Washington Tier 2 for churches and places of worship
Many Washington congregations own buildings in the Tier 2 range, 20,001 to 50,000 square feet, and many have received a Clean Buildings letter without knowing what it means. There is no blanket exemption for religious buildings. The good news: the requirements are manageable for a volunteer-run facility, and the incentive usually covers the cost.
Does it apply to your building?
Count the gross floor area of the sanctuary, hall, classrooms, offices and any connected buildings, excluding parking garages. If the total is 20,001 to 50,000 sq ft, it is Tier 2. Detached buildings on the same site may be treated separately; your Commerce letter lists the building or buildings Commerce counts. Run the free checker.
What you must file by 1 July 2027
- Benchmarking in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager: twelve months of electricity and gas. "Worship facility" is one of Portfolio Manager's property types. Setup guide.
- An Energy Management Plan describing how the building is used and how energy is managed.
- An O&M Program: an inventory of the boiler or furnaces, cooling, water heaters, lighting and controls, with inspection tasks and a log. What it must contain.
- The two Commerce Reporting Tools and Forms A, B and C in the portal.
What is different for a congregation
- Intermittent use. Worship buildings are busy for a few hours on a few days and empty the rest. Record the real schedule (services, weekday groups, rentals, seasonal events) in the plan; it affects the energy target and the easy savings.
- Thermostats and schedules. Heating a sanctuary all week for Sunday is the most common waste. Programmable or smart thermostats with a documented schedule are the cheapest measure, and checking their settings becomes an O&M task.
- Older equipment. Older boilers and single-pane glazing are common. List systems beyond their useful life in the O&M Program with a planned action; you do not have to replace them to comply.
- Volunteers and rentals. Name who is responsible (a trustee, facilities lead or sexton) and how outside users are told about thermostat and lighting rules. That covers the plan's occupant-information section.
Who can be the Qualified Energy Manager?
Someone designated by the owner who has completed Commerce's free Tier 2 training and has two years' experience operating commercial buildings or managing building energy, or holds BOC Level I, or is a Qualified Person. A long-serving facilities volunteer or the HVAC contractor who already services the building often qualifies after the free course. If no one does, you can hire a QEM just to review and sign. How to find and brief a QEM.
The incentive
A 30,000 sq ft church that files and is approved would receive about $9,000 ($0.30 per eligible sq ft), paid through its utility. How to apply. The $690 Tier 2 Filing Kit drafts the plan, the O&M Program and the Reporting Tool answers from a 30–45 minute questionnaire; your QEM reviews and signs.