Green Building and Energy Reduction Standards for State Agencies

Mandates

Following the enactment of Engrossed Substitute Senate Bill 5509 concerning High Performance Green Building, state facilities in Washington are now required to meet the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver standards. This legislation is now codified in RCW 39.35.D.

Major new construction and renovation projects exceeding 5,000 sq. ft., especially those with renovation expenses surpassing 50% (as detailed in RCW 39.94.020), are obliged to adhere to, and achieve certification for, the LEED Silver standard at a minimum.

The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) plays a pivotal role in creating protocols to guarantee the state’s success in this initiative. Collaborating with relevant public agencies, DES formulates and disseminates guidelines to manage this policy effectively. These guidelines aim to outline a systematic approach for ensuring activities are compliant and certifiable to the LEED Silver standard for significant facility projects.

Additionally, DES is tasked with updating the Governor and Legislature on the progress of this policy’s implementation. Public agencies are responsible for tracking and documenting the operational savings accrued from major facility projects that are designed, built, and certified accordingly.

Education Sector

State-funded public K-12 school construction projects must conform to either the Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol (WSSP) or the LEED for Building Design and Construction (Schools). The WSSP stipulates a 10% reduction in energy usage beyond the requirements of the Washington State Energy Code. The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction is in charge of enforcing these standards and providing necessary guidance to school districts. The GA will establish guidelines for state agencies in this regard.

Affordable Housing

The Department of Commerce has implemented the Evergreen Sustainable Development Standard, setting a baseline for sustainable performance for projects seeking assistance from the Housing Trust Fund (HTF).

Exemptions

Certain projects might be exempt based on specific conditions:

1. Projects where it is determined by the concerned agency and design team that meeting the LEED Silver standard or adhering to the Washington sustainable school design protocol is impractical.
2. Buildings like transmitter stations, pumping stations, hospitals, research facilities mainly for sponsored laboratory experimentation, research, training, or other similar types as designated by the department.

If achieving the LEED Silver standard is unfeasible, the relevant agency must evaluate the practicability of any LEED standard for the project. In cases where LEED standards or the Washington Sustainable School Design Protocol are not applied, the reasons must be reported to the department.

Annual Reporting of Energy and Water Usage

Public agency-owned buildings are mandated to report their energy and water consumption, renewable energy generation, and water capture annually to DES by June 1st each year, as required by RCW 39.35D through 2016. If there are issues in collecting actual electricity or heating energy data, a Metering and Measurement Report should also be submitted, including instances of prorated data.

This information is consolidated in the Biennial Green Building Report submitted to the legislature (until 2016).