On March 25, 2022, Governor Inslee signed the Clean Buildings expansion bill into law. The expansion applies to buildings between 20,000-50,000 square feet, adding a new second tier that includes multifamily buildings. The first phase of this law is not a performance standard. It will require reporting on benchmarking, energy management plans and operations and maintenance programs for Tier 2 buildings.
Reporting for this new tier is expected to begin July 1, 2027. The expansion bill also included an incentive program with an additional $150 million available for Tier 2 buildings at a rate of .30 cents per square foot. The new law requires Commerce to complete rulemaking by December 1, 2023.
Commerce will host a series of workshops to establish rules, reporting requirements, and the incentive program for Tier 2 buildings. The kick-off meeting will be a pre-rulemaking webinar, introducing the Clean Buildings Expansion and rulemaking basics.
We hope you can join us during our upcoming stakeholder engagement sessions. Commerce is hosting a Pre-Rulemaking Webinar: Introduction to the Clean Buildings Expansion on April 13, 2023, from 10:30am to 12:00pm PT. Please register in advance to receive a calendar reminder or save the meeting information below.
Register for the Pre-Rulemaking Webinar
Meeting ID: 858 2192 0472
Passcode: 183331
Future workshop schedules will be announced via the Clean Buildings Bulletin and the Commerce webpage.