ATLANTA - The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has announced a new user's manual to assist in the implementation of its Standard 90.1 energy conservation standard.

The user's manual for ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004, "Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings," has been through an extensive revision process, according to Keith Emerson, who oversaw review of the manual for the Standard 90.1 committee.

Major changes have been made in the organization, the envelope weather criteria, and other updates related to standard. A chapter has been added to explain the new building performance rating method, covering how to better use the standard in energy comparisons.

"This information will be particularly useful to people involved with projects who are trying to achieve a certain amount of savings over and above the minimum requirements of the standard," Emerson said.

The 90.1 user's manual provides instruction for the design of commercial and high-rise buildings to ensure their compliance with the standard. It includes sections on administration and enforcement, building envelope, HVAC systems, service water heating, power, lighting, the energy cost budget method, and the building performance rating method.

The cost of the 90.1 user's manual is $93 ($74 for ASHRAE members), plus shipping and handling.

To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 404-321-5478, by mail at 1791 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, or visit www.ashrae.org.

Publication date: 02/14/2005