Quick answer · as of
How do you claim the Tier 2 incentive?
You claim the Tier 2 incentive inside your compliance filing, not on a separate form. After Form C in the Clean Buildings Portal, you enter your eligible square footage, your participating utilities and your estimated cost of compliance, then submit. Commerce takes up to 30 business days to review the compliance part and up to 14 more for the incentive. Then your utility contacts you to pay up to $0.30 per eligible square foot (CBPS 043).
How much does Tier 2 compliance cost? · 1:14 · Transcript
What does Tier 2 compliance cost? Less than you'd think.
You're paying for your energy data, two plans, and a Qualified Energy Manager's signature.
Some firms charge a flat fee per building, as high as 12,000 dollars.
Tier Two Partners charges 10 to 15 cents per square foot, and that includes the Qualified Energy Manager.
On a 30,000 square foot building, that's about 4,500 dollars, all in.
Now the good part. File early, and the state's incentive pays 30 cents per square foot. That's up to 9,000 dollars.
After our price, that leaves up to about 4,500 dollars.
Your utility pays it after the state approves your filing. First come, first served. So file early.
And we're the fastest. Some firms take six to ten weeks. We usually file in two to four.
Plus, our dashboard comes free, for life. It tracks every deadline, and every dollar of incentive coming your way.
Check yours today. Get a free quote, or book a call with us to learn more, at tiertwopartners.com.
What do you need before you can claim the incentive?
You need four things in place before you file:
- Your building's Commerce Building ID. Commerce mailed notices to Tier 2 owners. If you never got one, you can open a Clean Buildings Program Customer Support Ticket to confirm your building and get its ID (Tier 2 Incentive Guidebook).
- A Secure Access Washington (SAW) login and a Portal account for every owner. All owners must sign the Tier 2 compliance and incentive application, so each one needs both accounts. A property manager or HOA can prepare the filing after an owner grants them "shared access" to the building in the Portal.
- The finished compliance documents: the benchmark in ENERGY STAR® Portfolio Manager®, the Energy Management Plan, the Operations and Maintenance program, and Forms A, B and C (CBPS 030).
- A participating utility. At least one electric, gas or thermal energy company serving the building has to be in the program. Utilities with more than 25,000 customers must take part. Commerce publishes the list of participating utilities.
A Qualified Energy Manager reviews and signs the filing. Filing is required either way: a Tier 2 building that doesn't file can be fined up to $0.30 per square foot, the same rate as the incentive, so claiming early avoids the fine and earns the incentive. How the fine works is covered in What Tier 2 owners must file by July 1, 2027.
What are the Portal steps to apply for the incentive?
The incentive application starts right after Form C in the Clean Buildings Portal (CBPS 043, steps 3 to 9):
- Follow the prompts after Form C to apply for the Tier 2 incentive.
- Say whether the building is a multifamily residential building.
- Enter the total square footage that doesn't count: unconditioned or semi-heated space and any privately owned condo units. The Portal fills in "Owner Reported GFA" and "Incentive Eligible GFA" itself.
- Search for and tick every participating utility that serves the building, click "Add to the list", then enter each utility's account number and fuel type. Commerce says accurate account numbers speed up payment.
- Enter your total estimated cost of compliance: benchmarking, the Operations and Maintenance program and the Energy Management Plan.
- Click Continue to reach the Attachments tab and attach the compliance documents.
- Move through the rest of the application and submit, with every owner signing.
How long does Commerce take to approve the incentive?
Commerce's published review time is up to 30 business days for compliance, then up to 14 more business days for the incentive (CBPS 043). Commerce reviews applications in the order they arrive, and the times can run longer when many come in at once. The whole timeline, start to finish: How long does Tier 2 compliance take?
If something is missing or wrong, Commerce emails you what to fix and how to resubmit. A denied application can be resubmitted with a request for a re-review (Tier 2 Incentive Guidebook).
Who pays the Tier 2 incentive, and how?
Your utility pays the incentive, not Commerce. After approval, Commerce emails you that the application has moved to the next stage and tells each utility on your application to reserve the funds. The utility and the Department of Revenue then confirm the amount, and the utility contacts you to arrange payment. Most utilities will ask for a W-9 (Tier 2 Incentive Guidebook).
When the utility has paid, it tells Commerce. Commerce then emails you that the payment is approved and closes the application.
If two participating utilities serve the building, Commerce converts the energy use on Form C to kBtu and splits the payment by each utility's share. If one participating and one non-participating utility serve it, Commerce can let the participating utility pay the whole amount (RCW 19.27A.220).
Can the incentive be less than $0.30 per square foot?
Yes. Commerce always calculates the incentive at the full rate, but the utility funds it from a state Public Utility Tax credit. If the utility has used up the credit it can take in that period, the payment can be partial or zero (Tier 2 Incentive Guidebook, Base Incentive Terms). The $150 million fund is also first come, first served, so no one can promise the money (how much is left). What the rate works out to for your building is in Tier 2 early adopter incentive: how much you can get.
Can you claim the incentive for a group of connected buildings?
Yes, with rules that depend on the group (CBPS 043, Connected/Grouped Buildings):
- A group of only Tier 2 buildings, or Tier 2 plus non-covered buildings, can file one combined compliance and incentive application.
- A group with Tier 1 and Tier 2 buildings that complies as a Tier 1 group files the Tier 1 application first. After that's approved, it files a Tier 2 application marked "Incentive Only", with the Tier 1 Notification of Compliance attached. Only the Tier 2 buildings' square footage earns the incentive.
- An individually metered Tier 2 building in a group: Commerce prefers its own incentive application.
How does Tier Two Partners handle the claim?
We prepare the benchmark, Energy Management Plan and Operations and Maintenance program from your utility bills and service records. A Qualified Energy Manager reviews and signs, and we file the compliance and incentive application together, with your utility accounts filled in. Each owner signs with their own SAW login. Half our fee is due once your building's information is in and your price is confirmed (before the engineer's review), and half when we submit the filing to Commerce, or the whole fee up front at $0.02 less per sq ft. Every provider's fee, ours included, is owed whether or not the utility pays the incentive, because the fee pays for the filing itself. Prices side by side: How much does Tier 2 compliance cost?