Buildings audited by county: This map shows the number of audits performed by county across the state. As shown, this funding benefited a wide geographic area.
Counties and number of audits performed
- Spokane, King, and Snohomish counties: 40-52 audits
- Whatcom, Pierce, Yakima, and Clark counties: 24-28 audits
- Kittitas, Thurston, Franklin, and Douglas counties: 6-17 audits
- Adams, Chelan, Grant, Benton, Lewis, Skamania, Skagit, and Clallam counties: 1-4 audits
The Energy Audit Incentive Program, funded by Washington’s Climate Commitment Act, granted $14,014,159.68 to support 299 Tier 1 public building owners statewide. The funds allowed building owners to contract with licensed energy auditing companies to perform ASHRAE Level 1, 2 or targeted Level 2 energy audits.
These energy audits analyzed HVAC systems, water systems, building envelopes, and more to identify energy-saving opportunities that reduce energy consumption and support compliance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard. Program highlights:
- Buildings in 19 counties received this funding.
- 52 buildings were audited in Spokane County.
- 36% of Tier 1 buildings in Kittitas County were audited.
- 218 public schools were audited.
- More than 32 million square feet of Tier 1 building space was audited.
Grantees valued the Commerce program’s support, which helped them identify energy savings that cut costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here’s what some grantees had to say:
“One of the challenges that many rural school districts in Washington face is that many of our buildings have not been updated since they were originally built; in our case our elementary was completed in 1954. The Department of Commerce Energy Audit Program allows us to determine just what levels of inefficiencies we have so that we can create a plan to address those needs.” − Pete Peterson, Kiona-Benton City School District
“The Department of Commerce (DOC) Energy Audit Incentive Program for Public Buildings grant enabled Yakima Valley College (YVC), working with an energy audit company, to investigate equipment and operations of three facilities. Through the audit process, YVC has identified measures and opportunities that are essential for energy conservation and cost effectiveness at the college.” − Johnny Woods Jr., Yakima Valley College
Depending on how you choose to comply with the Clean Building Performance Standard, you may need an energy audit. This grant was designed to couple with other funding opportunities, such as the Tier 1 Early Adopter Incentive Program.
If you missed this opportunity, more funding was appropriated to support energy audits for public buildings, and a solicitation for applications will be posted in the coming months. Check out the program webpage for the most up-to-date information about how to apply.