WASHINGTON STATE

Washington State House Democrats

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Washington in the top 10 for energy efficiency

When it comes to energy efficiency, coming in at #8, Washington has been in the top ten for the eight years the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy has been keeping score.

ACEEE ranks states on their energy efficiency policy and program efforts and provides recommendations for ways to improve, encouraging states to continue strengthening their efficiency commitments to promote economic growth and secure environmental benefits.

To determine state ranking, ACEEE looked at six areas: utility policies and programs, transportation initiatives, building energy codes, combined heat and power development, state government initiatives and appliance efficiency standards. Each state could earn a possible 50 points. Massachusetts, leading the pack for the 4th year in a row, scored 42; Washington, 33.5; and North Dakota, the state in the worst shape, earned just 4 points.

Washington’s scorecard:

  • Utilities: 13 points out of 20. Our state’s electricity savings were some of the highest in the nation thanks to Washington’s energy efficiency resource standard that includes long-term electricity savings targets.
  • Transportation: 7 points out of 9. Washington has a dedicated revenue stream for transportation projects and we’ve passed legislation to incorporate complete streets planning into construction and retrofit projects.
  • Building Energy Codes: 6 points out of 7. Washington requires compliance with the 2012 IECC for both residential and commercial buildings.
  • Combined Heat & Power: 2.5 out of 5 points. Our state has an interconnection standard that includes CHP as an eligible resource in the state’s energy efficiency resource standard and renewable portfolio standard.
  • State Government-led Initiatives: 4.5 out of 7 points. The state government leads by example by requiring energy-efficient public buildings and fleets, benchmarking energy use, and encouraging energy savings performance contracts. Washington is one of the few states to require commercial building energy use disclosure.
  • Appliance Efficiency Standards: 0.5 out of 2 points. Our most recent standards were adopted in 2009, only one of which has been preempted by federal standards.

While Washington continues to rank in the top tier, the ACEEE recommends that our state pay particular attention to our utility policies and programs, set long-term savings targets for natural gas, and continue achieving high levels of electricity savings.

For a summary of the ACEEE report, please click here.

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