The 2016 version of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, the Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, was recently released.
The update includes a new compliance path and significant technical changes affecting building envelope, and mechanical and lighting systems. The document contains 121 new addenda since publication of the previous version: the 2013 standard.
The 2016 edition contains a new compliance path, the Performance Rating Method, which is included in Appendix G. The provision was previously used only to rate “beyond code” performance of buildings; it now serves as an alternative to the traditional performance path.
Among the most significant technical changes are:
Envelope:
• Mandatory requirements for envelope verification, supporting reduced air infiltration, and increased requirements for air leakage to overhead coiling doors.
• More stringent prescriptive requirements for metal building roofs and walls, fenestration, and opaque doors.
• Improved clarity of exterior walls definitions, building orientation, and clarity around the effective R-value of air spaces.
• New requirements based on the addition of climate zone 0.
Lighting:
• Modified control requirements to simplify advanced lighting control applications.
• New exterior and interior lighting power densities based on LED technology.
• Requirements for dwelling units to set limits on light source efficacy.
• Additional controls for lighting in parking areas.
Mechanical:
• Chilled water plant metering, requiring large electric driven chilled water plants to be monitored for electric energy use and efficiency.
• DOAS requirements, adding efficiency and rating requirements for dedicated outside air systems.
• Elevator efficiency, introducing requirements for identifying usage category and efficiency class.
• Economizer fault detection and diagnostics, implementing monitoring system requirements for air-cooled DX cooling units with economizers, helping to ensure that equipment is working properly.
• New requirements for replacement equipment, such as adding economizers or fan speed control, which previously only applied to new installations.
More information on code adoption and related technical assistance is available at energycodes.gov.
Related Stories
| Aug 26, 2014
High-rise concept uses 'sky street' to link towers [slideshow]
The design for a new complex in Shenzhen’s bay area consists of highly reflective glass towers, expansive garden space, and a horizontal glass structure that connects the buildings.
| Aug 25, 2014
Ranked: Top cultural facility sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Arup, Gensler, and Turner head BD+C's rankings of design and construction firms with the most revenue from cultural facility projects, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.
| Aug 25, 2014
'Vanity space' makes up large percentage of world's tallest buildings [infographic]
Large portions of some skyscrapers are useless space used to artificially enhance their height, according to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Aug 25, 2014
An easy trick for minimizing construction delays
About one out of every three construction projects is behind schedule or over budget, according to the Construction Industry Institute's Assessment of Owner Project Management Practices and Performance survey. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Aug 21, 2014
Ranked: Top science and technology sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
HDR, Affiliated Engineers, and Skanska top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest S+T sector design and construction firms.
| Aug 21, 2014
Ranked: Top convention center AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, AECOM, and Hunt Construction top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest convention center design and construction firms.
| Aug 21, 2014
Apartment construction hits 25-year high
The boost to apartment construction suggests that job gains are encouraging the creation of households.
| Aug 21, 2014
Strategies for providing great customer service
Customers are inherently inefficient and inconvenient to do business with, writes Customer Service Consultant Micah Solomon, in a recent Forbes post. That’s why he believes great customer service depends on understanding this. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Aug 21, 2014
Must See: Detroit's Beaux-Arts parking garage
An opulent Renaissance Revival building in downtown Detroit is being used as a parking garage.
| Aug 20, 2014
Construction backlog indicator reaches all-time high in second quarter
Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Construction Backlog Indicator (CBI) reached an all-time high in the second quarter of 2014. CBI improved 5.4 percent and currently stands at 8.5.
