Washington Legislature Passes Ambitious Energy Efficiency Bills

In March, the Washington state House and Senate passed companion bills that require all new buildings and retrofits to significantly reduce energy consumption. The bills will mandate that homes and buildings constructed under 2031 state codes be 70 percent more energy efficient than those constructed under the 2006 State Energy Code.

To do so, the state must adopt energy codes from 2013 to 2031 that incrementally move towards achieving the 70 percent goal. The state building code council will be evaluating and considering the option of adopting of the International Energy Conservation Code^® (IECC) in place of the existing state energy code.

The measures will also require utilities to monitor and report energy use data in the commercial and public buildings they serve using the ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager. For more details, see Senate Bill 5854 and House Bill 1747 on the Washington State Legislature website.