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
| Mar 1, 2012
California bill aims to cut costs for commercial building energy retrofits
A bill in the California Assembly would allow the state to pool together property owners’ energy-retrofit loans.
| Feb 29, 2012
Carvalho appointed Shawmut Safety Director
He has been a driving force behind multiple safety-orientated initiatives at Shawmut, including Safety Week, the creation of an online safety manual, and the implementation of a new safety reporting and tracking system.
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal budget cuts put major building projects on hold
A plan to build the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas is among several major building projects in jeopardy after the Obama administration’s 2013 budget was unveiled. The budget would cut all construction spending for the facility.
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal agencies fixed on leasing LEED-certified space
The federal government is especially focused on renting LEED-certified spaces.
| Feb 23, 2012
Regulators investigating construction accident at World Trade Center
The New York Port Authority and the city’s fire and building departments are investigating an accident at the World Trade Center construction site in lower Manhattan after a crane dropped steel beams that fell about 40 stories onto the truck that delivered them.
| Feb 23, 2012
New Virginia statewide building code goes into effect March 1
After March 1, all building plans in Virginia must adhere to the 2009 code that was adopted a year ago.
| Feb 23, 2012
Privatizing flood insurance could lead to new code requirements
One thing that could pave the way toward private flood insurance would be NFIP reforms, like requiring new construction in flood-prone areas to be elevated.
| Feb 22, 2012
ACI BIM manual for cast-in-place concrete in development
The improved communication, coordination, and collaboration afforded by BIM implementation have already been shown to save time and money in projects.