E2SSB 5854 -
By Committee on Technology, Energy & Communications
NOT ADOPTED 04/14/2009
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"NEW SECTION. Sec. 1 The legislature finds that energy
efficiency is the cheapest, quickest, and cleanest way to meet rising
energy needs, confront climate change, and boost our economy. More
than thirty percent of Washington's greenhouse gas emissions come from
energy use in buildings. Making homes, businesses, and public
institutions more energy efficient will save money, create good local
jobs, enhance energy security, reduce pollution that causes global
warming, and speed economic recovery while reducing the need to invest
in costly new generation. Washington can spur its economy and assert
its regional and national clean energy leadership by putting efficiency
first. Washington can accomplish this by: Promoting super efficient,
low-energy use building codes; requiring disclosure of buildings'
energy use to prospective buyers; making public buildings models of
energy efficiency; financing energy saving upgrades to existing
buildings; and reducing utility bills for low-income households.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2 The definitions in this section apply to
sections 1 through 3 and 5 through 8 of this act and RCW 19.27A.020
unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Benchmark" means the energy used by a facility as recorded
monthly for at least one year and the facility characteristics
information inputs required for a portfolio manager.
(2) "Conditioned space" means conditioned space, as defined in the
Washington state energy code.
(3) "Consumer-owned utility" includes a municipal electric utility
formed under Title 35 RCW, a public utility district formed under Title
54 RCW, an irrigation district formed under chapter 87.03 RCW, a
cooperative formed under chapter 23.86 RCW, a mutual corporation or
association formed under chapter 24.06 RCW, a port district formed
under Title 53 RCW, or a water-sewer district formed under Title 57
RCW, that is engaged in the business of distributing electricity to one
or more retail electric customers in the state.
(4) "Cost-effectiveness" means that a project or resource is
forecast:
(a) To be reliable and available within the time it is needed; and
(b) To meet or reduce the power demand of the intended consumers at
an estimated incremental system cost no greater than that of the least-cost similarly reliable and available alternative project or resource,
or any combination thereof.
(5) "Council" means the state building code council.
(6) "Department" means the department of community, trade, and
economic development.
(7) "Embodied energy" means the total amount of fossil fuel energy
consumed to extract raw materials and to manufacture, assemble,
transport, and install the materials in a building and the life-cycle
cost benefits including the recyclability and energy efficiencies with
respect to building materials, taking into account the total sum of
current values for the costs of investment, capital, installation,
operating, maintenance, and replacement as estimated for the lifetime
of the product or project.
(8) "Energy consumption data" means the monthly amount of energy
consumed by a customer as recorded by the applicable energy meter for
the most recent twelve-month period.
(9) "Energy service company" has the same meaning as in RCW
43.19.670.
(10) "General administration" means the department of general
administration.
(11) "Greenhouse gas" and "greenhouse gases" includes carbon
dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons,
and sulfur hexafluoride.
(12) "Investment grade energy audit" means an intensive engineering
analysis of energy efficiency and management measures for the facility,
net energy savings, and a cost-effectiveness determination.
(13) "Investor-owned utility" means a corporation owned by
investors that meets the definition of "corporation" as defined in RCW
80.04.010 and is engaged in distributing either electricity or natural
gas, or both, to more than one retail electric customer in the state.
(14) "Major facility" means any publicly owned or leased building,
or a group of such buildings at a single site, having ten thousand
square feet or more of conditioned floor space.
(15) "National energy performance rating" means the score provided
by the energy star program, to indicate the energy efficiency
performance of the building compared to similar buildings in that
climate as defined in the United States environmental protection agency
"ENERGY STAR® Performance Ratings Technical Methodology."
(16) "Net zero energy use" means a building with net energy
consumption of zero over a typical year.
(17) "Portfolio manager" means the United States environmental
protection agency's energy star portfolio manager or an equivalent tool
adopted by the department.
(18) "Preliminary energy audit" means a quick evaluation by an
energy service company of the energy savings potential of a building.
(19) "Qualifying public agency" includes all state agencies,
colleges, and universities.
(20) "Qualifying utility" means a consumer-owned or investor-owned
gas or electric utility that serves more than twenty-five thousand
customers in the state of Washington.
