We do this every day
Tier 2 has its own forms, portal and review process. Everyone on our team holds the Qualified Energy Manager designation under WAC 194-50-030. Most filings that come back do so for avoidable reasons: floor areas that don’t match, gaps in the utility data, a missing signature. Catching those before submission is a big part of the job.
One lead manager, a full team behind them
Each client building is assigned a lead Qualified Energy Manager who is designated in the State portal and stays with the building through filing, review and payment. The rest of our team works behind that lead on data, documentation and review. We’re designated for the building and handle all of it: the utility data authorizations and retrieval, the Portfolio Manager record, the Energy Management Plan, the Operations and Maintenance Program, the energy use intensity target, the compliance application, the incentive application, the Department of Commerce review correspondence, and the payment coordination with your utility. You sign where the State requires an owner’s signature, and that’s it.
Filed correctly the first time
Every submission is built to the Department of Commerce’s reporting tools and checked by a second person before it goes in. That matters because of the queue. The Department of Commerce works through applications in the order they arrive, a returned application goes to the back, and it expects about 15,000 Tier 2 submissions before the deadline. A filing that’s right the first time gets paid months sooner.
Exemptions and extensions
Not every covered building has to comply. Buildings used mainly for manufacturing, buildings with little conditioned space, buildings scheduled for demolition and some financially distressed properties may qualify for an exemption, and some owners qualify for an extension. Both are decided by the Department of Commerce on documentation, within fixed windows: exemption applications close January 1, 2027. We determine whether a building qualifies, assemble the documentation and file the application, for a flat fee.
Portfolios
Property management firms and ownership groups with several covered buildings get one lead manager, one data request, one filing calendar and one point of contact across the portfolio, with the team scaled to the size of the portfolio, with volume pricing. We also handle the "shared access" arrangements the Portal requires for a management company acting for ownership.
Straight answers on the money
No upfront cost. We’re paid only when the State pays you. Our fee is a fixed share of the base incentive, quoted in writing before you engage us. It is paid from the State's incentive payment, so the owner keeps the majority. We tell you plainly, in advance, if a building is not covered, if its serving utility is not participating, or if the enhanced multifamily track is not in your interest.
How an engagement runs
- Assessment. You send us the address. We determine coverage, eligible area, expected incentive and our fee, in writing, at no charge.
- Designation. A short engagement letter designates one of our Qualified Energy Managers as the building's lead, and we send a one-page list of what we need from you.
- We handle the rest. Data, documents, filing, review and payment. You hear from us at each milestone and when a signature is required.
Most buildings go from designation to filing in four to eight weeks, nearly all of it waiting on utility data. Start with the assessment.