Kitsap County, WA

Background

Kitsap County is working to reduce energy use and save taxpayer dollars as part of a cohesive effort to improve energy efficiency in County facilities, while raising awareness about energy conservation throughout the community. The Board of County Commissioners adopted an Energy Efficiency & Conservation Plan in October 2011. This Plan calls for a 30 percent reduction in all energy use – including electricity, natural gas, propane, gasoline and diesel fuels – across the entire portfolio of County operations and facilities.

The Board also adopted an Energy Conservation Policy for County facilities in 2011 and implemented a comprehensive Resource Conservation Management program to reduce energy use, water use and waste generation in County operations. Using federal Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant funding, Kitsap County has retrofitted more than 40 buildings representing over 298,000 square feet since January 2010. Through its partnership with the Better Buildings Challenge, the County has committed to reduce energy use 30 percent by 2020 across more than 860,000 square feet of its building portfolio.