The state of Washington took an important step to encourage greater energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases by passing House Bill HB 1257 in 2019. In accordance with this law, the state Department of Commerce established a State Energy Performance Standard for buildings with floor area exceeding 50,000 square feet. By setting this standard, the state seeks to maximize reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from the building sector.
The standard includes Energy-Use-Intensity (EUI) targets by building type and methods of conditional compliance. Examples of such methods are energy-management plans, operation-and-maintenance programs, energy-efficiency audits, and investments in energy-efficiency measures designed to meet the targets.
The state hired Lattice Energy to develop the first set of EUI targets. We analyzed data collected through field studies, such as the most recent national Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey and the Northwest Commercial Building Stock Assessment. We also analyzed the City of Seattle’s benchmarking data to understand energy use in large buildings in the city.