FINAL BILL REPORT
HB 1280
C 178 L 22
Synopsis as Enacted
Brief Description: Concerning greenhouse gas emissions reductions in the design of public facilities.
Sponsors: Representatives Ramel, Duerr, Bateman, Fitzgibbon, Berry, Peterson, Goodman, Hackney, Frame, Macri, Pollet and Harris-Talley.
House Committee on Environment & Energy
House Committee on Capital Budget
Senate Committee on Environment, Energy & Technology
Background:

It is the public policy of the state to ensure that energy conservation practices and renewable energy systems are employed in the design of major publicly owned or leased facilities and that the use of at least one renewable energy or combined heat and power system is considered.
 
Whenever a public agency determines that any major facility or a critical governmental facility is to be constructed or renovated, the agency must include a life-cycle cost analysis in the design phase.  The Department of Enterprise Services is responsible for developing guidelines to define a procedure and method for the performance of life-cycle cost analyses to promote the selection of low life-cycle cost alternatives.  At a minimum, the guidelines must contain provisions that:

  • address energy considerations during the planning phase of the project;
  • identify energy components and system alternatives, including energy management systems, renewable energy systems, and combined heat and power, prior to commencing the energy consumption analysis;
  • 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;
  • establish times during the design process for preparation, review, and approval or disapproval of the life-cycle cost analysis;
  • specify the assumptions to be used for escalation and inflation rates, equipment service lives, economic building lives, and maintenance costs;
  • determine life-cycle cost analysis format and submittal requirements; and
  • provide for review and approval of life-cycle cost analysis.

 
"Energy-consumption analysis" means the evaluation of all energy systems and components by demand and type of energy, including the internal energy load imposed on a major facility or a critical governmental facility by its occupants, equipment, and components, and the external energy load imposed on a major facility or a critical governmental facility by the climatic conditions of its location.
 
An energy-consumption analysis must include certain elements, including the comparison of three or more system alternatives, at least one of which must include renewable energy systems, and one of which must comply at a minimum with the sustainable design guidelines of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard.

Summary:

It is the public policy of the state to ensure that greenhouse gas emissions reduction practices are included in the design of major publicly owned or leased facilities, and that the use of all-electric energy systems and at least one renewable energy or combined heat and power system is considered.
 
The life-cycle cost analysis guidelines developed by the Department of Enterprise Services must include provisions that identify all-electric energy systems as a system alternative.
 
The definition of "energy-consumption analysis" is amended to remove and replace the reference to a system alternative that complies with the sustainable design guidelines of the LEED silver standard with a system alternative that includes all-electric energy systems.

Votes on Final Passage:
House 57 39
House 57 40
Senate 29 20
Effective:

June 9, 2022