Washington Clean Buildings Tier 2 filing preparation

A 30,000 sq ft building could earn about $9,000.^{(note 2)} We prepare your Tier 2 filing for a flat fee per building. Funding is first-come, first-served, and the deadline is July 1, 2027.^{(note 1)}

Reviewed and signed by a credentialed Qualified Energy Manager

Incentives are paid directly to you by your utility, typically 4–8 weeks after Commerce reserves them.^{(note 3)}

Estimate your incentive Fees and quotes

For buildings of 20,001 to 50,000 sq ft (nonresidential) and multifamily buildings over 20,000 sq ft.

Sample page 09, Incentive enrollment summary, for a fictional building (not a real submission) — From our sample filing package for *Example Commons*, a fictional 30,000 sq ft office. Not a real submission.

Sample page 05, Energy Management Plan, for a fictional building (not a real submission) — From our sample filing package for *Example Commons*, a fictional 30,000 sq ft office. Not a real submission.

Sources and notes (3)

Commerce figures as of October 24, 2026; facts checked October 27, 2026.

WA Dept. of Commerce, Tier 2 Early Adopter Incentive Program page, figures as of Oct. 24, 2026: nearly $13.6M awarded; over $136M remaining of $150M. commerce.wa.gov Source
Base incentive is $0.30 per sq ft of eligible gross floor area (RCW 19.27A.220). Multifamily owners signing an Anti-Displacement Agreement may get up to $0.75/sq ft or the cost of compliance, whichever is lower. Estimates only. Not guaranteed: incentives are paid by participating utilities from available tax credits, first-come, first-served, and may be partial, delayed or zero. Requires full compliance (not an extension) and a participating utility. Source
Commerce program update (Clean Buildings Bulletin), Oct. 22, 2026. Timing varies by utility and starts after Commerce review. Source

IThe practice

We prepare the complete Tier 2 package for a flat fee per building. A partner Qualified Energy Manager reviews, signs and submits it. Your part takes about two hours.

Included in every package

Benchmarking
Portfolio Manager property and 12+ months of utility data.
Forms B and C
EUIt inputs and measured EUI, for the QEM to confirm.
Equipment inventory
Built from your nameplate photos or a short video.
O&M program and proof
The program, plus PM logs or service records as proof.
Energy Management Plan
On Commerce's template, with the reporting tools.
Incentive enrollment
Early Adopter application, with Exhibit A for multifamily.
Commerce questions
Answered within five business days, at no extra charge.
See the sample package

IIProcess

Four steps, in order

01
Coverage check
Send the address and floor area. We confirm Tier 2 coverage and estimate the incentive. No charge.
02
Engagement
Sign our terms and the utility data authorizations. Utility data takes a few days to about four weeks.
03
Preparation
We build every document in the package, from Portfolio Manager to the Energy Management Plan.
04
Signature and submission
Our partner QEM reviews, signs Form A with you and submits, with your incentive enrollment.

Most packages take three to six weeks of our time, mostly waiting on utility data.

IIIWho does what

You, us, and the partner QEM

You

Send the address and floor area
Sign the engagement and utility data authorizations
Send nameplate photos or a short video
Sign Form A with the QEM
Takes about 2 hours of your time

We prepare

Portfolio Manager property and utility data
Forms B and C drafts
Energy Management Plan, O&M program and proof
Incentive enrollment and Commerce responses

Partner QEM

Reviews the package independently
Sets the EUIt and signs Form A
Submits in the Clean Buildings Portal
May decline to sign; we never press

How a QEM qualifies under WAC 194-50-030

Who signs

Every package is reviewed and signed by a Qualified Energy Manager (QEM) who meets Washington's definition. The QEM must be designated by the building owner and qualify by one of two routes.

