PDX Building Decarbonization

Buildings make up nearly 40 percent of carbon emissions in Portland. Building electrification and energy efficiency measures are needed to tackle today’s climate challenges, but it is hard to figure out how much they will cost property owners (upfront), tenants (ongoing), developers of new housing, and governments that are incentivizing the transition. The City of Portland tasked ECOnorthwest, PAE Engineers, ZGF Architects, and DCW Cost Management to answer critical questions that will guide the City’s future policies related to building emissions. ECOnorthwest also studied the implications of requiring a maximum temperature standard (i.e., indoor cooling) as well as implications of targeted energy transition for rents and renters.