Washington Clean Buildings Standard (HB1257) Acting Now is the SMART Choice

HB1257 Background:

Did you know that existing buildings in the state of Washington are the State’s primary consumers of energy and produce over a quarter of the state’s carbon pollution? This is why the Clean Buildings Standard (HB1257) was established to support Washington State’s “net-zero” carbon emissions by 2050. The Clean Buildings Standard gave the Department of Commerce authority to develop and implement energy performance standards for non-residential buildings larger than 50,000sf in floor area—both public and privately-owned. The goal is to encourage more energy-efficient buildings and reduce costs and pollution from fossil fuel use.

What’s the Rush?

“While the deadlines for compliance may seem far in the future—many buildings are going to take several years of ongoing improvements to comply with the current schedule,” says Engwin Chang, CEM/CEA, Senior Project Manager.  “Acting now is the smart choice so you have enough time and don’t jeopardize being penalized later on,” adds Chang. Acting early gives building owners a chance to take advantage of Early Adopter Incentives (a $75-million-dollar pool earmarked for this program). In addition to incentives, acting now also gives owners time to line up low-cost options and complete improvements before the deadline. But remember, this incentive pool will run out and is only available on a first-come-first-served basis.

What if I don’t comply?

There are penalties for non-compliance fines up to $5,000 annually plus $1 per year per square foot. Visit HERE for more information.

Simply put—owners have three options:

1.     Act now and receive early-adopter incentives.

2.     Comply on the due date with no incentives.

3.     Do not comply and face penalties.

How can I start the process?

Regardless of the option you choose—you are REQUIRED to assess where your building stands. Holaday-Parks can help you perform an energy audit, create a management plan, implement it, and complete any necessary repairs. The audit can take a few months and repairs can take another 6-12 months—so it’s SMART to act now! 

Why Holaday-Parks?

We have a team of certified energy management and commissioning experts that can guide you through the required audit, improvements, and verification so you capture maximum incentives and funding. The Clean Buildings Standard has many checkpoints and we’ll help you navigate through them.

READY to get started! Contact us HERE and we will have an energy expert contact you.

Holaday-Parks is one of the largest full-service mechanical contractors in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. We design, build, enhance, and service high-quality building solutions that are SMART—Sustainable, Measurable, Affordable, Reliable, and Timely. To learn more about how we can help with your next project— contact us HERE