Monthly Archives: March 2020

T3.11 EV education * Partner with environmental and other agencies to increase consumer awareness about EV options and incentives for use and purchase. Ongoing survey research at UC Davis’s Institute of Transportation Studies concludes that even in California, most people … Continue reading →

T3._ Permit chargers in the right of way Allow business and residents without off-street parking to install chargers in the city right-of-way. A recent Carnegie Mellon study estimates that while approximately 79% of US households have off-street parking for at … Continue reading →

T3._”Right to Charge” law Require building owners to allow tenants to install EV charging stations if they want to. HB1793, which was passed in the 2022 session, creates rules for owners’ installations of charging stations in common interest communities such … Continue reading →

B2.8 Performance Standard * Set energy efficiency performance standards for commercial buildings with gross floor areas smaller than 50,000 square feet. Legislation passed in 2019 (HB 1257), mandates the Washington State Department of Commerce to implement energy performance standards for … Continue reading →

B4._ Building commissioning Building commissioning is a quality assurance process that spans the entire design and construction process, helping ensure that the new building’s performance meets design expectations. PNNL’s “A Guide to Building Commissioning” gives an overview of the process. … Continue reading →

B4.2 Building energy goals Establish energy goals/benchmarks (e.g. LEED) for new buildings, and adopt permitting practices and building code and/or design guidelines that support clean and efficient energy practices and technologies (e.g., passive design, rooftop solar panels and water heaters, … Continue reading →

B2.1 Commercial energy benchmarking and disclosure * Require energy performance ratings for commercial structures so that owners, tenants and prospective buyers are informed before making purchasing or rental decisions. BuildingRating.org is “an international exchange for information on building rating policies … Continue reading →

B3.3 Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Develop and adopt commercial PACE program. Assess whether residential PACE is still desirable and, if so, how local and state policymakers could pursue a legislative solution or state constitutional amendment to develop a PACE … Continue reading →

B4.10 EV-ready residential building code (See T3.5 EV-ready building code) Modify the residential building code to require builders of new single-family and multi-family housing units to install wiring, boxes, and other infrastructure to charge plug-in electric vehicles. The availability of … Continue reading →

B5.8 Solar-ready Amend local development code to require solar-ready construction for all building types. Installing solar photovoltaics on existing buildings is often difficult and cost-prohibitive. The roof space on older buildings is not designed with the addition of a PV … Continue reading →