Z-231                 _______________________________________________

                                                    HOUSE BILL NO. 276

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State of Washington                              50th Legislature                              1987 Regular Session

By Representatives Todd, Barnes, Nelson and Miller;by request of Washington State Energy Office

Read first time 1/23/87 and referred to Committee on Energy & Utilities.

AN ACT Relating to the thermal transmittance testing report; and amending RCW 19.27A.040.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

        Sec. 1.  Section 4, chapter 144, Laws of 1985 and RCW 19.27A.040 are each amended to read as follows:

          (1) The University of Washington  college of architecture and department of mechanical engineering shall conduct in situ testing of the annual thermal transmittance of individual construction components and conservation measures proposed for new residential construction by the northwest power planning council.

          (2) There shall be a committee to oversee the study.  The committee shall include the director of the state energy office as chair; two members recommended by the home building industry chosen by the governor; and two members nationally renowned as experts in building energy performance chosen by the governor.

          (3) The study shall include an analysis of the economic feasibility of adopting thermal performance standards for new residential construction as proposed by the northwest power planning council.  The study of economic feasibility shall include but not necessarily be limited to factors which shall not require an amortization of the individual components exceeding a life cycle of seven years and a discount rate (interest) computed at the current conventional market rate of home mortgages at par.

          (4) The director of the state energy office shall make recommendations, based on the results of the study and the residential standards demonstration program, to the legislature and the state building code ((advisory)) council regarding the cost-effectiveness of the revised state energy code developed pursuant to RCW ((19.27.075)) 19.27A.020 no later than January 15, ((1988)) 1989.

          (5) If federal funds are not available, the study shall be funded by a surcharge on building permit fees for new building construction imposed by all local governments of the state.  The department of community development, after consultation with the state energy office, shall develop and implement a method of collecting the surcharge.  The surcharge shall be ten dollars on all multifamily residential building permits, fifteen dollars on all single-family residential building permits, and fifteen dollars on all other building permits.  The surcharge shall terminate on June 30, 1989, or at such time as the state general fund is reimbursed for the cost of the study.