Spokane
City Scorecard Rank
53
Spokane, WA
Scored out of 100Updated 10/2020
Community-Wide Initiatives
Community-Wide Climate Mitigation and Energy GoalsList All
Climate Mitigation Goal
Spokane adopted a goal to reduce GHG emissions 45% below 2016 levels by 2030. ACEEE was unable to project if the city will achieve its near-term GHG emissions reduction goal because insufficient GHG emissions data were available for our analysis.
Energy Efficiency Goal
We did not find information regarding a community-wide energy reduction goal for the city.
Renewable Energy Goal
We did not find information regarding a community-wide renewable energy goal for the city.
Last updated: August 2023
Equity-Driven Approaches to Clean Energy Planning, Implementation, and EvaluationList All
Equity-Driven Community Engagement
We were unable to determine whether relevant decision-makers have taken a unique and expanded approach in conducting engagement for multiple clean energy initiatives with marginalized groups compared to engagement with other city constituencies.
Equity-Driven Decision-Making
We were unable to determine if the city has created a formal role for marginalized community residents or local organizations representing those communities to participate in decision-making that affects the creation or implementation of a local energy, sustainability, or climate action plan.
Equity Accountability Measures
We were unable to determine whether the city has adopted specific goals, metrics, or protocols to track how multiple energy, sustainability, or climate action initiatives are affecting local marginalized groups.
Last updated: August 2023
Clean Distributed Energy ResourcesList All
The city has not adopted a formal policy, rule, or agreement that supports the creation of clean distributed energy systems.
Last updated: August 2023
Adaptive Mitigation List All
Heat Island Mitigation Policies and Programs
Spokane offers incentives to developers to incorporate low-impact development.
Resilience Hubs
We were unable to determine if the city has supported the creation of resilience hubs that incorporate clean energy resources and are sited in disadvantaged communities.
Last updated: August 2023
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Workforce DevelopmentList All
Workforce development for disadvantaged workers
We could not determine if city has partnered with a local education institution, labor union, or community-based organization to create, support, and/or incentivize the development of clean energy workforce development initiatives that target training and support services for potential or existing workers from disadvantaged communities to obtain and keep in-demand jobs.
Workforce development for the broader community
We could not determine if city has partnered with a local education institution, labor union, or community-based organization to create, support, and/or incentivize the development of clean energy workforce development initiatives that target training and support services for potential or existing workers from the broader community to obtain and keep in-demand jobs.
Outcomes tracking
We could not determine if the city has instituted a mechanism to measure the performance and/or success of equitable workforce development initiatives focused on the clean energy sector.
Last updated: August 2023
Buildings Policies
Building Energy CodesList All
Overview
The State of Washington requires all local jurisdictions to comply with the state mandated residential building energy codes but permits local jurisdictions to have more stringent commercial codes. The 2021 Washington State Energy Code for residential buildings is based on the 2021 IECC. To learn more about the building energy codes required in the State of Washington, please visit the State Policy Database.
Commercial
Commercial properties comply with the 2021 Washington State Energy Code. The city’s zEPI score for their commercial energy code is 48.
Residential
Residential properties comply with the 2021 Washington State Energy Code. The city’s zEPI score for their residential energy code is 53.25.
Solar-readiness policies
Spokane has not adopted solar-readiness ordinances.
EV-charging readiness policies
Spokane has not adopted EV-ready ordinances.
Low-energy use requirements
The city requires new construction and major renovations of city-owned buildings 5,000 square feet or greater to meet LEED Silver certification.
Electrification policies
The 2021 Washington State Code requires all-electric space and water heating in new commercial and multifamily buildings, with exceptions for a few specific end uses.
Last Updated: August 2023
Building Energy Code Compliance and EnforcementList All
Spokane requires plan reviews, site inspections, and performance testing. We were unable to determine the amount of staff effort dedicated to energy code enforcement. Spokane offers upfront support in the form of pre-development conferences for commercial buildings.
Last Updated: August 2023
Policies Targeting Existing BuildingsList All
Building performance standards
Washington's state bill HB1257 mandates that existing commercial buildings 50,000 sq feet or greater meet certain energy use thresholds.
Benchmarking
While it doesn't earn points for our energy benchmarking metric, the city requires all commercial buildings to display a certificate showing test results for air and filtration, the tests for which were previously required.
Incentives
The city does not offer incentives for energy efficiency actions, but such programs are in the planning and study stages.
Last Updated: August 2023
Transportation
Sustainable Transportation Planning List All
Sustainable Transportation Plan
Spokane's Sustainability Action Plan was adopted in 2021 and includes sustainable transportation strategies. It also includes strategies specifically benefitting disadvantaged communities.
VMT/GHG Targets and Stringency
The Sustainability Action Plan contains a goal to reduce GHG emissions from transportation 50% by 2030, 90% by 2040, and 100% by 2050 from 2016 levels. The city’s target requires a 5% average per-capita annual decrease from its target baseline. Therefore, Spokane earned 2 points for the stringency of its target.
Progress Achieved Toward VMT/GHG Targets
The City of Spokane did not provide GHG data collected since the adoption of its goal; therefore, we cannot assess progress toward the goal.
Last Updated: September 2023
Location Efficiency List All
Location Efficient Zoning Codes
In 2022, Spokane modified its zoning code to allow up to 4 residential units per lot by-right in all residential districts.
Parking Requirement
We were unable to find information indicating that the City of Spokane has at least one zone, neighborhood, or district with a parking maximum of 1 or fewer spaces per housing unit or no minimum parking requirement for residential uses.
