Are you ready for a Clean Building?
Q&A with Perry England, VP Building Performance at MacDonald-Miller.
What does it mean to have a Clean Building?
A Clean Building, referring to the state statute RCW 19.27A.200 (aka House Bill 1257), meets the state’s newly established energy performance standard for commercial buildings 50,000 square feet and larger.
Why is this exciting for Washingtonians?
The standard offers the opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, lower energy consumption, avoid energy costs, and provides a technology-neutral, building-specific approach to greenhouse gas emissions reductions.
When will buildings need to comply?
Commercial building owners will be notified of their performance requirements no later than July 1, 2021. Compliance dates will be:
- June 1, 2026 for buildings greater than 220,000 SF +
- June 1, 2027 for buildings greater than 90,000 to 220,00 SF +
- June 1, 2028 for buildings greater than 50,000 to 90,000 SF +
Why start now?
On November 1, 2020 the state performance requirements were published and Building Owners can take advantage of the information for next year’s planning. The first step to assessing the impact of this standard is to benchmark your building using Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
Owners are encouraged to complete this step by March 2021 to prepare as there are financial incentives* for owners taking early action to comply! If your building is greater than 15 points from its performance target, early adoption incentives of $0.85 per SF will be available. Applications will be accepted starting July 1, 2021.
* Incentive funds will be limited to $75M and additive to any additional utility incentives, so do not delay!
What is the cost of inaction?
Legislation includes an administrative penalty of no less than $5,000 and a maximum of an additional $1.00 per SF per year for each day of non-compliance. However, the department may by rule increase the maximum penalty rates to adjust for the effects of inflation.
How can a partnership with a Building Performance Contractor, like MacDonald-Miller, be beneficial to building owners during this process?
MacDonald-Miller works with building owners to provide cost-effective energy saving solutions. We can help develop energy management plans, including creating energy benchmarking reports so you can feel confident meeting the new performance requirements and comfortable in your new Clean Building.
Now is a great time to have a conversation about the future of your commercial space. Let us help get the conversation started by benchmarking your building using Energy Star Portfolio Manager.
Contact us
For more information on how Clean Building Standards will affect your building, reach out to our Build Performance team today: