Oregon’s new commercial building code will create an energy efficiency increase in commercial buildings estimated at more than 14% from the previous code.
The 2019 Oregon Zero Energy Ready Commercial Code went into effect Oct. 1, 2019, and is now in a three-month transition period until January 1, 2020 when it will be fully enforced on new projects. The new code is based on ASHRAE 90.1-2016. The previous code was based on the IECC 2009.
Among the new requirements:
· Manual lighting controls are now required for all spaces and the area of control is increased to 2,500 sf. In larger spaces, the new code allows a manual switch to control an area up to 10,000 sf.
· The occupancy sensor shut-off time delay is reduced from 30 minutes to 20 minutes for added energy savings.
· The list of spaces requiring occupancy sensors is expanded to now include corridors, lobbies, library stacks, lecture halls, multipurpose rooms, stairwells, and warehouses.
· A new requirement called “Automatic partial-off”, reduces lighting power by at least 50% when there is no occupancy in corridors, lobbies, library stacks, classroom laboratories, stairwells, warehouses, and large storage rooms.
· A secondary sidelight daylighting control zone is added adjacent to the primary sidelight zone.
· A new parking garage lighting provision is added requiring lighting shut-off, 30% light power reduction when there is no activity, vehicle entrance and exit lighting controls, and daylighting controls.
Related Stories
| Aug 16, 2012
Canada’s first net-positive building under construction in Milton, Ontario
The GreenLife Business Centre in Milton, Ontario near Toronto is set to become the first net-positive energy building in Canada.
| Aug 9, 2012
St. Paul cannot adopt overly restrictive egress windows policy, court rules
The Minnesota state Court of Appeals rejected St. Paul's attempt to adopt a policy on egress windows that was stricter than state law.
| Aug 9, 2012
Fire chief questions building code after St. Louis apartment building fire
A blaze that destroyed a 197-unit apartment building in St. Louis, Mo., displacing 250 residents, led the city’s fire chief to question the materials used in the construction of the four-story building.
| Aug 9, 2012
Ramps have strict criteria for ADA compliance
It is important for businesses to understand that an existing ramp at a building entrance may not mean that barrier removal obligations under the Americans with Disabilities Act have been met.
| Aug 9, 2012
ClickSafety, AGC provide online training program for construction professionals
Construction professionals will be able to take a wide range of mandatory and optional safety training programs online through a new collaboration between the Associated General Contractors of America and ClickSafety.
| Aug 9, 2012
Tornado-ravaged Greensburg, Kansas’s new green buildings save $200K a year
The town of Greensburg, Kan., virtually destroyed by a tornado in 2007, decided to rebuild 13 public buildings according to green standards.
| Aug 2, 2012
FBI investigates Turner, Tishman, Skanska, and Plaza Construction for billing practices on public projects in New York
After charges filed against Bovis Lend Lease in April led to an admission of guilt and $56 million in fines for overbilling clients, federal prosecutors are investigating the billing practices of four more New York City construction firms, according to reports.
| Aug 2, 2012
Court ruling may lead to more destructive testing on unfinished Harmon Tower in Las Vegas
A Clark County, Nevada district court judge ruled that the unfinished Harmon Hotel at CityCenter, operated and half-owned by MGM Resorts, could not use extrapolation when requesting damages at a possible trial.
| Aug 2, 2012
NIBS council recommends private and public measures to improve building sustainability
A new report by the National Institute of Building Sciences Consultative Council highlights four several areas that need focus to improve sustainability in buildings and infrastructure.
| Aug 2, 2012
Greenbuild summit will focus on greening affordable housing
A two-day summit focused on green building in the affordable housing market will be held Nov. 13 - 14, 2012 in San Francisco, Calif. at the Greenbuild International Conference & Expo.