County energy audit finds LED and heat-pump hot-water upgrades as cost-effective paths to meet Clean Buildings rules

An ASHRAE level-2 energy audit presented to the Clallam County commissioners identified LED lighting upgrades and a heat-pump hot-water system as the most cost-effective steps to bring the county’s covered buildings into compliance with Washington’s Clean Buildings Performance Standards.

Devin Malone, senior project developer and partner at NOIC, who led the audit presentation, said the county’s two covered properties for the program are the administrative campus and the juvenile detention facility. Malone said the juvenile facility's energy use is higher on a per-square-foot basis because it is a 24/7 operation; the audit showed the administrative campus about 19% over the state target and the juvenile facility about 32% over its target.

Malone described potential measures and estimated impact: “we think we could reduce energy consumption inside the administrative campus by about 30%,” he said, and “in [the juvenile detention facility] we think we could reduce energy consumption by over 50%.” The audit team modeled utility baselines, catalogued every major HVAC and electrical system and produced a digital twin of each building calibrated to the county’s bills.

Two cost-effective measures surfaced repeatedly in the audit: a full LED lighting replacement and an air-to-water heat pump for hot-water generation. Malone said those two measures together would both be cost-effective and—if implemented—would bring the administrative campus under the program’s energy-use target. The audit team estimated the county could qualify for a state early-adopter incentive of approximately $300,000 if it installs both measures; Malone said that incentive is available now and could materially improve the project’s payback.

Why it matters: large public buildings covered by the Clean Buildings Standards must meet energy-performance targets or adopt all cost-effective measures. Buildings that fail to reach compliance can face fines; commissioners noted fines could be assessed on a per-year basis if compliance is not reached.

The audit identified two further options with higher capital cost and broader impact: upgrading the administrative campus chilled-water plant and replacing the campus’ older variable-air-volume systems with modern VAV systems and controls. The audit team said either of those larger investments would provide service-life replacement and comfort improvements but carry larger near-term costs.

Next steps: the audit team recommended the county enter an investment-grade audit (IGA) and design phase; Malone said an IGA priced at roughly $65,000 would create the level of design and cost certainty needed to pursue competitive grants and to apply for the early-adopter incentive. Malone and commissioners discussed timing: to be construction-ready for 2026 work the county should begin IGA work in Q3 2025, allowing grant applications and procurement before construction contracts.

Quotes and financing: the audit team emphasized grants and tax incentives that can improve project economics. Malone and Justin Berwinkel, director of project development and engineering (audit engineering lead), advised the county to seek both utility incentives and new state/federal funding, including Inflation Reduction Act direct-pay credits for electrification projects (if the county pursues a ground-source heat-pump conversion), and the new state Clean Buildings early-adopter incentives.

Commissioners asked staff to pursue a follow-up work session to decide whether to proceed to an IGA for LEDs plus a heat-pump hot-water system and to identify grant targets and funding windows for design and construction.