ATLANTA — Commercial and high-rise residential buildings, including federal buildings, must now meet requirements in ASHRAE/IESNA’s 2007 energy-efficiency standard, under recent rulings issued by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) that finds the standard saves more energy than the 2004 version.

ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, has been established by the DOE as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes under the federal Energy Conservation and Production Act. As a result, states are required to certify by July 20, 2013, that they have reviewed and updated the provisions of their commercial building code regarding energy efficiency, including a demonstration that the provisions of their commercial building codes regarding energy efficiency meet or exceed 90.1-2007.

The DOE also has issued a rule that requires new federal buildings, for which the design for construction begins on or after Oct. 11, 2012, to meet the requirements of 90.1-2007.

Prior to the new rules, federal and commercial buildings had to meet requirements in the 2004 standard.

“We are pleased with this recognition that the 2007 standard saves more energy than the 2004 standard, thereby pushing the marketplace to-
ward more energy-efficient buildings,” said Ron Jarnagin, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) president. “ASHRAE continues to build on the foundation of efficiency contained in Standard 90.1. We recently published the 2010 version of the standard, which results in more than 30 percent energy savings over the 2004 version. We currently are working on the 2013 standard, with a renewed focus on increasing the stringency to achieve a significant reduction in energy consumption.”

The Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), cosponsor of the 90.1 standard, is also pleased with the DOE’s favorable determination on the energy savings achieved in 90.1-2007, according to Rita Harrold, IES director of technology.

“As ASHRAE President Ron Jarnagin indicates, the work is ongoing through the dedication and expertise of voluntary consensus committee members from both organizations who continue to meet the challenge of developing additional requirements for energy-efficient buildings,” Harrold said.

Publication date: 09/12/2011