(21) "Reporting public facility" means any of the following:
(a) A building or structure, or a group of buildings or structures
at a single site, owned by a qualifying public agency, that exceed ten
thousand square feet of conditioned space;
(b) Buildings, structures, or spaces leased by a qualifying public
agency that exceeds ten thousand square feet of conditioned space,
where the qualifying public agency purchases energy directly from the
investor-owned or consumer-owned utility;
(c) A wastewater treatment facility owned by a qualifying public
agency; or
(d) Other facilities selected by the qualifying public agency.
(22) "State portfolio manager master account" means a portfolio
manager account established to provide a single shared portfolio that
includes reports for all the reporting public facilities.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 (1) The department shall develop and
implement a strategic plan for enhancing energy efficiency in and
reducing greenhouse gas emissions from homes, buildings, districts, and
neighborhoods. The strategic plan must be used to help direct the
future code increases in RCW 19.27A.020, with targets for new buildings
consistent with section 5 of this act. The strategic plan will
identify barriers to achieving net zero energy use in homes and
buildings and identify how to overcome these barriers in future energy
code updates and through complementary policies.
(2) The department must complete and release the strategic plan to
the legislature and the council by December 31, 2010, and update the
plan every three years.
(3) The strategic plan must include recommendations to the council
on energy code upgrades. At a minimum, the strategic plan must:
(a) Consider development of aspirational codes separate from the
state energy code that contain economically and technically feasible
optional standards that could achieve higher energy efficiency for
those builders that elected to follow the aspirational codes in lieu of
or in addition to complying with the standards set forth in the state
energy code;
(b) Determine the appropriate methodology to measure achievement of
state energy code targets using the United States environmental
protection agency's target finder program or equivalent methodology;
(c) Address the need for enhanced code training and enforcement;
(d) Include state strategies to support research, demonstration,
and education programs designed to achieve a seventy percent reduction
in annual net energy consumption as specified in section 5 of this act
and enhance energy efficiency and on-site renewable energy production
in buildings;
(e) Recommend incentives, education, training programs and
certifications, particularly state-approved training or certification
programs, joint apprenticeship programs, or labor-management
partnership programs that train workers for energy-efficiency projects
to ensure proposed programs are designed to increase building
professionals' ability to design, construct, and operate buildings that
will meet the seventy percent reduction in annual net energy
consumption as specified in section 5 of this act;
(f) Address barriers for utilities to serve net zero energy homes
and buildings and policies to overcome those barriers;
(g) Address the limits of a prescriptive code in achieving net zero
energy use homes and buildings and propose a transition to performance-based codes;
(h) Identify financial mechanisms such as tax incentives, rebates,
and innovative financing to motivate energy consumers to take action to
increase energy efficiency and their use of on-site renewable energy.
Such incentives, rebates, or financing options may consider the role of
government programs as well as utility-sponsored programs;
(i) Address the adequacy of education and technical assistance,
including school curricula, technical training, and peer-to-peer
exchanges for professional and trade audiences;
(j) Develop strategies to develop and install district and
neighborhood-wide energy systems that help meet net zero energy use in
homes and buildings;
(k) Identify costs and benefits of energy efficiency measures on
residential and nonresidential construction; and
(l) Investigate methodologies and standards for the measurement of
the amount of embodied energy used in building materials.
(4) The department and the council shall convene a work group with
the affected parties to inform the initial development of the strategic
plan.
Sec. 4 RCW 19.27A.020 and 1998 c 245 s 8 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1) ((No later than January 1, 1991,)) The state building code
council shall adopt rules to be known as the Washington state energy
code as part of the state building code.
(2) The council shall follow the legislature's standards set forth
in this section to adopt rules to be known as the Washington state
energy code. The Washington state energy code shall be designed to:
(a) Construct increasingly energy efficient homes and buildings
that help achieve the broader goal of building zero fossil-fuel
greenhouse gas emission homes and buildings by the year 2031;
(b) Require new buildings to meet a certain level of energy
efficiency, but allow flexibility in building design, construction, and
heating equipment efficiencies within that framework((. The Washington
state energy code shall be designed to)); and
(c) Allow space heating equipment efficiency to offset or
substitute for building envelope thermal performance.
(3) The Washington state energy code shall take into account
regional climatic conditions. Climate zone 1 shall include all
counties not included in climate zone 2. Climate zone 2 includes:
Adams, Chelan, Douglas, Ferry, Grant, Kittitas, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend
Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, and Whitman counties.
