Proposed decarbonization projects
This page details projects funded and requested by the University of Washington through the state's Climate Commitment Account. These projects support decarbonizing the energy systems on our campus in Seattle to meet the targets of the state’s Climate Commitment Act and Clean Building Performance Standard. The University of Washington has developed an innovative energy transformation strategy to transition the Seattle campus energy infrastructure to 100% clean energy. This monumental undertaking will modernize our energy infrastructure and better align UW’s sustainability values with daily campus operations.
Funded projects
The 2024 state budget included $38.9 million in funding for energy renewal and decarbonization projects. Those projects were:
UW Seattle Centralized Chilled Water Capacity Improvements ($14 million): This will fund the installation of piping to help distribute chilled water to the William H. Foege Building, Ocean Sciences and several wings of the Magnuson Health Sciences Center to the central cooled water system, shifting away from the existing decentralized cooling systems in those buildings. Cooling in these buildings is required to support the vivaria, laboratory, and teaching spaces and to mitigate heat gain from research equipment. The project would be more energy efficient, reducing the electricity needed to cool the buildings.
UW Bothell Central Plant Optimization & Gas Boiler Replacements ($6.5 million): This will support energy renewal upgrades at the UW Bothell campus, including upgrading the existing 1,000-ton chiller at the Central Plant and replacing 21 domestic gas heaters with electric heaters in campus facilities. These projects will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by installing more efficient equipment to bring the campus further into compliance with the State Clean Buildings Performance Standard.
UW Tacoma Gas Boiler Replacements ($8.4 million): UW Tacoma currently uses natural gas as the primary heating source. This project will replace five large gas-fired boilers, 11 unitary gas packs, and associated infrastructure with electric condenser boilers or heat pumps, dramatically reducing the use of fossil fuels for heating on the campus. The existing gas-fired boilers are increasing in maintenance costs due to the age of the legacy equipment, and this project is estimated to reduce operating costs by 50 percent while improving indoor and outdoor air quality.
UW Medical Center Montlake HVAC Systems Renewal ($8 million): Many parts of the existing HVAC systems are long past their expected life and are prone to failure. This project will replace equipment and associated building systems in the Cascade and Pacific Towers, allowing for more efficient and reliable operation.
UW Medical Center Northwest Central Utility Planning ($2 million): This will fund a feasibility and predesign study for developing a Central Utility Plant at the UWMC Northwest campus. The existing decentralized utility structure creates issues in terms of maintenance, reliability, and excess energy consumption. The development of a central plant to support existing and future development is critical to the goal of decarbonization.
Requested but not funded:
Clean Energy Institute ($10 million): The Clean Energy Institute is expected to move into a new West Campus building in 2025, which will nearly triple the institute's existing space. This funding would fully build out the project space and provide equipment for the Clean Energy Testbeds and other engagement programs.
2025 legislative request
As part of the 2025 state legislative agenda, the UW requested funding from the Climate Commitment Account for the 2025-2027 Biennial Budget for $292.6 million toward 10 projects that would support decarbonizing the energy systems on our campus in Seattle to meet the targets of the state’s Climate Commitment Act and Clean Building Performance Standard. These requests were not funded. Details of the proposed projects are in the 2025-2027 Capital Budget Request.