Case Studies - Washington State Energy Code

The Role of Evaluation in Washington State's Non-Residential Energy Code

Executive Summary

Evaluation activities have contributed substantially to the success of energy codes in the Washington State. As a result of evaluation and quality assurance efforts, our energy code is easier to understand, more enforceable and more effective than it would otherwise have been.

Washington State has used evaluations to determine which technologies and techniques are cost effective in commercial buildings and could or should be included in codes. We have examined the effectiveness and influence of our training programs, printed materials, hotlines, and technical tools. Information gained from those examinations have helped us to improve our delivery and cut costs. We have reviewed the plans for new buildings and inspected commercial structures to determine what actually is installed in buildings. Such data have helped us to determine which code requirements work and which do not. This in turn has helped us simplify the code and remove unrealistic requirements (such as equipment sizing or elaborate control requirements). We have used evaluation to improve our ability to market to those individuals who have to use the code. In short, evaluation has taught us much about energy codes in the real world.

Energy code evaluations should:

be included as an essential and routine part of any code adoption and implementation process.
be based on the needs of key stakeholders. In Washington, this included the State Building Code Council, the electric utility community, and the state government energy agencies, among others.
be used to help identify where the energy codes can be simplified and made more understandable. The 1991 evaluation of the Washington Energy Code was a critically important element in the simplification and improvement of the code's readability.
be structured to include on-going quality assurance activities that provide rapid feedback on code performance and code support activities. The quality assurance efforts undertaken for the 1994 code identified the need to increase marketing to key constituents. This led to a substantially increased and highly effective marketing campaign.