💼Professional Briefing - April 26, 2026

The compliance calendar is still the dominant story, and it's compressing.

• Washington CBPS Tier 1 - June 1, 2026 (36 days out). Commercial buildings over 220,000 sq ft must meet EUI targets. Tier 2 (20,000–50,000 sq ft) reporting is July 1, 2027 but the O&M plan and EMP must be in place by July 1, 2026. If anyone in your portfolio is still in draft documentation, the window is now narrow enough that good-faith remediation language matters - get it in front of the building owner this week.
• Philadelphia Tier 1 - June 1, 2026 (36 days out). First compliance year for buildings over 220,000 sq ft. Out-of-region but worth flagging if you advise multi-market owners.
• Colorado - June 1 reporting deadline. Interim performance requirement waived this cycle; reporting still required.
• Oregon ODOE - CY2025 reports were due April 22. Late reporting goes through ODOE's online compliance system; the Early Compliance Action incentive window closed April 10. If clients missed it, document the cause and submit.
• Idaho - Still on 2020 IECC with amendments. No state BPS. The 2026 legislative session adjourned April 2 without advancing the 2024 IECC package.

Washington 2024 code adoption - formally delayed. The State Building Code Council voted unanimously on January 23, 2026, to push final adoption of the 2024 Washington State Building Codes to August 21, 2026, with an effective date of May 3, 2027. That's a roughly six-month slip from the prior schedule. Practical effect: design work targeting WA jurisdictions can plan to the current code through Q1 2027, but specs filed late in the cycle should anticipate a transition window.

Quiet news week at the national level - no new state or major-city BPS adoptions since last Friday. Penalty exposure across the nine jurisdictions with BPS laws in effect still runs $100/day to $268/ton CO₂.

Avista 7.4% electric rate increase - May 1 effective date (5 days out). Energy efficiency rider increase (~$25.2M, ~$8.90/month residential). No reconsideration filings have altered the May 1 timeline. If you have north-Idaho clients on net-30 utility billing, plan for the bump in their May invoice.

Avista / Ford Hydro PPA - IPUC modified-procedure review (Order No. 37009). Three-year PPA to replace the agreement expiring June 30, 2026; if approved, the new term runs July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2029. Public comment window closes around May 11 (21 days from the April 20 service date); reply comments due around May 18. Low-drama small-hydro deal, but worth tracking if you follow Avista's resource portfolio.

Idaho Power PCA - June 1 effective date (36 days out). 3.02% average increase, driven by low snowpack and reduced hydro forecast. Stacks on top of the 0.65% fixed-cost adjustment filed in March and the 7.48% general rate increase that took effect January 1. Cumulative 2026 pressure on commercial operators in Idaho Power territory is meaningful - flag to any clients tracking energy budgets.

Idaho Power wildfire mitigation plan - approved April 14 (IPUC order). Avista's parallel plan finished its comment window April 16. Both utilities are on the record for fire-season hardening this summer; relevant for portfolios in high-fire-risk corridors.

NEEA - Quiet week. The Q1 Emerging Technology Newsletter (March release) is still the active content: dual-fuel residential water heater field testing scheduled for later in 2026, and LLLC-to-HVAC integration field sites continuing.

HB 911 (Electricity, New Large Loads) - signed into law during the 2026 session. Establishes a PUC approval process for any new electrical load of 50 MW or more at a single service entrance. Requires utility service contracts to include a "no harm test" for existing customers, plus cost allocation, financial security, and dispute resolution terms. The direct response to Micron-scale and data-center-scale demand on the Treasure Valley. If you're advising on a project that crosses 50 MW, the approval path is now formalized - start the regulatory clock earlier than you used to.

Ada County solar ordinance - P&Z hearing was Friday, April 24. The Planning and Zoning Commission held its public hearing at the Courthouse at 6 PM. As of this morning, no final P&Z recommendation has been published online; expect the staff write-up early next week and the Board of Commissioners' final decision in May. The amended language going into Friday's hearing softened the prime-farmland prohibition to language that "strongly discourages" solar on prime farmland, farmland of statewide importance, and farmland of local importance - the difference between a hard ban and a planning hurdle. Worth checking the County's recording or staff report once posted.

Idaho net-metering - A reminder rather than news: the IPUC's September 30, 2025 order cut Idaho Power's residential solar export rates by 31%, and the next formal opportunity to comment will be April 2028, after Idaho Power's next required update. Anyone weighing residential PV economics for a 2026–2027 client should have this in hand.

Nuclear Innovation Campus - Federal competition still open. Idaho's application went in March 31; award target 2027. No movement this week.

• ASHRAE Idaho Tech Conference - May 1 (5 days out), 8:00 AM–5:00 PM, Boise Centre on the Grove (850 W Front St). Two keynotes, three breakout sessions, vendor exhibits. Doors at 7:30 AM. The chapter notes to register through their event-page link rather than the StarChapter "Register Now" button.
• ULI Spring Meeting (national) - May 5–7, Nashville.
• ASHRAE Presidential Visit - May 18, 10:30 AM, Esther Simplot Park Pavilion. Lecture + Hawaiian BBQ.
• ASHRAE Idaho Golf Tournament - June 5, Eagle Hills Golf Course.
• ASHRAE Annual Conference - June 27–July 1, JW Marriott Austin, TX. AI-in-buildings and decarbonization tracks.