The Thurston County Realtors Association is doubling down on its opposition to a countywide mandated regional Home Energy Score (HES) program, with its associated political action committee dedicating thousands of dollars to oppose one of the county commissioners who supported it.
The Washington Realtors Political Action Committee (PAC), which represents the interests of Thurston County Realtors Association’s parent organization, the Washington Realtors Association, has spent $54,180 this election cycle directly opposing incumbent Thurston County Commissioner Emily Clouse.
Clouse is one of four Thurston County commissioners who voted to pass Thurston County’s HES ordinance in March 2026.
While both Clouse and Commission Chair Tye Menser both voted in favor of the ordinance and were both on the Nov. 3 ballot, only Clouse was in a contested race this election cycle.
The Washington Realtors PAC has spent more than $1.8 million in total expenditures in the 2026 election cycle, according to data released by the state Public Disclosure Commission.
Of the $54,180 total the Washington Realtors Political Action Committee spent to oppose Clouse, $33,550, went toward sending out mailers attacking Clouse for supporting Thurston County’s HES ordinance.
A total of $18,430 went towards digital advertising to oppose Clouse, and $2,200 went to opposing Clouse on its own website.
The Thurston County Realtors Association has also made posts to its Facebook page attacking Clouse.
However, the Thurston County Realtors Association did not endorse Clouse’s opponent, former Lacey City Councilmember Nic Dunning. The Washington Realtors Political Action Committee also did not put any money toward supporting Dunning’s campaign.
Clouse appears to have been re-elected to a new term despite the financial infusion against her, as she led Dunning 52.08% to 46.16% in the latest tally as of Friday.
The Thurston County Realtors Association has long been the most vocal opponent of a mandated countywide HES program.
The HES is a rating from 1 to 10 based on the energy efficiency of a home that must be disclosed in the sale listing. It is intended as a tool for homebuyers to better understand the annual estimated energy costs of a home.
Establishing a regional HES program is one of the climate actions laid out in the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan, developed by the Thurston Regional Planning Council, Thurston County and the cities of Lacey, Tumwater and Olympia to reduce greenhouse gases in the region.
The Thurston County Board of Commissioners approved Thurston County’s HES ordinance on March 17, 2026, to go into effect March 17, 2027.
The Olympia City Council followed Thurston County’s lead and approved the City of Olympia’s HES ordinance on March 24, 2026, to go into effect May 1, 2027.
The cities of Tumwater and Lacey are still in discussions about whether to enact HES ordinances within their own city limits.
The Thurston Realtors Association argues that implementing the countywide mandatory program will be cost prohibitive, and will negatively impact realtors and homeowners without directly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The proposal has been largely supported by environmental advocates and affordability experts, who argue that a mandatory HES program will incentivize sellers to improve the energy efficiency of their homes, and that the score will better inform buyers about the actual cost of owning their home.
Support amongst homeowners has been evenly split, with roughly half in favor and roughly half opposed.
Representatives from the Thurston County Realtors Association have given extensive public comment before the Thurston County Board of Commissioners, Olympia City Council, Tumwater City Council and Lacey City Council opposing a mandated HES program.
After Thurston County and the City of Olympia passed their respective ordinances, the Thurston Realtor’s Association continued to oppose the program’s rollout by advocating to delay a contract with Earth Advantage to establish the infrastructure needed to launch the regional HES program.
The Thurston County Board of Commissioners voted Sept. 1 to approve a two-year contract with Earth Advantage, on the assumption that the cost would be divided equally between the four jurisdictions included in the Thurston Climate Mitigation Plan: Thurston County, the City of Olympia, the City of Lacey and the City of Tumwater.
However, after learning that the cities of Lacey and Tumwater were unwilling to help finance the full two-year contract until they had made decisions on their own HES ordinances, the Thurston County Board of Commissioners paused finalization of the Earth Advantage contract.
The contract was scheduled to go back before the Thurston County Board of Commissioners during a regular meeting on Oct. 20, but was delayed to allow for additional legal review.
The contract was not on the agenda for the Wednesday, Nov. 4, meeting.
In early October 2026, the Thurston County Realtors Association introduced a proposal for a voluntary HES program as an alternative to a mandated program.
That proposal would have relators provide standardized information about the Home Energy Score, and how to voluntarily obtain one, to buyers and sellers.
Unlike the mandated program established by the Thurston County and City of Olympia ordinances, it does not include adding infrastructure to support an increase in buyers and sellers obtaining Home Energy Scores.
“We would welcome the opportunity to present our no-cost, industry-led voluntary Home Energy Score program to the commissioners as a one-year pilot,” Thurston County Realtors Association President Dawn Baker said in an official statement on Oct. 20. “Our proposal prioritizes consumer education, connects homeowners with energy-efficiency resources, and preserves consumer choice without imposing additional costs on taxpayers or mandatory expenses on homeowners.”
Thurston County and the cities of Olympia, Tumwater and Lacey have made no public indications that they are considering the Thurston County Realtors Association’s proposed voluntary pilot program as a serious alternative to a mandated program.