(4) The Washington state energy code for residential buildings
shall ((require:)) be the 2006 edition of the Washington state energy code, or as
amended by rule by the council.
(a) New residential buildings that are space heated with electric
resistance heating systems to achieve energy use equivalent to that
used in typical buildings constructed with:
(i) Ceilings insulated to a level of R-38. The code shall contain
an exception which permits single rafter or joist vaulted ceilings
insulated to a level of R-30 (R value includes insulation only);
(ii) In zone 1, walls insulated to a level of R-19 (R value
includes insulation only), or constructed with two by four members,
R-13 insulation batts, R-3.2 insulated sheathing, and other normal
assembly components; in zone 2 walls insulated to a level of R-24 (R
value includes insulation only), or constructed with two by six
members, R-22 insulation batts, R-3.2 insulated sheathing, and other
normal construction assembly components; for the purpose of determining
equivalent thermal performance, the wall U-value shall be 0.058 in zone
1 and 0.044 in zone 2;
(iii) Below grade walls, insulated on the interior side, to a level
of R-19 or, if insulated on the exterior side, to a level of R-10 in
zone 1 and R-12 in zone 2 (R value includes insulation only);
(iv) Floors over unheated spaces insulated to a level of R-30 (R
value includes insulation only);
(v) Slab on grade floors insulated to a level of R-10 at the
perimeter;
(vi) Double glazed windows with values not more than U-0.4;
(vii) In zone 1 the glazing area may be up to twenty-one percent of
floor area and in zone 2 the glazing area may be up to seventeen
percent of floor area where consideration of the thermal resistance
values for other building components and solar heat gains through the
glazing result in thermal performance equivalent to that achieved with
thermal resistance values for other components determined in accordance
with the equivalent thermal performance criteria of (a) of this
subsection and glazing area equal to fifteen percent of the floor area.
Throughout the state for the purposes of determining equivalent thermal
performance, the maximum glazing area shall be fifteen percent of the
floor area; and
(viii) Exterior doors insulated to a level of R-5; or an exterior
wood door with a thermal resistance value of less than R-5 and values
for other components determined in accordance with the equivalent
thermal performance criteria of (a) of this subsection.
(b) New residential buildings which are space-heated with all other
forms of space heating to achieve energy use equivalent to that used in
typical buildings constructed with:
(i) Ceilings insulated to a level of R-30 in zone 1 and R-38 in
zone 2 the code shall contain an exception which permits single rafter
or joist vaulted ceilings insulated to a level of R-30 (R value
includes insulation only);
(ii) Walls insulated to a level of R-19 (R value includes
insulation only), or constructed with two by four members, R-13
insulation batts, R-3.2 insulated sheathing, and other normal assembly
components;
(iii) Below grade walls, insulated on the interior side, to a level
of R-19 or, if insulated on the exterior side, to a level of R-10 in
zone 1 and R-12 in zone 2 (R value includes insulation only);
(iv) Floors over unheated spaces insulated to a level of R-19 in
zone 1 and R-30 in zone 2 (R value includes insulation only);
(v) Slab on grade floors insulated to a level of R-10 at the
perimeter;
(vi) Heat pumps with a minimum heating season performance factor
(HSPF) of 6.8 or with all other energy sources with a minimum annual
fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of seventy-eight percent;
(vii) Double glazed windows with values not more than U-0.65 in
zone 1 and U-0.60 in zone 2. The state building code council, in
consultation with the department of community, trade, and economic
development, shall review these U-values, and, if economically
justified for consumers, shall amend the Washington state energy code
to improve the U-values by December 1, 1993. The amendment shall not
take effect until July 1, 1994; and
(viii) In zone 1, the maximum glazing area shall be twenty-one
percent of the floor area. In zone 2 the maximum glazing area shall be
seventeen percent of the floor area. Throughout the state for the
purposes of determining equivalent thermal performance, the maximum
glazing area shall be fifteen percent of the floor area.
(c) The requirements of (b)(ii) of this subsection do not apply to
residences with log or solid timber walls with a minimum average
thickness of three and one-half inches and with space heat other than
electric resistance.
