Seattle likes to call itself a green city. It gets nearly all its power from hydro and its publicly owned utility has been carbon neutral for years. But being green isn't only about clean power; it's also about who actually benefits from it. This question sits at the heart of the ACEEE State and Local Policy Database, which tracks how cities in America fare in their energy efficiency performance. According to the database, Seattle is in third place nationally in terms of its scorecard. Hidden among the many programs listed is one small figure: in 2021, the city's low-income efficiency effort reached just 376 households.
A little number with a big story
Those 376 households received help through Seattle City Light’s low-income programs. Together, the households saved 1,996 megawatt-hours (MWh) that year, according to ACEEE. One megawatt-hour is roughly the amount of electricity an average American household uses in a little over a month, according to household electricity-use statistics. So, just by fixing up a few hundred houses, this one program saved enough electricity to power hundreds of homes for a year. The utility spent close to $2.7 million on this work in 2021, the database shows. The money was not used for the installation of solar panels or electric vehicles. Instead, it went into the less glamorous things like weatherizing walls, replacing fridges, using more efficient lights, and installing ductless heat pumps.
