In response to these tragedies, new state-wide codes will require CO alarms in most residential buildings, including single-family homes. These rules are being implemented in stages:

• Right Now: CO alarms are already required for all new hotels, apartments, condos and houses (R-1, R-2 & R-3) if they have attached garages or fuel-fired heat sources (such as gas furnaces or gas water heaters).
• April 1 – All New Houses and Apartments: Permits filed beginning April 1, 2012 for new apartments, condos and houses will require CO alarms even for buildings that don’t have attached garages or fuel-fired heat sources. This is because far more poisoning cases result from improvised cooking and heating during power outages than from malfunctioning furnaces or idling cars.
• January 1, 2013 – Existing Apartments and Rental Houses: State law requires all covered residential units to have CO detectors installed by January 1, 2013, just 11 months from now. Permit applications for alterations to existing single-family and multi-family dwellings must demonstrate that the CO detectors are already in place or include them as part of the project. (This requirement is not triggered by exterior finish work, plumbing, or non-combustion mechanical equipment.)
• Owner-Occupied Single-Family Houses: Existing single-family homes that are owner-occupied are exempt from the January 1, 2013 deadline, but they are still required to include CO alarms in any building permit application for interior alterations. When the house is sold, state law also requires that CO alarms be installed before the new owner takes occupancy.
• Hotels, Dorms and Institutions: Sleeping rooms in hotels, motels, dormitories, DSHS-licensed boarding homes and residential treatment facilities do not require CO alarms if the sleeping rooms are properly isolated from any fireplace, fuel-burning appliance or attached garage, and if there are CO alarms in the building’s common areas. (If these units contain or are connected in some manner to fireplaces, fuel-burning appliances (gas furnace, water heater, range) or attached garages, this exception would not apply.)

How to Comply

Simply install the CO alarms in the area right outside of each bedroom, with at least one alarm on each floor of the dwelling. They cost $30 to $50 at local hardware stores, and you can choose a model that runs entirely on batteries or a plug-in model with battery backup. Combination smoke alarm/CO alarm units are also available.

These new code provisions were developed with input from medical professionals, building operators, engineers and other experts to effectively prevent carbon monoxide poisonings while minimizing cost and disruption to owners and tenants. As more and more homes and apartments are fitted with CO alarms, the frequency of carbon monoxide poisonings in our community should decrease dramatically.

Read the full text of the state law at: http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=19.27.530

Read the Proposed Rule Making at: https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/apps/sbcc/File.ashx?cid=1528

Questions? Submit your questions to DPD’s Online Q&A Service: http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/LUQnA/?Type=2

Duane Jonlin
Energy Code & Energy Conservation Advisor
duane.jonlin@seattle.gov

CPW gives homeowners access to approved experts in home energy auditing and contracting to help them make the smartest choices for their homes. CPW also provides financing, rebates and incentives to help offset project costs, as well as a free quality assurance inspection once the work is complete.

Joshua Curtis, manager for the program, recently told us, “We are really inspired by the reactions of our current customers and the momentum building for the program. It’s great to see how energy upgrades align with peoples’ values, and so positively impact the quality of their lives. It’s exciting to now be able to offer the program to all of Seattle’s homeowners.”

Currently, homeowners can choose from 15 CPW partner contractors, all of whom are passionate about building science. Each of CPW’s energy experts focuses on finding the best energy efficiency solutions for homes and homeowners to improve their health and comfort, and to help reduce Seattle’s overall carbon footprint. And the pool of experts is expanding to meet demand. Several new partners are expected to join the ranks by late spring 2012.

Most inspiring are the stories from homeowners who have experienced improvements in their lives as a result of their energy upgrades as well as some unexpected benefits. The program begins with a comprehensive energy audit, helping homeowners learn more about their home. Allyson Adley of Madison Park said, “When we learned that 86 percent of the warm air in our house was escaping each hour and being replaced with cold air from outside, we were shocked. That provided us with the motivation to act.”

