Energy

Written by R. Kirk Johnson, AIA, LEED AP

Numerous proposals for building energy reduction policies have been implemented over the past decade with many others in the waiting.  However, in the next few years a significant number of energy code updates will be issued that will exponentially raise the bar for building energy performance well beyond the standards presently in effect.  These many complimenting standards will be drafted and implemented by leading regulators such as the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), and the International Code Council (ICC).  Other organizations such as the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the New Buildings Institute (NBI) have formulated recommendations for consideration by the International Code Council in the next release of the International Energy Code.

 

Regulations produced by these organizations have been the de-facto national standard in the industry as well.  ASHRAE has developed the longstanding criteria found in the 90.1 standard for buildings that has been part and parcel with the LEED Rating System Energy Optimization credits and with the International Energy Conservation Code developed by the International Code Council organization.  Present national code regulations in effect are the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 energy standard and the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code version.  
However, in the North Texas Region individual jurisdictions mandate the version of the code to enforce.  

Presently, the majority of communities are referencing the ASHRAE 90.1-2004 version as implemented in the IECC 2006 energy code.  The IECC 2009 version of the energy code references the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 version.  This is presently awaiting adoption by local jurisdictions.  As a frame of reference, LEED NC 2.2 uses the 90.1-2004 ordinance and LEED 2009 utilizes the 90.1-2007 regulation.

CHANGING LANDSCAPE

However, the energy ordinance landscape is scheduled to fundamentally change in the next few years as several new milestones of energy development will become part of the sustainable construction system.  All of these will significantly alter the requirements for energy conservation practice.  Currently, both ASHRAE and ICC are working on regulations that will raise the energy bar up to 30% above existing 2004 standards.  ASHRAE, along with the USGBC and IESNA organizations, will release the long awaiting Standard 189 green building code for high performance building later this year.  Currently, in the third public draft, this ordinance is scheduled to be implemented in January 2010.

ASHRAE is also working on the next generation of the industry leading 90.1 regulation standard with the upcoming 90.1-2010 version.  The International Code Council recently released the 2009 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) version and is also developing a green building code, similar to Standard 189, scheduled for release later in 2010.

Each of these regulations, as stated goals, is designed to reduce energy consumption between 15% and 30% above current regulations.  However, additional players are also codifying opinions to be added into the energy reduction equation.  This past month the AIA and NBI organizations issued a joint letter proposing amendments to the current level of International Energy Codes that would create buildings up to 25% more efficient than current regulation requirements.  As a result of pending implementation of these proposed regulations, many buildings that are presently under design or construction may not meet the energy requirements contained in the proposed regulations upon construction completion.
The next few sections of this article will briefly describe these proposed code updates and provide a general lay of the land approach to energy conservation.  However, one point is abundantly clear through all of the proposed regulations.  Energy reduction targets are becoming much more stringent moving closer to an overriding immediate goal of 50% reduction from the CBECS 2003 information referenced in the 2030 challenge.

CURRENT REGULATION STANDARDS

As mentioned previously, current regulation standards for sustainable construction fall into basically two distinct categories.  One are the requirements of the LEED NC 2.2 Rating System and the other are the requirements contained in the LEED 2009 Rating System.  The LEED NC 2.2 Rating System references the ASHRAE 90.1-2004 regulation in the energy optimization credits and pre-requisite requirements.  These same requirements are referenced in the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code adopted by many jurisdictions within the USGBC North Texas region.   Cities with green building ordinances may directly or indirectly require adherence to both regulations.

The second category of current regulations is those found within the LEED 2009 version of the Rating System which requires adherence to the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 version of the standard.  This standard in turn is referenced in the IECC 2009 energy code ordinance published earlier this year.  According to the Department of Energy (DOE) and Architecture 2030.org, the energy requirements of the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 version are approximately 5% more stringent than the predecessor.  However, the stated IECC 2009 version implements additional requirements that increase the energy consumption efficiencies of buildings.  According to the DOE, the 2009 IECC will “produce approximately 15% in energy efficiency gains compared to the IECC 2006 version.”

