The definitions in this section apply to RCW 19.27A.130 through 19.27A.190 and 19.27A.020 unless the context clearly requires otherwise.

(1) “Benchmark” means the energy used by a facility as recorded monthly for at least one year and the facility characteristics information inputs required for a portfolio manager.

(2) “Building owner” has the same meaning as defined in RCW 19.27A.200.

(3) “Conditioned space” means conditioned space, as defined in the Washington state energy code.

(4) “Consumer-owned utility” includes a municipal electric utility formed under Title 35 RCW, a public utility district formed under Title 54 RCW, an irrigation district formed under chapter 87.03 RCW, a cooperative formed under chapter 23.86 RCW, a mutual corporation or association formed under chapter 24.06 RCW, a port district formed under Title 53 RCW, or a water-sewer district formed under Title 57 RCW, that is engaged in the business of distributing electricity to one or more retail electric customers in the state.

(5) “Cost-effectiveness” means that a project or resource is forecast:

(a) To be reliable and available within the time it is needed; and

(b) To meet or reduce the power demand of the intended consumers at an estimated incremental system cost no greater than that of the least-cost similarly reliable and available alternative project or resource, or any combination thereof.

(6) “Council” means the state building code council.

(7) “Covered commercial building” has the same meaning as defined in *RCW 19.27A.200.

(8) “Embodied energy” means the total amount of fossil fuel energy consumed to extract raw materials and to manufacture, assemble, transport, and install the materials in a building and the life-cycle cost benefits including the recyclability and energy efficiencies with respect to building materials, taking into account the total sum of current values for the costs of investment, capital, installation, operating, maintenance, and replacement as estimated for the lifetime of the product or project.

(9) “Energy consumption data” means the monthly amount of energy consumed by a customer as recorded by the applicable energy meter for the most recent twelve-month period.

(10) “Energy service company” has the same meaning as in RCW 43.19.670.

(11) “Enterprise services” means the department of enterprise services.

(12) “Greenhouse gas” and “greenhouse gases” includes carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and sulfur hexafluoride.

(13) “Investment grade energy audit” means an intensive engineering analysis of energy efficiency and management measures for the facility, net energy savings, and a cost-effectiveness determination.

(14) “Investor-owned utility” means a corporation owned by investors that meets the definition of “corporation” as defined in RCW 80.04.010 and is engaged in distributing either electricity or natural gas, or both, to more than one retail electric customer in the state.

(15) “Major facility” means any publicly owned or leased building, or a group of such buildings at a single site, having ten thousand square feet or more of conditioned floor space.

(16) “National energy performance rating” means the score provided by the energy star program, to indicate the energy efficiency performance of the building compared to similar buildings in that climate as defined in the United States environmental protection agency “ENERGY STAR® Performance Ratings Technical Methodology.”

(17) “Net zero energy use” means a building with net energy consumption of zero over a typical year.

(18) “Portfolio manager” means the United States environmental protection agency’s energy star portfolio manager or an equivalent tool adopted by the department of enterprise services.

(19) “Preliminary energy audit” means a quick evaluation by an energy service company of the energy savings potential of a building.

(20) “Qualifying public agency” includes all state agencies, colleges, and universities.

(21) “Qualifying utility” means a consumer-owned or investor-owned gas or electric utility that serves more than twenty-five thousand customers in the state of Washington.

(22) “Reporting public facility” means any of the following:

(a) A building or structure, or a group of buildings or structures at a single site, owned by a qualifying public agency, that exceed ten thousand square feet of conditioned space;

(b) Buildings, structures, or spaces leased by a qualifying public agency that exceeds ten thousand square feet of conditioned space, where the qualifying public agency purchases energy directly from the investor-owned or consumer-owned utility;

(c) A wastewater treatment facility owned by a qualifying public agency; or

(d) Other facilities selected by the qualifying public agency.

(23) “State portfolio manager master account” means a portfolio manager account established to provide a single shared portfolio that includes reports for all the reporting public facilities.

Reviser’s note: *(1) RCW 19.27A.200 was amended by 2022 c 177 § 2, changing the definition of “covered commercial building” to “covered building.”

(2) The definitions in this section have been alphabetized pursuant to RCW 1.08.015(2)(k).

Effective date—Purpose—2011 1st sp.s. c 43: See notes following RCW 43.19.003.

Purpose—Effective date—2010 c 271: See notes following RCW 43.330.005.