Multi-Family Replacement Window Assumption Request 9/30/2008 RTF Meeting

1. Multi-Family Replacement Window Assumption Request 9/30/2008 RTF Meeting Rich Arneson and Bruce Carter

2. Current Conditions • The RTF currently assumes that owner/managers of multi-family dwellings have economic motivators sufficient to replace windows and will do so without program incentives.Because of this, the baseline for savings and costs is code window replacements. • Input from the Puget Sound area window industry and observations from several utilities indicate that owner/managers of multi-family dwellings do not have strong economic motivations to pursue window improvements. • The RTF assumption and the resulting lower allowed savings and costs preclude the development of substantial enough utility incentives to get owners/managers to initiate window replacement projects.

3. Issues • Typically, multi-family owner/managers are interested in window replacement, but not enough to incur the cost of replacement. • It has been the experience of Tacoma Power, SCL, Snohomish PUD and PSE that owner/managers are unlikely to pursue many other efficiency measures unless windows are included as a comprehensive package. • MF owner/managers do not benefit from conservation investment in the same manner as single family home owners. While multifamily tenants benefit from conservation measure savings, owner/managers incur only the expense of the measure.

4. Utility Observations • Tacoma Power: Bruce Carter • Seattle City Light: Eugenia Morita • Puget Sound Energy: John Forde • Snohomish PUD: Kevin Watier

5. Request Tacoma Power, Puget Sound Energy, Seattle City Light and Snohomish PUD request that the RTF deem savings using on-site window types as the baseline for window improvements. The cost of window improvements should be calculated as a full measure cost.