ATLANTA - Making the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE) energy conservation standard easier to use should lead to greater energy savings and greener buildings, according to the association.

ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2004, "Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings," provides minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design of buildings except low-rise residential buildings.

"Standard 90.1-2004 has undergone a dramatic makeover, resulting in a document with a more readable format that is easier to use for practitioners," Jerry White, chair of the standard committee, said. "New technical requirements and stringency levels are presented in a more consistent format, making them easy to find and apply to building designs."

By making the standard easier to use, it will be used more often, according to White. More use would result in more energy being saved.

The standard contains a new informative appendix to rate the energy efficiency of building designs that exceed its minimum requirements.

The guidance provided in this appendix should be beneficial to HVAC designers who are trying to achieve the required points for either a Silver or Gold Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certification of a facility, according to White.

For designers who are participating in a LEED-certification design, the standard's energy cost budget method was produced in collaboration with representatives of the U.S. Green Building Council. Changes to major sections of the standard include: Lighting, Climate Zones, and Energy Cost Budget (ECB) Method.

To order, call 800-527-4723 or visit www.ashrae.org.

Publication date: 01/24/2005