In its preliminary report titled “High Performance Buildings: Impact on Energy Use is Mixed” (PDF) issued this spring, the State of Washington Joint Legislative Audit and Review Committee (JLARC) concluded “it is too early to make any overall judgments about the long-term effectiveness” of Washington’s high performance public building program. JLARC explained that the “[l]ack of complete and timely reporting by state agencies and institutions as required by statute is a serious limitation on any evaluation of the high performance public buildings program.” Reporting requirements for state agencies and schools are part of Washington’s high-performance building statute, RCW 39.35D.
In particular, Washington state agencies and schools should note that JLARC’s conclusions may prompt enforcement efforts by OSPI, the Department of General Administration and Department of Commerce. In its preliminary report, JLARC specifically recommended that OSPI, General Administration and Commerce “submit their plans for strengthening project reporting and program analysis” by year’s end. The Department of Commerce’s need for reporting data is especially time sensitive because its bi-annual report to the governor is due by September 1, 2011.