King County committee approves $100,000 pilot for home energy audits amid procurement debate

The King County Energy & Environmental Committee voted to approve a $100,000 pilot program to deliver up to 25 home energy audits and homeowner rebates, staff said, with the money drawn from the county's electric aggregation fund. Alan Allen moved the measure and it was seconded by Mister Roth; the roll call recorded five members in favor, one opposed and one abstention.

The pilot would hire a selected auditor via a county RFP process to perform comprehensive energy audits (estimated at about $1,200 per audit) and provide a pool of rebate funds for homeowners to use toward identified improvements. "The actual audits are $1,200 apiece," staff said when describing the budget breakdown, and staff said $35,000 of the approved total was earmarked for household rebates.

The motion drew sustained debate. David Young objected to the recommended vendor, saying the proposal concentrated funds with a single small operator and warning the $100,000 budget could be spent inefficiently. "We're going to give him a $100,000," Young said, adding concerns the vendor is a one‑person operation and that audit costs cited in other markets are much lower. Staff responded that the vendor was selected through the county's procurement process and that proposals were evaluated against published criteria; staff also said some vendors were disqualified because they did not meet submission requirements.

Committee members asked for additional documentation and comparisons; staff offered to bring sample audits and supporting numbers to the next meeting for review. Staff also said unused rebate funds would revert to the county if not claimed by participating homeowners.

The vote: Allen — yes; Caius — yes; Hennessy — yes; Draftman — yes; Bates — yes; Young — no; Roth — abstain. Chair declared the motion carried.

Next steps: staff will finalize contract paperwork through the county purchasing office, circulate example audit reports to committee members and oversee program implementation under the agreed budget and reporting schedule.