WASHINGTON CLEAN BUILDINGS + ENERGY BENCHMARKING
Expert Compliance Strategies for Tier 1 and Tier 2 Buildings
CBPS work has to be prepared and signed by qualified professionals. That’s us, in-house.
Establishes your EUIt and attests the EMP and O&M program as your Qualified Person.
Serves as the Qualified Energy Manager Tier 2 buildings must designate.
Builds and verifies the benchmarking data Commerce relies on for compliance.
The engineer who benchmarks your building is the one who writes the plan, builds the O&M program, and signs the filing. No hand-offs, no subcontracted signatures.
Washington Clean Buildings Act compliance for a single property or an entire portfolio — the deliverable is identical.
Every building gets the same document architecture: the same Energy Management Plan structure, the same 10-sheet O&M workbook, the same benchmarking format. A portfolio owner sees one uniform system across every property — one training, one review cycle, one place the records live.
One building
Flat fee, 8–10 weeks, complete: gap analysis through Clean Buildings Portal filing. You get the same system our portfolio clients run.
A portfolio
Auto groups, housing authorities, industrial holdings, multi-site owners. Type-and-repeat efficiency: shared program architecture, per-building specifics, portfolio pricing, one point of contact who has walked every roof.
Four steps from "where do we stand?" to Commerce-ready.
Gap analysis — know your position before you commit budget
We benchmark in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager, establish weather-normalized EUI, calculate your EUIt under Section 7.2, and compare. You get a written finding: your pathway, what you already have that counts, and what's actually missing. Fixed fee, credited toward the engagement — it often shrinks your scope.
Energy Management Plan — built around how your building runs
A Section 5 EMP names accountable people, tracks EUI against EUIt, sets goals, addresses training, and carries a capital outlook. We shape it to your actual operating schedule and equipment, prepare it as your Qualified Person, and sign it — with implementation date-stamped and evidenced.
O&M record copy — built on what you already do
Section 6 doesn't require throwing out your existing preventive maintenance — it requires covered systems documented, maintained on defined frequencies, and demonstrably performed. We map your current practices against the standard, write only the gaps, and deliver one workbook holding the program and the proof: inventory, PM plan, frequency calendar, logbook, and trackers.
Not doing anything yet? That's fine. We build the customized O&M program from scratch, then either coach your staff on running it or help you engage and scope a maintenance vendor to carry it out.
Ongoing energy manager — so the next cycle is a review, not a rebuild
Buildings re-report every five years, and an EMP goes stale the moment a chiller changes. On annual retainer we keep ESPM data verified, review maintenance records, update the plan as the building changes, and flag drift before it becomes a missed target.
Which rules apply to your building?
8–10 weeks, kickoff to Commerce-ready.
The whole engagement — including the parts where we need your team. Click a phase bar. Gold dots mark the weeks your team is involved.
Weeks 9–10 are deliberate buffer for review cycles and Clean Buildings Portal processing — the reason we quote 8–10 weeks rather than promising 6 and slipping.
Flip through an Energy Management Plan. Click through the O&M workbook.
Most firms describe their deliverables. We'd rather show you. Below: a simplified look at how the Section 5 EMP and the 10-sheet O&M Program workbook are built — not the full documents, but the structure and the level of rigor to expect.
ENGINEERING
Management Plan
Prepared per WAC 194-50 §5.1 · ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 100-2018 as amended
Qualified Person: Washington-licensed PE, CEM
- Executive Summary (5.1.2.2 – 5.1.2.4)1
- Acknowledgments (5.1.3 / 5.1.4)2
- Introduction5
- Usage and Area Breakdown5
- Building Envelope Description and Condition5
- Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing Systems6
- Lighting Systems · Other Energy Consuming Equipment7
- State and Local BEPS Compliance Coverage7
- Building Contacts · Service Providers & Utilities (5.1.1 / 5.1.2.11)8
- Property Details (5.1.2.5)10
- Benchmarking and Performance Monitoring (5.1.2.1 / 5.2)11
- Continuous Improvement Efforts (5.1.2.6 – 7)14
- Operations & Maintenance Program (5.1.2.14 / 6.2 / 6.3)16
- Equipment Inventory (5.1.2.10 / 5.1.2.12 – 13 / 6.6 / L2)17
- Capital Management Plan (5.1.2.10 / 6.5 / 6.6)24
| KPIs | EUI | WNEUI | EUIt | NET ENERGY USE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CURRENT (2025) | 51.9 | 51.4 | 59.0 | 1,834,220 |
| PRIOR (2024) | 53.2 | 52.8 | 59.0 | 1,880,140 |
| BASELINE (2024) | 53.2 | 52.8 | 59.0 | 1,880,140 |
EUI in kBtu/sf/yr; net energy use in kBtu. Weather normalization per NOAA TMY degree-day regression. EUIt established under §7.2.3 from ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 100 Table 7-2a/2b by building activity type and climate zone.