(d) The state building code council may approve an energy code for
pilot projects of residential construction that use innovative energy
efficiency technologies intended to result in savings that are greater
than those realized in the levels specified in this section.
(5) U-values for glazing shall be determined using the area
weighted average of all glazing in the building. U-values for vertical
glazing shall be determined, certified, and labeled in accordance with
the appropriate national fenestration rating council (NFRC) standard,
as determined and adopted by the state building code council.
Certification of U-values shall be conducted by a certified,
independent agency licensed by the NFRC. The state building code
council may develop and adopt alternative methods of determining,
certifying, and labeling U-values for vertical glazing that may be used
by fenestration manufacturers if determined to be appropriate by the
council. The state building code council shall review and consider the
adoption of the NFRC standards for determining, certifying, and
labeling U-values for doors and skylights when developed and published
by the NFRC. The state building code council may develop and adopt
appropriate alternative methods for determining, certifying, and
labeling U-values for doors and skylights. U-values for doors and
skylights determined, certified, and labeled in accordance with the
appropriate NFRC standard shall be acceptable for compliance with the
state energy code. Sealed insulation glass, where used, shall conform
to, or be in the process of being tested for, ASTM E-774-81 class A or
better
(((6))) (5) The minimum state energy code for new nonresidential
buildings shall be the Washington state energy code, ((1986)) 2006
edition, or as amended by the council by rule.
(((7))) (6)(a) Except as provided in (b) of this subsection, the
Washington state energy code for residential structures shall preempt
the residential energy code of each city, town, and county in the state
of Washington.
(b) The state energy code for residential structures does not
preempt a city, town, or county's energy code for residential
structures which exceeds the requirements of the state energy code
((and which was adopted by the city, town, or county prior to March 1,
1990. Such cities, towns, or counties may not subsequently amend their
energy code for residential structures to exceed the requirements
adopted prior to March 1, 1990)).
(((8))) (7) The state building code council shall consult with the
department of community, trade, and economic development as provided in
RCW 34.05.310 prior to publication of proposed rules. ((The department
of community, trade, and economic development shall review the proposed
rules for consistency with the guidelines adopted in subsection (4) of
this section.)) The director of the department of community, trade,
and economic development shall recommend to the state building code
council any changes necessary to conform the proposed rules to the
requirements of this section.
(8) The state building code council shall evaluate and consider
adoption of the international energy conservation code in Washington
state in place of the existing state energy code.
(9) The definitions in section 2 of this act apply throughout this
section.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 5 (1) Except as provided in subsection (2) of
this section, residential and nonresidential construction permitted
under the 2031 state energy code must achieve a seventy percent
reduction in annual net energy consumption, using the adopted 2006
Washington state energy code as a baseline.
(2) The council shall adopt state energy codes from 2013 through
2031 that incrementally move towards achieving the seventy percent
reduction in annual net energy consumption as specified in subsection
(1) of this section. The council shall report its progress by December
31, 2012, and every three years thereafter. If the council determines
that economic, technological, or process factors would significantly
impede adoption of or compliance with this subsection, the council may
defer the implementation of the proposed energy code update and shall
report its findings to the legislature by December 31st of the year
prior to the year in which those codes would otherwise be enacted.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 6 (1) On and after January 1, 2010, qualifying
utilities shall maintain records of the energy consumption data of all
nonresidential and qualifying public agency buildings to which they
provide service. This data must be maintained for at least the most
recent twelve months in a format compatible for uploading to the United
States environmental protection agency's energy star portfolio manager.
(2) On and after January 1, 2010, upon the written authorization or
secure electronic authorization of a nonresidential building owner or
operator, a qualifying utility shall upload the energy consumption data
for the accounts specified by the owner or operator for a building to
the United States environmental protection agency's energy star
portfolio manager in a form that does not disclose personally
identifying information.
(3) In carrying out the requirements of this section, a qualifying
utility shall use any method for providing the specified data in order
to maximize efficiency and minimize overall program cost. Qualifying
utilities are encouraged to consult with the United States
environmental protection agency and their customers in developing
reasonable reporting options.
(4) Disclosure of nonpublic nonresidential benchmarking data and
ratings required under subsection (5) of this section will be phased in
as follows:
(a) By January 1, 2011, for buildings greater than fifty thousand
square feet; and
(b) By January 1, 2012, for buildings greater than ten thousand
square feet.
