Washington CBPS

Navigate to Property → Compliance → Exposure → Washington CBPS

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Overview

The Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) aims to reduce emissions from large buildings. Building owners are required to annually report energy consumption and meet annual EUI targets based on the ASHRAE 100-2018 performance standard.

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CBPS Resources

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Filing & Reporting

Property owners are required to file with the state every five years, with initial compliance based on the following schedule: Tier 1 covered buildings

• June 1, 2026 – More than 220,000 sq. ft.
• June 1, 2027 – More than 90,000 sq. ft. but less than 220,001 sq. ft.
• June 1, 2028 – More than 50,000 sq. ft. but less than 90,001 sq. ft.

Tier 2 covered buildings

• July 1, 2027 – More than 20,000 sq. ft. but less than 50,001 sq. ft. and all multifamily residential buildings more than 20,000 sq. ft.

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Configuration

Follow these steps to ensure that the property is ready for compliance analysis:

1. Confirm the selected Reporting Period: Emissions calculations, penalty values, and decarb pathways all depend on the selected reporting period. Change the reporting period to see how property performance over different 12-month time frames impacts compliance.
2. Click on Details button to ensure that there is a high Data Completeness value associated with the reporting period. Data completeness should be as close to 100% as possible to ensure accurate analysis.

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Calculating EUI Targets

A building’s EUI target is based on the breakdown of its property uses as tracked in ESPM. Abisko automatically calculates a property’s EUI targets and transparently displays each step of the calculation process, as described below.

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ESPM Property Uses

Abisko displays all ESPM property uses of the property along with associated floor areas, weekly operating hours and CBPS EUI targets in a table near the bottom of the report. Click here to see a list of CBPS property use types and associated target EUI values.

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EUI Target Adjustments

Abisko adjusts each EUI target by multiplying by the corresponding Operating Shift Factor, which is based on the combination of property type, weekly operating hours and climate zone.

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Total EUI Target

Properties for which more than 75% of the gross floor area consists of a single property use type can report as a single-use building or a multi-use building when calculting the EUI target. Users can select which method by using the Limit Calculation dropdown at the top of the report. If Major Use (75%) is selected, Abisko automatically reallocates all property use floor area to the use type that accounts for at least 75% of the building’s total gross floor area (GFA). The EUI target associated with that use type is then applied to the entire building. If no use type meets the 75% threshold, Abisko applies the Mixed Use method, in which the building EUI target is calculated as a weighted average of the EUI targets for all property use types.

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Total EUI Target

The total EUI target is calculated by taking the weighted average of the EUI targets associated with all property use types covered by CBPS. 𝐵 = Σ(𝑙_𝑘∙p_𝑘∙𝑠_𝑘) / Σ𝑙_𝑘

• B = the total building EUI target for a building with multiple property use types
• 𝑠_𝑘= the EUI target associated with the property use type, k
• 𝑙_𝑘= the total floor area a property use type, k
• p_𝑘= the operating shift factor associated with the property use type, k, based on weekly operating hours and climate zone

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Calculating Penalties

To assess potential non-compliance penalties over time, a property’s annual energy use intensity must be calculated and compared against the property’s EUI target. Abisko performs this entire process automatically based on the selected reporting period.

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Property EUI

Property Site EUI is calculated by summing the property’s total annual energy consumption and dividing by its GFA. For consistency with ESPM, Abisko uses the EPA-calculated GFA value associated with the selected reporting period. Near the top of the report, users can view a chart showing the property’s Site EUI compared to its limit. Users can hover over each bar to see a detailed breakdown of energy use and download the full annual dataset using the button above the chart.

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Exceedance & Penalties

Under CBPS, non-compliance penalties are assessed when a building’s Site EUI exceeds its limit. The penalty rate is based on whether the property has submitted and executed a mitigation plan. For buildings that submit a mitigation plan with documentation demonstrating completion: Daily penalties are assessed from the scheduled compliance date to the date of approval of compliance or conditional compliance. The penalty will be assessed at an amount not to exceed 30% of $5,000 plus a daily amount equal to $0.20 per square foot of gross floor area per year.