The building performs 7.1 kBtu/sf/yr below its energy use intensity target. Compliance posture, the implemented O&M program (§6), and the capital outlook (§5.1.2.10) are documented herein.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Electric — Grid (kBtu) | 1,411,020 | 1,376,480 |
| Natural Gas (kBtu) | 469,120 | 457,740 |
| EUI / EUIt (kBtu/sf) | 53.2 / 59 | 51.9 / 59 |
| ID | System | Make / Model | Capacity | Fuel | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RTU-1 | Packaged RTU | Trane YSC060 | 5 ton / 120 MBH | Elec / NG | 2015 |
| RTU-2 | Packaged RTU | Trane YSC060 | 5 ton / 120 MBH | Elec / NG | 2015 |
| RTU-3 | Packaged RTU | Trane YSD090 | 7.5 ton / 150 MBH | Elec / NG | 2015 |
| WH-1 | Storage DHW | A.O. Smith BTR-80 | 75 gal / 76 MBH | NG | 2019 |
| EF-1..4 | Exhaust fans | Greenheck SP-A | ≤ 400 cfm ea. | Elec | 2015 |
| LTG | Interior/site lighting | LED retrofit, photocell + schedule | — | Elec | 2016 |
Install years recovered from nameplate serial-date codes where records were absent. Inventory carries nameplate photos, refrigerant type, and control sequence notes in the delivered document; each asset maps to its PM task set and capital strip.
Reaching published service life is a monitoring milestone, not a replacement trigger. A named window funds a reserve and stages spares; §5.1.2.10 requires identification of equipment for replacement with energy-efficient and ENERGY STAR® rated equipment in the event of failure.
§5.1.2.14 makes the O&M program a required element of the energy management plan — the plan is not complete without it, and it is not current if the workbook has gone stale. The program is governed by Section 6 and Annex L: asset inventory, task set with CORE/ELECTIVE basis, frequencies, responsible parties, and the logbook that constitutes implementation evidence.
The 10-sheet workbook is previewed below ↓
Every task carries a basis (CORE or ELECTIVE), a frequency, and the §6 performance objectives it serves — and the logbook holds the proof the standard asks for.
ENGINEERING
Clean Buildings
Playbook
The 2026 playbook, verified to the July 2026 Integrated Document.
Eleven pages, written for owners rather than engineers: every deadline by tier and size, the penalty math including the mitigation-plan detail that cuts the rate by 80%, the incentive rates and what's left in the fund, the Tier 1 pathway when you're over the target, and exactly what the two required documents contain.
- Which tier you're in, on one graphic
- The clock that starts twelve months before your deadline
- Over or under the bar — and what happens next
- Published fees, so the math is yours to run
One flat fee.
No pricing behind a sales call. Every engagement includes the gap analysis, both compliance documents, training, portal filing, and the Early Adopter incentive application.
- Gap analysis & ESPM benchmarking, WNEUI + EUIt
- Section 5 EMP, signed by your Qualified Energy Manager
- Section 6 O&M record-copy workbook + staff training
- Clean Buildings Portal submission
- Early Adopter incentive application ($0.30–$0.75/SF)
- Gap analysis & pathway determination
- Section 5 EMP, signed by your Qualified Person (PE/CEM)
- Section 6 O&M record copy with 12-month look-back structure
- Forms & portal submission
- Investment-criteria pathway? Level 2 audit scoped after the gap analysis
Fees apply to a single building with complete utility data access. Portfolios, campuses, and buildings with incomplete energy histories quoted individually — usually after the gap analysis, which is credited either way.
Estimate your net cost
Oregon’s BPS mirrors Washington’s Clean Buildings law.
Same ASHRAE 100 backbone, same EMP and O&M deliverables — and Oregon’s BERI incentive is open now. One engagement can cover buildings in both states.
WA Clean Buildings FAQ
Do I have to replace my existing maintenance program?
No. If your current preventive maintenance covers the systems and frequencies the standard requires, it can be used as-is — it just has to be documented and demonstrably implemented. We map your existing practices against Section 6 and fill only what's missing.
What counts as proof my O&M program is "implemented"?
Completed maintenance records tied to a documented plan — logs showing the tasks in your program were performed on the equipment in your inventory, on the frequencies you committed to. A written plan with no records behind it is the most common gap we find, and it's exactly what the record copy solves.
Who is a Qualified Person, and do I need one?
Tier 1 compliance requires a Qualified Person — typically a licensed PE, Certified Energy Manager, or credentialed equivalent — to establish the EUIt and attest that the EMP and O&M program were developed, implemented, and maintained. Tier 2 requires a designated Qualified Energy Manager. Sheehan Engineering serves in either role.
How long does compliance take?
8–10 weeks from kickoff to portal submission, including your team's review time — see the schedule above. Commerce's review after submission typically adds 4–8 weeks. Starting early protects your incentive eligibility.
How much does it cost?
$5,750 flat for a Tier 2 building, $7,500 flat for Tier 1 — gap analysis through portal submission. For Tier 2 buildings, the Early Adopter incentive ($0.30/SF, or $0.75/SF enhanced multifamily) frequently covers the full fee.
What happens if I miss my EUIt target?
You won't automatically be fined. Tier 2 buildings calculate the target but aren't required to meet it. Tier 1 buildings that miss follow the investment-criteria pathway: an ASHRAE Level 2 audit identifies measures, and if they aren't cost-effective over the equipment's life, you can achieve compliance without implementing them.
What happens after I submit?
Buildings re-report every five years, with twelve consecutive months of compliant data inside the window before each deadline. The EMP and O&M program are meant to run continuously in between — which is why we offer ongoing energy management rather than treating submittal as the finish line.
YOUR ROADMAP TO COMPLIANCE
Get in Touch
Whether you know your needs or have questions on the requirements, we are here to help.
Fill out the form or get in touch below:
Email kevin@sheehan-eng.com
Call (773) 312-2898
