HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 2812

                    As Passed Legislature

Title:  An act relating to energy conservation in design of public facilities.

Brief Description:  Revising provisions insuring energy conservation in design of public buildings.

Sponsors:  Representatives Bray, Caver, Romero, Reams and Ballard; by request of Department of General Administration.

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Energy & Utilities, February 4, 1994, DP;

  Passed House, February 10, 1994, 92-0;

  Passed Legislature.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY & UTILITIES

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 9 members:  Representatives Bray, Chair; Finkbeiner, Vice Chair; Casada, Ranking Minority Member; Chandler, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Caver; Johanson; Kessler; Kremen and Long.

Staff:  Fred Adair (786-7110).

Background:  Existing law requires life-cycle cost analyses for major public building construction and renovation.

Life-cycle cost analyses considers the whole lifetime of facilities.  One guiding factor in establishing this requirement was that energy conservation and renewable energy equipment use might be more costly initially, but save money over the life of facilities.

Major facilities are specified as 25,000 or more square feet of usable floor space.

This statute has been interpreted to require a "full" life-cycle cost analysis regardless of the size of the facility so long as it exceeds 25,000 square feet.  A "full" analysis may be more than necessary in order to make sound decisions in the case of some modest facilities near in size to the definitional minimum.  A new state commercial building energy code becomes effective in April of this year.  The code requires energy efficiency measures that meet or exceed those which would be indicated in life-cycle cost analyses.

Statutory provision for simplified analytical methods for selected facilities could result in time and cost savings.

Summary of Bill:  "Selected buildings" and "Design standards" are defined.

The State Energy Office shall develop guidelines which identify simplified methods to assure the lowest life-cycle cost alternatives for selected buildings with between 25,000 and 100,000 square feet of usable floor area.

Fiscal Note:  Available.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  The bill will enable more cost-effective ways of doing business.  This action would follow the state Building Code Council's revision of the state commercial building energy code.  The new code is much stronger, resulting in measures as strong or stronger than life-cycle cost analyses would indicate.  This makes an absolute requirement to do full life-cycle cost analyses uneconomical and redundant.  The bill does not create a blanket exemption, but rather, only one for selected buildings of limited size.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Fred King, Assistant Director for Engineering and Architecture, Department of General Administration.