💼Professional Briefing - May 2, 2026

The compliance calendar is now in its tightest stretch of the year. The May 1 milestones from earlier this week have passed; the next pile lands June 1.

• Washington CBPS Tier 1 - June 1, 2026 (30 days out). Buildings over 220,000 sq ft must demonstrate compliance. The reporting platform supports the EUI target pathway or the investment-criteria pathway. The Energy Management Plan and Operations & Maintenance Plan must be in place for any building submitting via the EUI route. The Tier 2 (90,000–220,000 sq ft) compliance deadline is one year out (June 1, 2027), but the EMP/O&M plan deadline for Tier 2 is July 1, 2026 - only 60 days out. If you're advising owners in the Tier 2 bracket, the documentation deliverable is right behind the Tier 1 deadline, not a year behind it.
• Colorado - June 1, 2026 reporting deadline (30 days out). The Colorado Energy Office has formally removed the 2026 interim performance requirement. Owners should focus on 2030 BPS targets; the annual benchmarking report is still due June 1. The shift from "perform and report" to just "report" relieves pressure on the 2026 cycle but doesn't extend to benchmarking.
• Oregon ODOE - portal migration began Friday, May 1. The Property Inventory List closed yesterday for the move to the new compliance platform. Per ODOE's BPS update, the new compliance/exemption forms are still expected to release in June 2026 - a slight slip from the earlier July 1 target. CY2025 reports were due April 22 and the Early Compliance Action incentive window closed April 10. Tier 1 enforcement begins in 2028; the early-compliance window is the only practical lever for owners through 2027.
• Philadelphia Tier 1 - June 1, 2026 (30 days out). First year of compliance for buildings over 220,000 sq ft. Out-of-region but worth flagging for any multi-market portfolios.
• NYC Local Law 97 - annual report due May 1, 2026 (yesterday). Buildings over 25,000 sq ft. Penalty exposure for missed reports remains $268/ton CO₂ over the cap, plus per-day late fees. Out-of-region but the most-watched penalty regime in the country.
• DC BEPS - May 1 deadline passed for the 2025 reporting cycle. 2026 is the year DC's threshold drops to 10,000+ sq ft (with 2025 data), expanding the reporting universe substantially. Worth knowing if you advise owners with DC holdings.
• Idaho - Still 2020 IECC with state amendments. No state BPS. The 2026 Idaho legislative session adjourned April 2 without advancing the 2024 IECC package, so the state holds the line through at least the 2027 session.

Washington 2024 code adoption - still scheduled for August 21, 2026, effective May 3, 2027 per the SBCC's January 23 vote. No new movement this week. WA jurisdictions can plan to current code through Q1 2027.

Penalty exposure across the nine jurisdictions with active BPS laws still runs $100/day to $577 first-violation civil penalty (Colorado) to $268/ton CO₂ (NYC).

Avista 7.4% electric rate increase - effective yesterday, May 1. The energy efficiency rider increase (~$25.2M total, ~$8.90/month residential on a 939 kWh average bill, $115.54 → $124.44) hit yesterday. North-Idaho clients on net-30 utility billing will see the bump in their May invoice cycle. No reconsideration filings landed before the effective date.

Avista / Ford Hydro PPA - IPUC modified-procedure review (Order No. 37009). Three-year PPA replaces 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 (9 days out); reply comments around May 18. Low-drama small-hydro deal but a good early signal of how the IPUC handles the PPA renewal queue.

Idaho Power PCA - June 1 effective date (30 days out). 3.02% average increase, driven by low snowpack and reduced hydro forecast. IPUC's reported customer impact for a typical residential customer (900 kWh/month) is about $3.64/month, or 3.15%. This stacks on top of the 7.48% general rate increase that took effect January 1. Cumulative 2026 pressure on commercial operators in Idaho Power territory is real - flag to clients tracking energy budgets.

Idaho Power irrigation billing migration - final month. From March through May, all Idaho irrigation customers on Schedules 24 and 84 are being moved to a standardized calendar-month billing period. May is the final transition month; if you advise agricultural operations, May invoices will be the first under the new cycle for some accounts.

NEEA EFX26 - May 5–6 in Boise (3 days out). Practical implication: regional efficiency program staff, evaluators, utility planners, and consultants will all be in town Monday afternoon through Wednesday morning. Idaho Power CEO Lisa Grow is the day-one keynote; AI futurist Steve Brown (formerly Google DeepMind, Intel) is the second keynote - interesting combination given how much utility planning is now being framed around large data-center loads. Registration is closed, but in-town networking opportunities will be plentiful all week.

HB 911 (Electricity, New Large Loads) - now law. The PUC approval process for new electrical loads of 50 MW+ at a single service entrance is in effect. Direct response to data-center- and Micron-scale demand on the Treasure Valley. If you advise on a project that could cross 50 MW, the regulatory clock is now formalized - start it earlier than you used to.

Ada County solar ordinance - final commissioner decision still pending. No final decision posted from the Board of Commissioners since the April 24 hearing. The amended language softened the prime-farmland prohibition to "strongly discourages." Idaho Conservation League is still actively organizing public comment, so a decision is likely within May. Final vote remains TBD; keep an eye on the staff report once it posts.

Idaho net-metering - Reminder: the IPUC's September 30, 2025 order cut Idaho Power's residential solar export rates by 31%. Next formal review window opens April 2028. Anyone modeling residential PV economics for a 2026–2027 client should be using the post-September 2025 rate, not the legacy net-metering rate.

Nuclear Innovation Campus - Idaho's federal application went in March 31; the DOE's Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campus solicitation is moving on a 2027 award timeline. Governor Little's Advanced Nuclear Energy Task Force is now stood up. No movement this week beyond confirmation that the application is in queue.

• NEEA EFX26 - May 5–6, Boise Centre. Pre-conference activities Monday May 4 at 2:00 PM. Registration closed but the program runs through Wednesday morning.
• ULI Spring Meeting (national) - May 5–7, Nashville. Major industry calendar block for real estate development.
• ASHRAE Idaho Presidential Visit - May 18, 10:30 AM–12:30 PM, Esther Simplot Park Pavilion (3206 W Pleasanton Ave). Lecture + Hawaiian BBQ. Registration via the chapter site.
• NEEA Regional Studies hybrid event - May 19, 9:00 AM–4:00 PM, Puget Sound Energy in Olympia, WA. Worth flagging if you do market research / evaluation work.
• ASHRAE Idaho Golf Tournament - June 5, Eagle Hills Golf Course, Eagle. 8:00 AM–2:00 PM.
• ASHRAE Idaho June Chapter Meeting - June 10, 11:30 AM–1:00 PM, U of I Water Center Building (322 E. Front Street, Boise).
• ASHRAE Annual Conference - June 27–July 1, JW Marriott Austin, TX.