(5) Based on the size guidelines in subsection (4) of this section,
a building owner or operator, or their agent, of a nonresidential
building shall disclose the United States environmental protection
agency's energy star portfolio manager benchmarking data and ratings to
a prospective buyer, lessee, or lender for the most recent continuously
occupied twelve-month period. A building owner or operator, or their
agent, who delivers United States environmental protection agency's
energy star portfolio manager benchmarking data and ratings to a
prospective buyer, lessee, or lender is not required to provide
additional information regarding energy consumption, and the
information is deemed to be adequate to inform the prospective buyer,
lessee, or lender regarding the United States environmental protection
agency's energy star portfolio manager benchmarking data and ratings
for the most recent twelve-month period for the building that is being
sold, leased, financed, or refinanced.
(6) Notwithstanding subsections (4) and (5) of this section,
nothing in this section increases or decreases the duties, if any, of
a building owner, operator, or their agent under this chapter or alters
the duty of a seller, agent, or broker to disclose the existence of a
material fact affecting the real property.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 7 By December 31, 2009, the department shall
recommend to the legislature a methodology to determine an energy
performance score for residential buildings and an implementation
strategy to use such information to improve the energy efficiency of
the state's existing housing supply. In developing its strategy, the
department shall seek input from providers of residential energy
audits, utilities, building contractors, mixed use developers, the
residential real estate industry, and real estate listing and form
providers.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 8 (1) By July 1, 2010, each qualifying public
agency shall:
(a) Create an energy benchmark for each reporting public facility
using a portfolio manager;
(b) Report to general administration, the environmental protection
agency national energy performance rating for each reporting public
facility included in the technical requirements for this rating; and
(c) Link all portfolio manager accounts to the state portfolio
manager master account to facilitate public reporting.
(2) By January 1, 2010, general administration shall establish a
state portfolio manager master account. The account must be designed
to provide shared reporting for all reporting public facilities.
(3) By July 1, 2010, general administration shall select a
standardized portfolio manager report for reporting public facilities.
General administration, in collaboration with the United States
environmental protection agency, shall make the standard report of each
reporting public facility available to the public through the portfolio
manager web site.
(4) General administration shall prepare a biennial report
summarizing the statewide portfolio manager master account reporting
data. The first report must be completed by December 1, 2012.
Subsequent reporting shall be completed every two years thereafter.
(5) By July 1, 2010, general administration shall develop a
technical assistance program to facilitate the implementation of a
preliminary audit and the investment grade energy audit. General
administration shall design the technical assistance program to utilize
audit services provided by utilities or energy services contracting
companies when possible.
(6) For each reporting public facility with a national energy
performance rating score below fifty, the qualifying public agency, in
consultation with general administration, shall undertake a preliminary
energy audit by July 1, 2011. If potential cost-effective energy
savings are identified, an investment grade energy audit must be
completed by July 1, 2013. Implementation of cost-effective energy
conservation measures are required by July 1, 2016. For a major
facility that is leased by a state agency, college, or university,
energy audits and implementation of cost-effective energy conservation
measures are required only for that portion of the facility that is
leased by the state agency, college, or university.
(7) Schools are strongly encouraged to follow the provisions in
subsections (1) through (6) of this section.
(8) The director of the department of general administration, in
consultation with the affected state agencies and the office of
financial management, shall review the cost and delivery of agency
programs to determine the viability of relocation when a facility
leased by the state has a national energy performance rating score
below fifty. The department of general administration shall establish
a process to determine viability.
(9) By July 1, 2011, general administration shall conduct a review
of facilities not covered by the national energy performance rating.
Based on this review, general administration shall develop a portfolio
of additional facilities that require preliminary energy audits. For
these facilities, the qualifying public agency, in consultation with
general administration, shall undertake a preliminary energy audit by
July 1, 2012. If potential cost-effective energy savings are
identified, an investment grade energy audit must be completed by July
1, 2013.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 9 Sections 2, 3, and 5 through 8 of this act
are each added to chapter
NEW SECTION. Sec. 10 Provisions of sections 3, 7, and 8 of this
act shall be in effect only during fiscal periods in which specific
appropriations are provided referencing this act or chapter number and
the relevant section number."
Correct the title.