The Early Adopter Incentive program provides incentives to building owners who demonstrate early compliance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS).
The Tier 1 Early Adopter Incentive Program is available now and applies to non-residential, hotel, motel and dormitory buildings greater than 50,000 ft2. An eligible building owner that demonstrates early compliance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard may receive a one-time base incentive payment. Incentive funds are limited to $75 million. Reference RCW 19.27A.220 the state energy performance standard for more information.
The Tier 2 Early Adopter Incentive Program is being developed and covers buildings 20,000 – 50,000 ft2, including multifamily residential buildings over 20,000 ft2. The program offers an incentive to owners who benchmark their buildings’ energy usage, develop an energy management plan, and create an operations and maintenance program. $150 million is earmarked for Tier 2 incentives.
Tier 1 Incentive Program
Eligibility
- The building must be a Tier 1 or multifamily building over 50,000 sq. ft.
- The building must be served by at least one electric utility, gas company or thermal energy company providing or delivering energy services. Review the list of participating utilities.
- This is a state incentive and can be administered in addition to utility conservation incentives.
- Utility providers who do not pay public utility taxes are not eligible to participate in the Early Adopter Incentive program.
- The building must be 15 energy use intensity (EUI) or more above the target
- The building must be brought into full compliance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard, and meet its energy use intensity target (EUIt).
Download the Tier 1 Early Adopter Incentive Guidebook (PDF).
At the start of the program, an eligible building owner who demonstrates early compliance with the Clean Buildings Standard may receive a one-time base incentive payment of $.85 per sq. ft, excluding parking, unconditioned or semi-conditioned spaces. This amount has increased to $2.00 per sq. ft. plus $0.05 per kBTU of energy saved over 15 EUI. The new incentive calculation is limited at 50% of the cost of energy efficiency measures being implemented from the energy audit. Current approved applicants can select the calculation that works best for their project. This table shows a comparison on the calculation of the new incentive amount and old incentive amount.
Sample Tier 1 Incentive program calculation
Original calculation | Enhanced calculation | |
|---|---|---|
| Incentive per square foot | $0.85 | $2.00 |
| Building Square Footage | 150,000 | 150,000 |
| Incentive Sub-total | $127,500 | $300,000 |
| Predicted Savings (kBTU over the 15 EU) | 250,000 | 250,000 |
| $0.05 per kBTU saved over the 15 EUI | 0 | $12,500 |
| Sample Tier 1 Incentive Calculation | $127,500 | $312,500 |
Tier 2 Incentive Program
The Tier 2 Program covers buildings 20,000 – 50,000 ft2, including multifamily residential buildings over 20,000 ft2. The program offers an incentive of $0.30/ft2 to owners who benchmark their buildings’ energy, develop an energy management plan, and create an operations and maintenance program. $150 million is earmarked for incentives.
The Clean Buildings team is consolidating our Tier 2 workshops series so we can give a more focused introduction to all the aspects of this new program. We’ve shrunk the number of webinars from six to five and scheduled them closer together to help keep everything fresh in mind. The start of the program remains the same at July 1, 2025.
Please review the revised workshop schedule. Everyone who accepted invites to the earlier dates will receive updated invites soon.
- June 13, 2024 – Tier 2 Program Overview Kick-off, overview of Tier 2 what qualifies, requirements for complying, July 1, 2023 starting point for Benchmarking, EMP & O&M.
- August 15, 2024 – Funding Distribution – Funding Distribution, what is an “enhanced amount” only for multifamily, graduated level based on the different levels, underserved, low-income, Justice40, equity, HEAL act, etc…
- October 10, 2024, 11 am to 12:30 pm – Building Focus – Canceled
- November 14, 2024, 11 am to 12 pm – Utility Provider Focus – Q&A, DOR presentation, Portal application verification and approval, uploading data, barriers, responsibilities and requirements, timing of payment what works best, how much time does a utility need to earmark the funding?
- December 12, 2024, 11 am to 12 pm – Finalizing the Program – Finalizing the Program, 30 days for comment then finalize the guidebook.
Clean building performance grants
The Clean Building Performance Grants Program provide competitive funding for energy efficiency improvements in private and public buildings. Clean Building Performance Grants cut energy costs, reduce pollution, and create jobs in communities across the state. These grants support Tier 1 covered buildings and Tier 1 and Tier 2 covered Public Buildings with compliance with the Clean Building Performance Standard (CBPS).
Energy audits for publicly owned buildings
The Energy Audit Incentive for Public Buildings program offers $20 million to assist publicly owned buildings with the cost of energy audits that are required to participate Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) and the Early Adopter Incentive Program. Commerce is currently building a list of verified energy professionals who want to be part of our statewide network of Qualified Energy Auditors who will perform energy audits in accordance with the Clean Buildings Performance Standard program.
Resources
The Tier 1 Early Adopter Incentive Guidebook serves to provide guidelines for the process of applying to the Incentive Program. The full glossary of terms, forms and templates are located in the Clean Buildings Standard. The guidebook does not cover elements of the Clean Buildings Standard that are otherwise covered by law or rule.
Mandatory compliance is detailed in RCW 19.27A.210, which establishes the Clean Buildings Standard, and ASHRAE Standard 100-2018 (link) with Washington State amendments (WAC 194-50).
- Download the Early Adopter Incentive Guidebook (PDF)
- Watch the Guidebook Overview video (YouTube)
This incentive program is managed by Commerce in coordination with participating utilities and the Dept. of Revenue.
Utilities with over 25,000 customers are required to participate. For utilities with less than 25,000 customers, participation is voluntary. Utilities that issue the incentive payment to building owners receive a tax credit from the Department of Revenue. The tax credit is used against Public Utility Tax liability. Review the Department of Revenue fact sheet
Utilities that do not pay public utility taxes are not eligible to participate in the Early Adopter Incentive Program.
- Please take time to fill out the Clean Buildings Utility Contact Form. Commerce will use the information gathered through this form for benchmarking and incentive programs across utility providers. Commerce requests that utilities participating in the incentive program complete this form.
Clean Building Performance Standard (CBPS) integrated document (on Smartsheet)
- 19.27A.200 – Definitions
- 19.27A.210 – State energy performance standard
- 19.27A.220 – Early adoption incentive program
- 19.27A.230 – Limit on early adoption incentive payments
- 19.27A.240 – Early adoption incentive payment administration
Office hours
A dedicated space outside of our scheduled trainings and workshops to connect with our Clean Buildings staff, ask questions, talk through scenarios and more. “Office Hours” are held on the 4th Tuesday of every month from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. PT.