Washington State Snapshot

WASHINGTON CURRENT CODE

Residential: State developed code, exceeds 2006 IECC (Mandatory) Commercial: State developed code, equivalent to ASHRAE/ IESNA 90.1-2004 DEMOGRAPHICS Population: 6,549,224 Total Housing Units: 2,530,215 ENERGY CONSUMPTION Residential Sector: 488.1 Trillion BTU Commercial Sector: 374.3 Trillion BTU 53% of Washington’s electricity and 33% of natural gas supply is consumed to heat residential homes.

Washington will receive $60.9 Million from the federal government if the state adopts the latest energy codes:  IECC 2009 (International Energy Conservation Code)  ASHRAE 90.1 2007 (American Society of Heating Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers) Accumulated residential sector savings, 2009 to 2030, would be:  15.1 trillion Btu of energy  881 thousand metric tons of CO2 (Equivalent to the annual emissions of 161,355 passenger vehicles)  $89 million  $89 million could pay more than the full undergraduate tuition for current students at private universities in Washington FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES: In February 2009 the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act allocated $3.1 billion for U.S. Department of Energy’s State Energy Program (SEP) to assist states with building energy efficiency efforts. As one of the requirements to receive SEP grants, state governors must certify to DOE that their state will implement energy codes of equal or greater stringency than the latest national model codes (currently IECC 2009 and Standard 90.1-2007). Thus, it is in the state’s best economic interests to adopt these standards statewide and begin enjoying the benefits of an efficient building sector. CODE ADOPTION AND CHANGE PROCESS:

Regulatory Process: The Washington State Building Code Council (SBCC) reviews and amends the state energy code for residential and nonresidential buildings respectively. Within 60 days of receipt of a proposed change, the SBCC Residential use of electricdecides if the proposal warrants further consideration. If the SBCC accepts the ity costs 7.71 cents/kWh change, rulemaking begins and the change is sent to a Technical Advisory Group and $14.75/thousand cubic (TAG) for review. After completing the review, the TAG submits its recommenft of natural gas. dations back to the SBCC. The SBCC then makes the final determination on acceptance. Once final approval is granted by the SBCC, the rule is filed with the 62.7% of natural gas is con- Washington State Code Reviser and then published in the Washington State sumed by residential homes. Register. The final rule becomes effective after the next legislative session. CODE CHANGE CYCLE Three-year review cycle

For more information please consult the Building Codes Assistance Project (www.bcap-energy.org) or Nick Zigelbaum ([email protected])

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