of Plymouth residents.