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
| Apr 16, 2012
Altoon + Porter Architects renamed Altoon Partners
The global practice, with offices in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and Shanghai, specializes in retail, residential and mixed-use developments.
| Apr 16, 2012
Drake joins EYP as science and technology project executive
Drake’s more than 30 years of diversified design and project delivery experience spans a broad range of complex building types.
| Apr 16, 2012
$80 million in export financing for solar project in India
The project, “Rajasthan Sun Technique Energy Private Limited,” is a subsidiary of Reliance Power and is being co-financed by the Asian Development Bank and FMO, the Dutch development bank.
| Apr 13, 2012
Arcadis merges with Davis Langon & Seah
Merger will help company expand business in Asia.
| Apr 13, 2012
Goettsch Partners designs new music building for Northwestern
The showcase facility is the recital hall, an intimate, two-level space with undulating walls of wood that provide optimal acoustics and lead to the stage, as well as a 50-foot-high wall of cable-supported, double-skin glass
| Apr 13, 2012
Best Commercial Modular Buildings Recognized
Judges scored building entries on a number of criteria including architectural excellence, technical innovation, cost effectiveness, energy efficiency, and calendar days to complete, while marketing pieces were judged on strategy, implementation, and quantifiable results. Read More
| Apr 12, 2012
Solar PV carport, electrical charging stations unveiled in California
Project contractor Oltman Construction noted that the carport provides shaded area for 940 car stalls and generates 2 MW DC of electric power.
| Apr 11, 2012
Shawmut appoints Tripp as business development director
Tripp joined Shawmut in 1998 and previously held the positions of assistant superintendent, superintendent, and national construction manager.
| Apr 11, 2012
Corgan & SOM awarded contract to design SSA National Support Center
The new SSA campus is expected to meet all Federal energy and water conservation goals while achieving LEED Gold Certification from the United States Green Building Council.