Cost Savings
November 14, 2025
Ameresco and City of Chandler Launch Energy Initiative to Cut Municipal Utility Costs by Over $1 Million Annually
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The Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS), represents a significant turning point for building owners and operators, prompting a shift towards cleaner, more energy-efficient facilities and fundamentally changing how organizations approach asset management, documentation, and long-term planning. For commercial buildings, especially those constructed during the baby boom era and now reaching critical ages, CBPS brings both regulatory challenges and valuable opportunities for capital optimization and operational improvement.
CBPS centers around energy performance, but compliance extends far beyond utility bills. The standard compels organizations to document the condition, ownership, and operational pathways of every asset within their buildings. Authorized representatives (often the individuals leading compliance efforts) bring critical value by demystifying the process, translating regulatory requirements into actionable plans, and serving as knowledge bridges between leadership, engineers, and facility teams. Their involvement helps ensure that the compliance journey is thorough, well-documented, and sustainable for years to come.
The Power of Documentation and Asset Planning to Maximize Energy Savings
Accuracy and detail in documentation will become cornerstones for compliance. Facilities must maintain living documents: up-to-date asset inventories, energy management plans, and operations and maintenance (O&M) programs. These requirements serve not only regulatory purposes, but also enable succession planning, resilience against staff turnover, and knowledge preservation as legacy personnel transition. With robust documentation, organizations are better positioned to make informed capital renewal and replacement decisions, underpinned by total cost of ownership (TCO) and life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) principles, which directly support both compliance and financial goals.
CBPS compliance necessitates integrated strategies that span planning, design, construction, commissioning, and asset portfolio management. This approach improves not just energy efficiency, but also operational resilience. Asset condition assessments form the backbone of capital planning, while preventive maintenance and facility data management expand the value proposition. Many organizations find that, as they build out these programs, substantial gaps in information and process are revealed, especially around legacy systems and automation controls. Addressing these challenges ensures not just compliance, but an ongoing path to operational excellence.
Deadlines, Penalties, and Incentives: The 2025 Shift
CBPS deadlines now loom large, with buildings above 220,000 square feet facing less than a year to achieve compliance, while tiered deadlines extend into July 2027 for smaller facilities. The costs of non-compliance are substantial; for example, a 50,000 square foot building could see up to $50,000 annually in fines if requirements are partially out of compliance, but $80,000 annually if there is no active plan for compliance. The Washington Department of Commerce provides penalty calculators to help building owners understand their risk profiles in detail.
However, the CBPS environment is not solely about risk. Public and utility-provided funding, incentives, and grants are increasingly available, especially for energy efficiency measures and clean energy retrofits. Owners poised and prepared with thorough documentation and compliance plans are best placed to capitalize on these funds, offsetting costs and improving building value.
House Bill 1543 and other rulemaking efforts continue to shape CBPS, introducing new grant categories and alternative compliance pathways. This evolution means organizations must remain agile, keeping living documents current and participating in public forums to stay ahead of regulatory changes. As compliance becomes a continual process, supported by data-driven asset management and repeatable O&M programs, organizations not only avoid fines, but also create a virtuous circle of reinvestment, energy cost savings, and asset longevity.
Choosing a Partnering for Success
CBPS compliance can feel daunting, especially for teams stretched thin or lacking detailed facility data. Ameresco helps organizations at every step: developing asset inventories, workshopping O&M plans, modernizing facility information management, and identifying the right capital investments. By focusing on documentation, operational excellence, and maximizing incentives, Ameresco enables clients to not only achieve compliance, but to unlock the ongoing value of clean, efficient buildings year after year.
The path to compliance must be sustainable over the long term, addressing more than immediate regulatory deadlines. As organizations face inevitable turnover and plan for the future, working with a partner that represents a true enterprise asset management mindset is essential for ongoing success. Ameresco provides not just technical solutions, but guidance in legacy planning, preserving institutional knowledge and supporting lifecycle asset decisions that extend far beyond the scope of clean buildings alone.
Staying proactive, informed, and well-documented transforms CBPS from a regulatory hurdle into an opportunity for organizational improvement, capital optimization, and sustainable progress, making Ameresco an ideal partner to steward organizations through every phase of the compliance journey.
Watch the on-demand Clean Building Performance Standards Webinar to learn more.
The Field Guide to Decarbonization Planning
This free resource provides a tangible roadmap for organizations looking to reduce their carbon footprint and achieve net zero emissions. The built environment is responsible for roughly 40% of energy-related carbon emissions. This resource offers a holistic approach to cutting consumption, costs, and carbon and practical solutions for facility owners and operators.
