Upcoming changes to the Washington State Energy Code are expected to include requirements for dedicated outdoor air systems.
The updates will alter how engineers and architects approach design, writes Max Wilson, a senior energy analyst for Glumac. “Designers are now required to decouple the heating and cooling system from ventilation systems,” Wilson says. “According to the new code language, HVAC systems should now include ‘supply-air temperature controls that automatically reset the supply-air temperature in response to representative building loads, or to outdoor air temperatures.’”
Heating and cooling equipment, because they have been historically linked, have become major sources of wasted energy by pushing fans unnecessarily hard to maintain optimum comfort levels. The new approach will greatly reduce overcooling or overheating interior spaces, Wilson says, and mitigate wasted fan energy.
Another code update requires design teams to choose a minimum of two prescribed of several energy-efficient design strategies. The focus on these “seems to be on reduction of both lighting loads and fossil fuels usage,” Wilson writes. “The code updates focus on enhanced lighting controls, a 25% reduction in lighting power, on-site renewable energy, and high-efficiency domestic hot water sources for 60% of the load (e.g. waste heat recovery or solar hot water systems).” The state’s next group of code change proposals is due in March 2017.
Related Stories
| Apr 5, 2012
LEED 2012 will include new requirements for data centers
The U.S. Green Building Council’s updated LEED 2012 standards will require two systems to be modeled for each project in order to show power utilization effectiveness.
| Mar 30, 2012
CSI webinar: Durable & energy efficient building envelope design, April 24
This seminar will review recent changes in North America energy codes, examples of building enclosure wall assemblies being considered for code compliance, potential moisture management and durability challenges, and design tools that could be used to assess and minimize potential problems.
| Mar 30, 2012
Improved construction that followed seismic codes helped avert loss of life in Mexico temblor
A magnitude-7.4 earthquake that shook Mexico from Mexico City to Acapulco damaged hundreds of homes and sent thousands fleeing from swaying office buildings, yet no one was killed, according to early reports.
| Mar 30, 2012
Chicago may allow people to live in retail spaces
The Chicago City Council’s Zoning Committee approved a zoning change that will allow up to 50% of work space in low-intensity business districts to be used for living space.
| Mar 30, 2012
LEED growing fast in the housing rental market
Last year, developers of 23,000 U.S. multifamily housing units applied for LEED certification.
| Mar 30, 2012
Forest Stewardship Council critical of proposed LEED 2012 changes
According to the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), the third draft of LEED 2012, if approved as written, would represent a step backward from the current Certified Wood Credit.
| Mar 22, 2012
Symposium on water efficiency: How much more water can be saved?
The Third International Emerging Technology Symposium by IAPMO and the World Plumbing Council features a session on water efficiency.
| Mar 22, 2012
Broker doesn’t have to inform contractor that insurer went broke, California court rules
A California appellate court ruled that an insurance broker did not have a duty to inform a subcontractor that a project’s insurer had gone bankrupt.