• e.g. For a 50,000 ft2 building out of compliance, the daily penalty rate would be 50,000*$0.20/365 = $27.4/day with an annual assessment = $10,000

For buildings that have not completed a submitted mitigation plan: If the building does not comply with the standard by the next compliance date, the building owner will be assessed the maximum penalty of $5,000 plus a daily amount equal to $1.00 per square foot of gross floor area per year not to exceed a value greater than 18 months of accrued penalty.

• e.g. For a 50,000 ft2 building out of compliance, the daily penalty rate would be 50,000*$1.00/365 = $137/day
  • Since the compliance deadline is June 1, this will be assessed for 213 days in the first non-compliance year to total $137*213 Days = $29,178.
  • The daily penalty will be assessed for 335 days in the second non-compliance year for a total of $137*335 Days = $45,895.
  • The total penalty will be the sum of all daily penalties over the 18-month period + the maximum penalty to equal $80,073 ($5000 + $29,178 + $45,895)

Abisko supplements the emissions and penalties charts with a detailed table showing CBPS EUI targets, performance and annual penalties through 2040. Users can use this table to identify years in which the property is out of compliance and download the data for external analysis.

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Setting Custom Targets

Abisko automatically calculates EUI targets using the default methodology outlined in CBPS published technical guidance. In some cases, however, buildings may be subject to alternative prescribed targets, or users may wish to evaluate penalties under different assumptions. To support these use cases, Abisko allows users to define a custom targets for the property. Once a custom value is applied, Abisko automatically recalculates all compliance metrics and penalty estimates. If no custom value is defined, Abisko uses the default calculated target.

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To Add/Edit/Delete Custom Target

Property → Compliance → Exposure → Washington CBPS

• Click on the Set Targets button
• Open the CBPS EUI Target sidebar
  • To add/edit a custom target
    1. Hover the mouse over the row in the table for the limit you would like to edit
    2. Click the edit icon that shows itself
    3. Edit the target and save
  • To delete a custom target
    1. Hover the mouse over the row in the table for the limit you would like to delete
    2. Click the trash icon that shows itself on the right side to delete

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Compliance Pathways

Abisko enables users to evaluate the impact of proposed energy measures on a property’s EUI over time. Users can model different combinations of measures and see how each scenario affects the property’s EUI and non-compliance penalties for every year through 2040. This functionality allows users to align long-term decarbonization strategies with Building Performance Standards (BPS) requirements and capital planning efforts. With this feature, users can:

• Test different energy efficiency pathways and their impacts on regulatory exposure
• Identify the most cost-effective compliance strategies
• Prepare and submit non-compliance mitigation plans to local regulators

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Select Measures

Property → Compliance → Exposure → Washington CBPS

• Click on the Select Measures button
• Open the Measures Selection sidebar
  Only measures with a status marked as Proposed are included for selection, since they represent measures with a potential future implementation date.
  • Check the box next to each measure that should be included in the compliance analysis
    • Check the box above the table to automatically select all measures
  • Click save after finalizing the measure selection

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Review Charts & Tables

After saving all selected measures, all charts and tables in the report will automatically update to show the impact of each measure on the property’s EUI and non-compliance penalties.

• Proposed measure impacts will begin to take effect on the calendar year following the completion date of the measure.
  • e.g. if completion date = 5/5/2028, changes begin to take effect 2029

Impacts from measures on EUI and penalties will only show if a measure has values entered for annual energy savings:

• Absolute values entered for each energy subtype (e.g. electric, natural gas) are subtracted from the total annual consumption of that subtype for the selected reporting period.
• Percentage values entered for each energy subtype are converted to absolute values by multiplying the percentage by the total annual consumption of that subtype for the selected reporting period. The converted value is then treated as an absolute value.
• Measures are applied independently (no interactive effects) and total reductions for each energy subtype are capped by the total subtype consumption of the reporting period.
  • e.g. If 20 measures include 10% annual electricity savings, this will be capped to 100% annual electricity savings, resulting in 0 electricity-related emissions
  • Annual energy savings are additive and persist over time

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How-To Recording: Analyze Compliance

See how to review compliance, export values, set custom baselines and select measures.