Location Efficiency Incentives and Disclosure
The City of Spokane does not have location-efficient development incentives or disclosure policies.
Affordable Housing around Transit
The city incentivizes affordable housing near transit by offering height bonuses to these developments.
Last Updated: September 2023
Mode Shift List All
Mode Shift Targets
The City of Spokane does not have a codified mode share target.
Progress Achieved Toward Mode Shift Targets
The City of Spokane does not have a codified mode share target, and therefore cannot make progress toward the target.
Subsidized Access to Efficient Transportation Options
Lime, the primary shared micromobility operator in Spokane, offers discounted rides to those participating in assistance programs like Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid, or the local transit agency's reduced fare program.
Last Updated: September 2023
Public Transit List All
Transit Funding
The transit entities that serve the City of Spokane have received $63,634,364.80 on average annually between 2017 and 2021 from local sources. That equates to roughly $138.63 per capita between 2017 and 2021 within the service area.
Access to Transit Services
The AllTransit Performance Score measures a given community's transit access and performance. The score considers connections to other routes, access to jobs, service frequency, and the percent of commuters who ride transit to work. The City of Spokane's AllTransit Performance Score is 6, scoring 1 point in the City Scorecard.
Last Updated: September 2023
Efficient VehiclesList All
Efficient Vehicle Purchase Incentives
Neither the City of Spokane nor the local utility provide incentives for purchasing efficient vehicles.
Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Incentives
Avista, a utility serving the City of Spokane, offers free installation of a Level 2 EV charger in customers' homes, and will cover 50% of the wiring costs, up to a maximum of $1,000.
Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Requirements
The Washington State Building Code requires commercial, retail, and industrial developments, as well as most multifamily developments, to install EV charging stations in 10% of parking spaces.
EV Charging Ports
The City of Spokane has 37.4 vehicle charging ports per 100,000 people available for public use.
Electric School Bus Goal
Spokane Public Schools has contracted with Zum to provide student transportation services, which is aiming to transition 100% of its fleet to electric buses by 2027.
Electric Transit Bus Goal
Neither the City of Spokane nor the local transit agency have set an electric transit bus goal.
Last Updated: September 2023
Freight System EfficiencyList All
Sustainable Freight Plans
Spokane does not have a sustainable freight plan or freight mobility plan. However, according to the Spokane Sustainability Action Plan, the city plans to encourage deliveries to shift to bikes, e-bikes, and cargo bikes.
Open Data Portals
The City of Spokane does not have an open data portal with real-time freight data.
Last Updated: September 2023
Community Energy Infrastructure
Score: 2 out of 40 points
Community Energy Infrastructure Summary List All
AVISTA, an investor-owned utility (IOU), is the primary electric and natural gas utility serving Spokane. To learn more about the state requirements for electric and gas efficiency, please visit the New York page of the State Database.
Electricity and Natural Gas Efficiency SavingsList All
We were unable to verify spending, savings, or customers served in 2021 by AVISTA.
Low-Income & Multifamily EE Programs List All
We were unable to verify spending, savings, or customers served by AVISTA's low-income and multifamily programs for 2021.
Provision of Energy Data by UtilitiesList All
We were unable to verify whether AVISTA provides benchmarking services to its customers.
Decarbonization and Climate Change Mitigation Efforts of Cities and Energy UtilitiesList All
We were unable to verify decarbonization or climate change mitigation by AVISTA.
Clean Distributed Energy Resources
The city has not adopted a formal policy, rule, or agreement that supports the creation of clean distributed energy systems.
Municipal Renewable Energy Procurement
Spokane receives solar energy through the Avista Solar Select Program; this program provides approximately 148kW capacity solar for City Hall.
City Renewable Energy Incentive and Financing Programs
We could not find information on whether the city incentivizes the deployment of renewable energy systems.
Last Updated: February 2024
Efficiency Efforts in Water ServicesList All
We were unable to verify whether the city or AVISTA provide water efficiency measures to customers in Spokane.
Local Government Score:
Procurement and Construction Policies List All
Fleet Policies and Composition
While we were unable to find information on fleet procurement policies or fuel efficiency requirements, the Transportation and Land Use Priority Action 7.2 of the City of Spokane's Sustainability Action Plan states the goal, “Plan and implement conversion of City fleet vehicles to carbon-negative, carbon-neutral, and low-carbon alternatives; by at least 50% by 2030; 75% by 2040 with a goal of reducing fleet well-to-wheel emissions to zero by 2050.” Spokane’s fleet is composed of 4% efficient vehicles, including hybrid and battery electric vehicles.
Public Lighting
We were unable to confirm whether Spokane has adopted a policy requiring efficient outdoor lighting, such as the International Dark-Sky Association’s Model Lighting Ordinance. 100% of streetlights in Spokane are LED.
Inclusive procurement
We were unable to verify if Spokane has inclusive procurement and contracting processes.
Last Updated: October 2023
Asset Management List All
Building Benchmarking
We were unable to find information regarding Spokane’s benchmarking practices.
Comprehensive Retrofit Strategy
We were unable to find information regarding a comprehensive retrofit strategy in Spokane.
Municipal Employee Transportation Benefits
Municipal employees can ride Spokane Transit Authority buses for free. Secure bicycle parking is provided within City Hall. One of the Human Resources employees acts as the "Employee Transportation Coordinator." She promotes and tracks employee commutes each month through "CommuteSmartNW" and offers prizes for miles and dollars saved by taking the bus, bicycling, walking and working remotely.
Last update: February 2024