Along with insulating and sealing cracks where heat was escaping, the Adleys installed a heat pump to replace an inefficient oil burner. Adley said, “I cannot get over how much value we’ve added to the house with the CPW upgrade. We feel good that we are not buying oil any more, and it’s a relief not to have to open that bill. In addition to making the house more comfortable,” she added, “the weatherization work had the extra benefit of keeping critters out of our attic and crawl space.”

One customer on Beacon Hill said, “This is the kind of work that I can’t do myself right now. Having professionals available to do the work at a price that makes sense really fit my needs. The program worked out perfectly for me.” For him, the upgrade had the added benefit of decreasing the impact of living under a heavy flight path. “The new insulation in the attic has really helped to muffle the sound, even before we put in the new windows,” he said.

The CPW program is geared up to serve homeowners from all Seattle neighborhoods in 2012. “We are looking forward to a great year serving people throughout the Seattle community, increasing the quality of their home-lives, saving energy, and putting people to work at the same time,” said Curtis.

To sign up for the program, click here: https://my.communitypowerworks.org/apply/.

For more information, contact (206) 449-1170 or home@communitypowerworks.org.

*IP: Initial Plan Review by DPD staff

The first meeting of the URM Policy Committee is planned for the end of February 2012. DPD is planning eight monthly meetings to give the committee members time to explore the policy issues. Meetings will be open to the public and facilitated by an independent consultant. You can follow the progress of the committee on DPD’s Emergency Management URM pages on the DPD website (www.seattle.gov/dpd/emergency/unreinforcedmasonrybuildings/default.asp). Information about the upcoming meetings, committee agendas, minutes, reports and other information will be posted there. Alternatively, you can receive notices of information about unreinforced masonry buildings by subscribing to our list serve, available through the URM website.

Sandy Howard
(206) 233-7194
sandy.howard@seattle.gov

DPD uses the most recent building valuation data (BVD) published by the International Code Council as a base for the Seattle BVD table, found in Director’s Rule (DR) 1-2012. The new Director’s Rule, BVD table and other fee-related information are available on our fees website, www.seattle.gov/dpd/about/fees.

Some of the proposed changes include: 

• Raising the minimum intake fee for Design Review projects and Type IV and V permit applications from $2,500 to $5,000. This changes when fees are collected and does not raise the overall fees for these permit applications.
• Raising the Land Use Pre-Application Conference fee to include the first hour of research and follow-up review time (total $500).
• Adding a new fee for research, inspections and reviews associated with Housing and Building Maintenance Code (HBMC) Variance Decisions (total $344).

Printed copies will be available at the Public Resource Center, 20th floor, Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Ave., (206) 684-8467. Public Resource Center hours are M, W, F 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. and Tu, Th 10:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

• DPD’s BuildingConnections blog
• DPD’s Facebook page
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• The Comp Plan Seattle 2030 & Beyond Facebook page
• DPD’s Twitter page (@SeattleDPD)
• The social media portal also includes 27 RSS feeds and more than 20 listservs.

Our social media options can help you stay informed about current events, news, and project updates. Follow us online and stay connected today!

*IP: Initial Plan Review by DPD staff

Now that the 2012 versions of the I-codes have been published by the International Code Council (ICC), the Washington State Building Code Council (WSBCC) is beginning to ramp up for the 2012 updates to the Washington State Codes.

• If the WSBCC process follows that of previous code update cycles the schedule will be: code change proposals due by March 1, 2012; WSBCC Technical Advisory Groups (TAG) will review the proposals in the spring of 2012 and make their recommendations to the WSBCC by the end of May 2012; the WSBCC will consider the TAG recommendations at their June 2012 meeting and vote on a draft for public review in July 2012; the draft will be published in August 2012; public hearings will be in September and October 2012; the WSBCC vote on the final wording for the codes will be in November 2012; and the 2012 codes will take effect on 1 July 2013. (Note that the WSBCC will decide the actual schedule.)
• For more information on the 2012 updates to the Washington State Codes, see the WSBCC website at: https://fortress.wa.gov/ga/apps/sbcc/default.aspx.

