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State agencies are subject to new rules for certifying their facilities. The changes to Oregon鈥檚 State Energy Efficiency Design (SEED) program were developed following input from stakeholders and a public meeting on March 22. The rules went into effect Monday.

The main change was the amended definition of a 鈥渉ighly efficient facility,鈥� according to Jim Denno, public buildings manager at the Department of Energy. In the past, the SEED requirement was for a state building to be built 20 percent above code requirements, but the rule now stipulates that all of the cost-effective energy efficiency measures must be put into the design, regardless of the final percentage above code.

A definition was also added for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification because the program is referred to several times within the rules.

SEED also outlines the process that agencies need to follow if they seek certification from alternate certification systems, including LEED or the Oregon Reach Code.

鈥淭he idea was to give agencies a streamlined process if seeking LEED certification or build to the Oregon Reach Code in order to avoid duplication of effort and cost,鈥� Denno said.