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City staff brief council on senior‑center and fire‑station energy upgrades and City Hall compliance risk under state clean‑buildings rules
Summary
Train (Angie Estie) updated the council on completed HVAC, solar and battery projects at the Port Angeles Senior Center and Fire Station and outlined work needed to bring City Hall into compliance with Washington’s clean‑buildings performance standards; staff noted grant and financing options and said a grant application deadline was imminent.
City staff and contractor TRAIN updated the council on municipal energy projects and a looming compliance risk for City Hall under Washington’s clean‑buildings performance standards.
TRAIN’s senior accountant executive Angie Estie reported that recently completed projects at the Port Angeles Senior Center and the Fire Station replaced failing HVAC equipment, installed solar arrays and battery backup, and improved indoor environmental quality. Estie said the Senior Center project includes a 50 kW solar array and a battery system expected to offset roughly 55,328 kilowatt‑hours annually and was supported by a $500,000 grant; the Fire Station upgrade will save over 26,000 kWh per year and also received a $500,000 grant.
Estie told council that City Hall has been benchmarked at an Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of 76.3 versus a state target of 54 for similarly sized buildings, putting the city at risk of future penalties if it does not reduce energy use. Staff described a set of energy conservation measures — controls recommissioning, LED lighting retrofits, VAV upgrades, grease station improvements and boiler replacement — that together could bring City Hall’s projected EUI below the state target and reduce annual utility costs by an estimated 27 percent. Estie said an energy efficiency retrofit grant application was due the next day and that other funding options include tax credits and energy savings performance contracts.
Council members asked about greenhouse‑gas reductions and whether the EUI target changes over time; staff said the measures would reduce emissions and that some regulatory targets can evolve. Staff recommended pursuing available grant funding and, if necessary, financing instruments that use projected energy savings to make projects affordable.
The presentation underscored that the city has completed funded projects at two facilities and is seeking funds and financing to address the larger compliance challenge at City Hall.
