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
| Jul 19, 2012
UMass-Boston's Bevington: 'Financing alternatives crucial to energy-efficiency upgrades'
It’s conceivable that innovation in project finance can do for building efficiency in the coming century what 30-year mortgages did for home ownership in the last, this article asserts.
| Jul 19, 2012
NYC eases building code to create ‘micro apartments’ in Kips Bay
New York City has implemented a program to encourage construction of "micro-apartments" in the Big Apple, where rents are exorbitant and the number of singles is on the rise.
| Jul 19, 2012
NRCA: Roofing insulation performance, local climate keys to computing R-value
To minimize the loss of thermal resistance in design, the R-value of roof insulation should be computed based on the actual performance of the insulation material and the local climate, says the National Roofing Contractors Association.
| Jul 16, 2012
Business school goes for maximum vision, transparency, and safety with fire rated glass
Architects were able to create a 2-hour exit enclosure/stairwell that provided vision and maximum fire safety using fire rated glazing that seamlessly matched the look of other non-rated glazing systems.
| Jul 12, 2012
Federal budget chief to explain impact of pending defense cuts before Congress
Office of Management and Budget Director Jeffrey Zients is scheduled to testify before the House Armed Services Committee Aug. 1 to explain the possible effects of $500 billion in defense cuts on U.S. companies, including those in the design and construction industry.
| Jul 12, 2012
Pennsylvania legislature moves to prevent undocumented workers on public construction projects
Legislation to prevent undocumented workers from being hired by construction companies working on state-funded projects passed the Pennsylvania Legislature.
| Jul 12, 2012
New York’s One Bryant Park Bank of America tower is first new high-rise to achieve LEED Platinum
The new One Bryant Park Bank of America tower in midtown Manhattan is the first new commercial high-rise to achieve LEED Platinum certification.
| Jul 12, 2012
OSHA launches campaign to prevent heat illness
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has launched its 2012 Heat Illness Prevention Campaign to educate employees and their employers about the hazards of working outdoors in heat, and how to prevent heat-related illnesses.
| Jul 12, 2012
Contractors have increasing concerns over new federal hiring quotas
A proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs to increase disabled- and veteran-worker hiring quotas for federal contractors continues to raise deep concerns among contractors.