Self-Led Education Portal: Energy Reporting & Targets

The energy use analysis portion of the WA State Clean Buildings law requires buildings to benchmark and meet energy performance criteria as outlined in Section 7.

Tier 1 Building owners have two options to comply with this portion of the law:
1) meet a designated energy use intensity target (EUIt) or
2) comply via the investment criteria pathway.
Tier 2 buildings are not required to meet performance targets, but must calculate them and benchmark energy use.

Review the steps below to understand how to categorize your building and determine the right pathway for your building.

Define Building Boundaries

Determine the gross floor area of your building. “Gross floor area” (GFA) means the total number of square feet measured between the exterior surfaces of the enclosing fixed walls, including all supporting functions such as offices, lobbies, restrooms, equipment storage areas, mechanical rooms, break rooms, elevator shafts, etc. GFA does not include parking, outside bays, or docks. Atriums only include the base floor area that they occupy. This should not be confused with net floor area, which is typically only the rentable space.

If your building is currently being benchmarked in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager as a campus, or if you have separate buildings that share energy systems, you may be required to apply using a combined GFA and aggregated EUIt.

STEP ONE:

Determine Your Performance Pathway

If you answer yes to the following two questions, you should pursue the EUIt pathway:

  1. Can you isolate the energy use for your building with utility metering or sub-metering? (There is an exemption for K-12 school organizations.) If you cannot, you still may be able to apply for the EUIt pathway as a “connected building” using a combined GFA and an aggregated EUIt.

  2. Does your building have an EUIt for its building activity or mix of activities as shown in Table 7.2a of Normative Annex Z?

STEP TWO:

  • The site energy use intensity (EUI) of a building is a ratio of the total energy use of a building divided by the gross floor area. For those who are eligible for this building performance route, you will compare your building’s EUI to the State energy use intensity targets (EUIt) for the activities in your building.

    Your building’s EUI must be at or below the State target for the 12-18 months leading up to your compliance deadline. Your building’s site EUI is calculated in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager (ESPM) (be sure to select site EUI and not source EUI, which is a different metric).

    The State set target is not displayed in ESPM but calculated separately in an Excel based tool developed by WA Commerce. Using the calculator, you can enter the mix of activity spaces in your building (e.g. office and retail) and select certain factors like hours of operation to get a blended EUIt. Calculate your EUIt using the calculator here.

    Note: For compliance, a Qualified Person must calculate and submit the final EUIt to the State using the WA State Clean Buildings Portal.

If you answered no to either question above, OR if one of the following describes your building, you may need to consider the investment criteria pathway.

  1. Utility meters sometimes supply energy to multiple buildings using one meter. This is typically known as “master-metered.” If you utilize a utility master meter, you cannot isolate the energy use for your building and should consider the “investment criteria” pathway unless there are plans to install sub-meters.

    • Alternatively, you may be able to apply for connected buildings EUIt compliance and combine the master-metered buildings.

  2. For the Seattle benchmarking ordinance, if you currently utilize a “campus-wide” set up in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, you may not be able to report the energy use of a single building.

    • Alternatively, you may qualify to apply for campus EUIt compliance, depending on your metering set up.

  • For Tier 1 buildings that cannot pursue the EUIt compliance pathway for any reason, a Qualified Energy Auditor will need to complete an ASHRAE Level 2 energy audit of your building. An ASHRAE Level 2 audit includes steps like a building walk through, energy analysis and identification of energy-saving opportunities. It also includes detailed energy calculations and a financial analysis of all energy efficiency measures (EEMs). The WA State Clean Buildings law requires that all cost-effective measures be implemented. Once all EEMs have been implemented, you must apply for conditional compliance. You will then need to verify the energy savings within 15 months of implementing EEMs.

    Regardless of which compliance pathway you follow (EUIt or investment criteria), each buildings needs to develop and implement an Energy Management Plan (EMP) and Operations and Maintenance Program (O&M).

    All compliance documentation will be submitted through the WA State Clean Buildings Portal here.

    Please review a timeline of the steps here along with a detailed guidance document here.

Still unsure which compliance pathway is right for you?

Try using our Compliance Pathways Activity and work through some example scenarios to help you understand the factors that determine which pathway you should take.

If you want further support, consider signing up for our light coaching pathway for more assistance in determining your pathway.

We’re here to help!

Have a specific question?
Email us at cleanbuildings@seattle.gov.

Need more hands-on assistance?
Consider joining the light coaching pathway.

Need language assistance?
Notify us at cleanbuildings@seattle.gov.