Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard

The Clean Buildings Act (HB-1257), which was recently passed in Washington State, intends to curb energy usage for large commercial buildings over the next few years. All commercial buildings over 50,000 SF will be required to comply with the standard following the timelines below. Buildings that do not comply will be assessed a financial penalty based on facility size which could be substantial and is recurring on a five year basis.

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Compliance Dates:

Buildings over 200,000 SF: June 1, 2026

Remaining Buildings over 90,000 SF: June 1, 2027

Remaining Buildings over 50,000 SF: June 1, 2028

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Compliance is determined by calculating both a facility's Energy Use Index (EUI) and Energy Use Index Target (EUIt) and comparing the values. This process may be simple if your facility is currently meeting the target, but can get complicated and involved very quickly.

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If your building is not currently meeting it's EUIt, an ASHRAE Energy Audit is required. This is a time-intensive process that must be performed by qualified personnel, that will look for any sources of efficiency loss in your building. The output of the Energy Audit is a list of Energy Efficiency Measures (EEM's) that you can choose to implement that will drive your EUI down towards meeting your EUIt.

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While our consulting services can't guarantee compliance, our team of experts can help give your team the tools and knowledge they need to approach HB-1257 with confidence.

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Don't wait - there are early adopter programs and utility incentives that we can help identify to reduce the cost of compliance. Call our team now to learn more about opportunities that may be available for your facility.

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A link to the Department of Commerce's portal for HB-1257 can be found here. This portal contains useful resources and guides to help you start on the path to compliance today.

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There are resources available for you both to learn about this legislation and what it means for your facility. Give our team a call at 253.856.3322 or info@wcxg.com to learn more.