Washington State building owners:

What is Senate Bill 5854?

The Senate bill 5854 (SB 5854), also known as the Efficiency First bill, requires owners of large buildings to benchmark their building’s energy usage and report it to the State of Washington. The State will then publish this data online so that owners can see how each building compares to its peers.

Purpose

This bill, enacted by the Legislature of the State of Washington, is designed to make buildings more efficient. More than 30% of Washington’s greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings, and benchmarking energy will raise awareness and improve efficiency across the state. More efficient buildings will lead to big savings, more jobs, and less pollution.

Does it impact me?

Senate Bill 5854 applies to owners or property managers with nonresidential buildings larger than 10,000 square feet, as well as public/government buildings over 10,000 square feet.

What are the deadlines?

SB 5854 requires owners of non-residential and municipal buildings 10,000 square feet or larger to track energy performance and annually report to the State of Washington by April 1st of each year.

How do I comply?

SB 5854 requires annual energy consumption reports from each building. Building owners must authorize their utility provider to record and upload their building’s energy data to EPA’s Portfolio Manager, a reporting tool that allows building owners to compare their building’s energy efficiency with similar buildings.