Energy Efficiency Retrofit & Building Performance Standard Compliance Strategies

As Washington, Oregon, and other states pass laws requiring existing building to meet performance standards, building owners will be liable for ensuring their buildings adhere to the compliance requirements. We specialize in designing, planning, and implementing energy efficiency retrofits for existing residential and commercial buildings. Our team of experts can assist you evaluate the ROI on improving the energy performance of existing buildings and develop cost-effective strategies to ensure they meet or exceed ASHRAE Standard 100.

We can provide building performance standard compliance assistance including:

Energy Audits: On-site comprehensive assessments to identify areas for improvement.

Compliance Strategies: Customized solutions to enhance energy efficiency, reduce operational costs, and develop a tailored plan to meet EUI targets for state or local building performance standards

Implementation Support: Guidance throughout the construction process to ensure successful project completion.

Modeling & Verification: Provide building performance and emission modeling in accordance with required performance standards. Assist with BPS documentation and verification process.

Figure 1. The BPS map highlights the current status of BPS adoption at the state and local level across the U.S. Jurisdictions are colored according to their BPS adoption status and selected performance metric

Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard

In 2019, Washington passed the Clean Buildings Performance Standard program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy efficiency in existing commercial buildings. By setting specific energy use targets and requiring compliance through energy audits and retrofits, the program ensures that buildings meet rigorous performance standards, promoting a sustainable and environmentally responsible built environment. Check here for compliance requirements and deadlines.

COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS:

  • Tier 1 & Tier 2 Buildings must meet reporting requirements by: benchmarking and tracking energy use, implement operations and maintenance program to save an average energy use of 10-15%, and create energy management plan.

  • Tier 1 Buildings will also be required to meet an energy performance metric by: either meeting an average energy use intensity (EUIt) or by performing an energy audit and implementing all cost-effective efficiency measures.

WASHINGTON COMPLIANCE DEADLINES:

  • June 1, 2026 – Tier 1 Buildings equal to or greater than 220,000 square feet

  • June 1, 2027 – Tier 1 Buildings equal to or greater than 90,000 square feet but less than 220,000 square feet

  • June 1, 2028 – Tier 1 Buildings equal to or greater than 50,000 square feet but less than 90,000 square feet

  • July 1, 2027 - Tier 2 Buildings equal to or greater than 20,000 square feet but less than 50,000 square feet and all multifamily residential buildings more than 20,000 square feet.


Oregon Building Energy Performance Standard

In 2023, Oregon passed Energy Performance Standard policy for commercial buildings designed to address energy use and emissions of existing commercial buildings, which account for nearly 20% of energy use in Oregon. The performance standard will require many large commercial buildings to enhance energy management practices and implement efficiency measures to meet energy use targets and will be modeled after ASHRAE Standard 100. Check here for updates on compliance requirements and deadlines.

COMPLIANCE REQUIREMENTS:

  • Compliance requirements are still under consideration for Oregon. However, as of now they plan to loosely follow Washington requirements. Tier 1 buildings will be required to meet energy use intensity (EUI) targets, meet conditional compliance requirements that ODOE establishes (such as energy audits, energy investments, and energy management plans) or qualify for an exemption.

OREGON COMPLIANCE DEADLINES:

  • June 1, 2028 – Tier 1 Buildings equal to or greater than 200,000 square feet

  • June 1, 2029 – Tier 1 Buildings equal to or greater than 90,000 square feet but less than 200,000 square feet

  • June 1, 2030 – Tier 1 Buildings equal to or greater than 35,000 square feet but less than 90,000 square feet


We encourage you to check with your local and state legislators to see if your building codes have adopted performance standards. You can also check the energycodes.gov webpage for regular updates on building performance standards across the United States.