Route A: Commerce training plus experience

Completed Commerce's Clean Buildings Tier 2 training, and at least one of:

Two years of educational or professional experience with commercial building operations or building energy management
A full-time energy-efficiency fellowship or internship of six months or more, supervised by a QEM, Qualified Person or qualified energy auditor, that produced a successful compliance application
Building Operator Certification (BOC) Level I

Route B: a Qualified Person

Training, expertise and three years of professional experience in building energy use analysis, plus any of:

Washington-licensed professional architect or engineer
Building Operator Certification (BOC) Level II
Building commissioning provider certified by an ANSI/ISO/IEC 17024:2012 accredited organization
Qualified energy auditor
Certified Energy Manager (CEM), Association of Energy Engineers, in current standing
Energy Management Professional (EMP), Energy Management Association
South Seattle College Sustainable Building Science Technology B.A.S. degree, or an equivalent approved by Commerce

Source, checked October 27, 2026 WAC 194-50-030, definitions of qualified energy manager and qualified person (as amended by WSR 26-15-112, effective Aug. 21, 2026); consistent with Commerce guidance CBPS 017, Roles and Responsibilities, v3.0, published July 30, 2026. Commerce does not vet QEMs; owners confirm qualifications. Our partner QEM will be listed by name and credential, with permission, once an agreement is signed.

We never sign, stamp or do engineering, or hold your passwords. You get the partner QEM's name and credential in writing before you engage us. Clean Buildings Associates is a trade name of Voraus LLC, based in Seattle.

Sources, dated (9)

Every figure on this site comes from a Commerce page, guidance document or statute, re-checked monthly. Last checked October 27, 2026.

IVRequirements

What Tier 2 asks of an owner

Benchmark
12+ months of energy use in Portfolio Manager, as EUI (Form C) against a target, the EUIt (Form B).
Energy Management Plan
How energy use is managed, tracked and improved.
O&M program and proof
A maintenance program for the equipment, and proof it is carried out.

Federal and tribal-owned buildings are not covered. Is my building Tier 2?

The first Tier 2 report is due July 1, 2027. Not submitting can cost up to $0.30 per square foot.

WAC 194-50-160, Tier 2 standard (Normative Annex Y: compliance, NOVCI, penalties)

The base incentive is $0.30 per sq ft, paid by your utility, first-come, first-served.

RCW 19.27A.220 (early adoption incentive program). Not guaranteed; funds are limited.

Full requirements Deadlines and penalties Exemptions

VEstimate

Paid by your utility after Commerce certifies full compliance. We never handle it.

Incentive worksheet

Commerce rates as of October 27, 2026

Eligible gross floor area (sq ft) Building type Electric or gas utility

Estimate only, using Commerce's published rates as of October 27, 2026. Not guaranteed: paid by participating utilities from available tax credits, first-come, first-served; may be partial, delayed or zero. Requires full compliance (an extension does not qualify) and at least one participating utility. Eligible area excludes parking, unconditioned and semi-heated space.

VIFees

Fees

Quoted per building · reply within one business day

Flat fee per building
Fixed in writing before work starts. Never a percentage of your incentive.
QEM review and signature included
A credentialed partner QEM reviews, signs Form A and submits.
Volume pricing for portfolios
Lower per-building fees for three or more buildings.
Pay-after-approval option
A small deposit; the balance once Commerce accepts the filing.
Commerce questions included
Responses within five business days, at no extra charge.

Also available: a bring-your-own-QEM package, exemption or extension applications, and an optional upkeep plan.

Request a quote

Email hello@cleanbuildingsassociates.com with the address and floor area. Written quote within one business day.

Scope, exclusions and payment options

VIIWork product

What a finished package looks like

Pages from a complete sample package for a fictional building. Judge the work before you engage us.

