• Establish mandatory statewide building performance labeling for residential and small commercial buildings not covered by the Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS). The labeling would require a Home Energy Score for residential buildings and Energy Star Benchmarking for small commercial buildings at the time of sale or rental listing.
• Scores would be publicly available through a statewide database, enabling consistent progress tracking and support to buildings.
• Over time, this labeling framework would evolve into a formal “Tier 3” of CBPS for buildings not covered under Tier 1 or Tier 2, with upgrade requirements at time of sale, providing a more complete regulatory pathway for smaller buildings and homes to complete clean buildings upgrades.

Smaller buildings make up most of Washington’s building emissions and are excluded from performance-driven policies. Energy labels improve transparency for buyers and renters of both residential and commercial buildings, help them understand operating cost differences, and increase the value of energy efficient properties on the market. In the longer term, introducing time-of-sale upgrade requirements, such as those in Berkeley, provides a predictable path for improving the emissions and efficiency of existing buildings over time.

To avoid unintended burdens, the state should provide free or low-cost energy score assessments for homeowners who qualify for income assistance and small business owners in overburdened communities; offer a help desk for compliance support; and consider exemptions to upgrade requirements. To maximize the benefit of energy scores, labels should be consumer-friendly and help renters and buyers understand energy cost implications of choosing a particular home or building.

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2027:

• The Washington State Legislature adopts statewide requirements for energy disclosure at the time of sale or rental for residential (U.S. Department of Energy’s Home Energy Score) and small commercial (Energy Star Benchmarking) buildings.
• The Department of Commerce completes rulemaking.
• The Department of Commerce and local jurisdictions launch outreach for building owners and training for energy score assessors and real estate professionals.

2028:

• Disclosure begins for all covered buildings.
• The Department of Commerce develops a statewide database – or selects an existing platform such as the U.S. Green Building Registry – to publicly share scores.

2029:

• Statewide database is fully operational, outreach and training continue.

2030:

• Establish a formal Tier 3 with long-term expectations for small buildings that align with statewide emissions and energy goals, including upgrade requirements as part of the tier.

2031:‍

• Introduce time-of-sale upgrade requirements beginning with low-cost, high-impact measures to improve efficiency or make buildings electric-ready.

2032:

• Upgrade requirements and energy score disclosure continues for covered buildings.