Overall, Cowlitz County wanted to protect its environmental heritage, and continually seeks ways to improve the energy and resource efficiency of County buildings. To achieve that objective, the County sought ways to:

• Reduce the County’s energy and natural resource consumption

• Diminish the effects of rising utility costs that have affected the State of Washington

• Improve building performance and comfort

The ESPC model will allow the County to make necessary facility improvements while leaving capital funds intact. Instead of traditional financing, the County wanted to be able to fund the improvements through the energy and operational savings generated by the project.