For the 2012 Washington State Energy Code (WSEC), several factors will come into play: (1) possible new format, (2) State law requiring additional energy savings with each WSEC update, and (3) Federal Energy Policy Act (EPAct).

1. Possible new format:

• The WSBCC has expressed an interest in using the 2012 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) as the format for the 2012 WSEC. Then, there would be Washington State amendments so as to bring the 2012 IECC into compliance with State and Federal laws.
• At a minimum, this would change the format of the energy code.

2. State law requiring additional energy savings with each WSEC update:

• SB 5854 (passed by the Washington State Legislature in 2009) provided direction for future updates to the Energy Code in effect in Washington State (RCW 19.27A.160): “residential and nonresidential construction permitted under the 2031 state energy code must achieve a seventy percent reduction in annual net energy consumption, using the adopted 2006 Washington state energy code as a baseline; The council shall adopt state energy codes from 2013 through 2031 that incrementally move towards achieving the seventy percent reduction in annual net energy consumption …the council shall report its progress by December 31, 2012, and every three years thereafter.”
• To obtain a 70 percent reduction in energy consumption by 2031 (using the 2006 Washington State Energy Code as a base) would require a 14 percent improvement each cycle FROM THE CODE ADOPTED IN THE PREVIOUS CYCLE, therefore the energy consumption would be 86 percent of the previous code (e.g. the 2009 WSEC would have an energy consumption of 86 percent of the 2006 WSEC; the 2012 WSEC would have an energy consumption of 86 percent of the 2009 WSEC; etc).

3. Federal Energy Policy Act (EPAct):

• Federal law (1992 Energy Policy Act – EPAct) set baselines for state energy codes. For “commercial” buildings (defined as all buildings other than low-rise residential buildings), ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is specified. The law provides that the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) must evaluate each update to ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 to see if it saves energy compared to the previous version.
• On October 19, 2011, USDOE issued their determination that ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2010 saves more energy than ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007 (“national source energy savings of approximately 18.2 percent of commercial building energy consumption; site energy savings are estimated to be approximately 18.5 percent”). Per Federal law, this started the statutory clock where States have two years to revise their Energy Codes to be as energy-efficient as ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2010, and then to submit a certification to USDOE that they have achieved this.
• While the 2009 WSEC saved more energy than the 2007 version of ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1, it certainly did not save 18 percent more energy. Consequently, the 2012 WSEC provisions will need to be revised so as to save at least as much energy as ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2010.
• For further information, see www.federalregister.gov/articles/2011/10/19/2011-27057/building-energy-standards-program-final-determination-regarding-energy-efficiency-improvements-in.

Hard-copies of the 2009 Seattle Energy Code are available for purchase at the DPD Applicant Services Center on the 20th floor of the Seattle Municipal Tower, 700 5th Avenue, Seattle.

 An electronic version (pdf) of the entire 2009 Seattle Energy Code (2 MB) is posted and linked from the 2009 Seattle Energy Code update page www.seattle.gov/DPD/Codes/Energy_Code/Overview/2009_ecupdate.asp.

For further information, contact John Hogan at john.hogan@seattle.gov, or (206) 386-9145. For Energy Code questions, please contact Shailesh Desai at shailesh.desai@seattle.gov, or (206) 233-7860.

• Complete and submit your preliminary application online. You’ll be able to upload your site plan and get a project number immediately.
• Request a preliminary application site visit (PASV), grading season extension, or permit renewal with a few clicks of your mouse.
• Submit design proposals for land use projects undergoing design review.

Other features include online fee payment and inspection scheduling, as well as real-time information about your scheduled intake appointments and Applicant Services Center wait times.

Log on to the Project Portal, http://web1.seattle.gov/dpd/eplan/, to start conducting all your online permitting business with DPD.

*IP: Initial Plan Review by DPD staff