S-4619               _______________________________________________

                                                   SENATE BILL NO. 6823

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                               51st Legislature                              1990 Regular Session

By Senators Benitz, Williams and Bluechel

Read first time 1/29/90 and referred to Committee on  Energy & Utilities.

AN ACT Relating to energy efficiency; creating new sections; and making an appropriation.

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

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.     The legislature finds that the efficient use of the state's energy resources depends upon providing the citizens of the state with adequate information in an understandable form to enable them to make proper decisions as energy consumers.

          The legislature further finds that providing a basis for comparing residential energy efficiency in new housing will enhance the use of market mechanisms by the citizens of the state in choosing new housing that will provide them with a level of energy efficiency that they desire.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.     (1) The office shall, by September 1, 1990, provide a report to the legislature on the possibility of developing a system for rating the energy efficiency of new residential construction in the state.  The report shall be prepared with the assistance of the building code council, the department of community development, utilities, builders, local building officials, and other interested parties.  The objective of the rating system shall be to provide a consumer of new housing an easily understood method for analyzing and comparing the energy efficiency of such housing, including an estimate of the annual utility bills that would be incurred by an average family residing in the housing.

          (2) The report shall, at a minimum, contain the following:  (a) A discussion of energy efficiency rating systems either already in existence or being planned for areas of this state; (b) a comparison of different types of rating systems, including the difficulties or costs of implementing the system; (c) a discussion of different ways of implementing the system, such as labels on the construction or disclosure on sales or rental documents, and including who shall do the rating; and (d) proposed plans for implementing a pilot project or pilot projects to assess the ability to adopt such a rating system on a state-wide basis.

          (3) The office shall, by January 1, 1991, implement a pilot project or pilot projects for a new residential energy efficiency rating system with cooperating local governments and utilities.  The office shall report on the results of such a project by December 1, 1991, including its recommendations for implementation of such a system on a state-wide basis.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.     The sum of twenty thousand dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1991, from the general fund to the state energy office to carry out the purposes of this act.