Public input to help shape the technical requirements in Standard 90.1 is being sought through 21 proposed addenda, which could become a part of the 2010 standard.
ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, provides minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design of buildings except low-rise residential buildings. The proposed addenda cover a range of topic areas, including daylighting, air leakage, EER and IEER values, and requirements for VRF air conditioners and heat pumps.
“Our goal is to produce a standard to increase energy efficiency in buildings,” says Mick Schwedler, chair of the Standard 90.1 committee. “Public input from the industry into development of the standard has proven invaluable since it was first published 35 years ago.”
If no comments are received on the added, they likely will be incorporated into the 2010 version of the standard slated to be published this fall. If comments are received, the substance and volume of those comments will determine whether they are incorporated into the 2010 standard.
Two of the proposed addenda deal with daylighting, including one that would control the “night lights” that are part of the emergency system when there are no occupants in the space. Currently, the default is to leave lights on even in unoccupied buildings; therefore, there are savings to shut them off. An additional addendum would reduce the threshold for daylighting from 1,000 square feet to 250 square feet.
Another addendum would modify computer room efficiency requirements based on comments from an earlier public review.
“The 90.1 committee worked closely with manufacturers, designers, and owners of computer rooms to address comments and produce the language in this addendum,” says Drake Erbe, mechanical subcommittee chair.
The complete list of addenda is available for reading and for comment at www.ashrae.org/publicreviews. The proposed addenda will only be available for comment during their public review period from March 5 to April 4.