One of the declared public policies of the state is to ensure that energy conservation practices and renewable energy systems are employed in the design of major publicly owned or leased facilities and the use of at least one renewable energy or combined heat and power system is considered.
 
Whenever a public agency determines 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 must comply at a minimum with the sustainable design guidelines of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) silver standard.

The Legislature declares 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 the use of all-electric energy systems is considered in the design.
 
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.

PRO:  This bill came out of conversations with school districts and community members wondering if all electric systems were considered to mitigate impacts of climate change.  When facilitators looked at the option, they realized they could save money too.  This bill shows how public agencies can lead by example.  Doing the work now can also prevent the need for expensive retrofits later.

Building infrastructure choices have lasting impacts on energy use.  This policy signals that all-electric buildings are an important option for reducing greenhouse gases.  The bill will help the state make informed decisions with respect to public buildings that will last for decades.

The bill aligns with work being done by the State Efficiency and Environmental Performance Office and makes building electrification a formal step in the design process.  The buildings sector is the second largest and fastest growing source of greenhouse gases in Washington.