See all sample pages

VIIIAlternatives

Other ways to file

Option	Cost	What you get	Who signs
Do it yourself	$0 plus your time	Free Commerce templates and QEM training, the free Smart Buildings Center helpdesk, utility programs.	You, or staff with QEM training
Our serviceClean Buildings Associates	One flat fee per building, quoted on request, QEM review and signature included	We prepare everything; about two hours of your time. Commerce responses included.	Partner QEM
Preparation with a QEM included	From $3,900 published (flat fee)	Preparation plus review and signature by the company's partner or own QEMs. Some charge per sq ft plus a QEM fee.	Their partner QEM or their own QEMs
Drafts only, you hire the QEM	From $2,250 published, plus your QEM's fee	Drafts only; you find and pay a QEM to review, sign and submit.	Your own QEM
Fee taken from your incentive	No published price; the fee comes out of your incentive	A QEM-led team, no upfront cost; fee quoted in writing in advance.	Their own QEMs
Engineering or energy firm	From $5,750 published (one publishes $12,000); others quote per building	Full service, often with site visits and broader engineering.	The firm's QEM or Qualified Person

Others' prices as published Oct. 27, 2026; they may have changed. A general comparison, not a review. Named examples: how we compare.

Free resources: Commerce CBPS templates and guidance · Smart Buildings Center, Clean Buildings Helpdesk (free). We are not the Clean Buildings Helpdesk.

IXQuestions

Questions owners ask

Is my building Tier 2?

Probably, if it is in Washington and its nonresidential, hotel, motel and dormitory floor area is more than 20,000 and no more than 50,000 gross sq ft (excluding parking garage), or it is a multifamily building over 20,000 gross sq ft. Federal and tribal-owned buildings are not covered. Commerce mailed notification letters to owners. (Source: Commerce Tier 2 compliance page, checked Oct. 26, 2026.)

What's the deadline and the penalty?

Tier 2 compliance must be submitted by July 1, 2027, then every five years. Commerce may assess penalties for failing to submit, capped at $0.30 per sq ft. (Source: Commerce Tier 2 compliance page, checked Oct. 26, 2026.)

How much is the incentive, and is it certain?

No, it is not guaranteed. The base incentive is $0.30 per sq ft of eligible gross floor area; multifamily owners who sign an Anti-Displacement Agreement may get up to $0.75 per sq ft or the cost of compliance, whichever is lower. Your utility pays it, not us, from its available public utility tax credits, so payments may be partial, delayed or zero. (Source: Commerce incentive page, checked Oct. 26, 2026.)

Who has to sign? What's a QEM?

Tier 2 compliance requires a Qualified Energy Manager (QEM). Per Commerce guidance CBPS 017 (v3.0, July 30, 2026), a QEM has completed Commerce's free Tier 2 training and has two years of building-operations or energy-management experience (or a supervised fellowship, or BOC Level I), or is a Qualified Person. Form A is signed by the building owner, the energy manager and the QEM. Clean Buildings Associates never signs; our partner QEM does.

Can I do this myself for free?

Yes. Commerce publishes free templates (Energy Management Plan template, O&M Program Development Tool, reporting tools) at commerce.wa.gov/cbps, offers free QEM training, and the Smart Buildings Center runs a free Clean Buildings Helpdesk. Many utilities also offer free Clean Buildings Accelerator programs. We're for owners who would rather pay a flat fee than do it themselves.

What if Commerce asks questions about the filing?

We answer them. If Commerce sends questions or a deficiency notice after submission, we prepare the responses within five business days, at no extra charge, for the QEM to review and resubmit. Commerce review times vary, and Commerce decides whether a filing is accepted.

Are you affiliated with WA Commerce, the Clean Buildings Helpdesk, or a cleaning company?

No. Clean Buildings Associates is a private company (Voraus LLC). We are not affiliated with the Washington State Department of Commerce, the Smart Buildings Center's Clean Buildings Helpdesk, or any cleaning or janitorial company. "Clean Buildings" in our name refers to Washington's Clean Buildings Performance Standard, the law we help owners file under.

How long does it take?

Usually 3 to 6 weeks of our time. The slowest step is utility data: getting 12 months of usage into ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager can take from a couple of days to about 4 weeks depending on the utility and tenant authorizations.

Washington Clean Buildings Tier 2 filing preparation

Included in every package

Benchmarking

Forms B and C

Equipment inventory

O&M program and proof

Energy Management Plan

Incentive enrollment

Commerce questions