However, it must be noted that this differentiation between the ASHRAE 2004 and 2007 versions does not linearly equate to a 5% drop in energy points available in the LEED Rating System but simply that the requirements are more stringent from the predecessor.  As there are a considerable number of variables to consider in the calculations, a whole building performance analysis must be performed to determine the actual LEED points that are affected by the standard.  In a large majority of buildings, particularly those with high process or equipment loading, this delta will be statistically insignificant.  In other instances it may reach the stated efficiency.  It all depends on the individual building type, operation, loading, and overall facility fabric.  The only reliable way to determine energy conservation efficiencies within a building design is to perform an energy model simulation.

However, ASHRAE 90.1-2007, according to Architecture 2030.org in a recent publication entitled “Meeting the 2030 Challenge Through Building Codes”, is approximately 25% below the requirements needed to meet the initial 50% reduction target defined in the 2030 Challenge and thereby approximately 75% below the requirements needed to produce a net zero building.

STANDARD 189
This standard, jointly produced by the USGBC, ASHRAE, and IESNA organizations, is a comprehensive green building ordinance designed for high performance buildings.  The standard covers items such as sustainable sites, water conservation, energy reduction, resource allocation, environmental air quality, and building operations.  It is a comprehensive regulation written in code enforceable normative language.  

As a result of the code enforceable protocol, the standard can be adopted independently or concurrently with other building codes by various jurisdictions or rating system authorities.  Currently, in the third public draft, the standard will be issued later this year for adoption in January 2010.  On the energy front, the stated goal of this public draft standard is to produce energy conservation approximately 25% below ASHRAE 90.1-2004.   However, this first draft of the standard, as with the other current and proposed regulations, will still fall short of the 50% reduction requirements contained in the 2030 Challenge and well below the needs to meet a net zero building.  To meet the stated goals of the 2030 challenge, additional versions will need to be adopted over time.

Organizationally, the standard is built upon the foundation of the ASHRAE 90.1-2007 version, yet adds a significant number of elements that supersede the standard.  For a detailed look at the energy components, refer to the accompanying article titled “Energy Optimization, Standard 189 Style” contained in this edition of the USGBC North Texas Region newsletter.  Some primary additive regulations contained in the standard require renewable energy provisions, carbon reduction, equipment efficiencies, and improved envelope thresholds.

ASHRAE 90.1-2010
This standard, from an energy conservation perspective is scheduled to be similar to that contained in Standard 189.  However, although the overall goal will be similar, the actual implementation requirements of energy elements will vary from those contained in the Standard 189 ordinance.  The standard is solely focused upon energy conservation measures.

According to ASHRAE, the standard “is looking to achieve 30% energy savings in the 2010 standard compared to Standard 90.1-2004, as part of our target to achieve market-viable net-zero-energy buildings by 2015.”

According to interpolation of data contained in the Architecture 2030.org analysis regarding the 90.1-2007 version, it can be assumed that the ASHRAE 90.1-2010 standard will be much closer to the initial 50% reduction goal.  However, the actual determination will be determined with the building performance modeling.

INTERNATIONAL GREEN CONSTRUCTION CODE

Another proposed comprehensive green building ordinance currently under development is the International Green Construction Code being developed by the International Code Council.  According to the ICC, the standard will apply to traditional commercial and high performance buildings and will be coordinated with the other codes within their portfolio.  The intent of the code is to address both minimum and advanced levels of performance for energy use efficiency, water use efficiency, materials and resource usage, indoor environmental quality measure, greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable sites, and green building operations.

Presently, the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Society of Testing Materials International (ASTM) organizations are partners for the initiative with active support from the U.S. Green Building Council and Green Buildings Initiative (GBI) organizations.   Additionally, both private organizations such as ASHRAE, ANSI, PCA and various governmental entities have expressed interest in participating on the development committee.  A final draft initiative is scheduled for release in 2010 as a resource document made available for ratification and adoption.

AIA/NBI ENERGY RECOMMENDATIONS

Another energy conservation measure on the horizon is the newly published energy conservation measures issued by the AIA and NBI organizations.  These suggested recommendations, according to the organizations, would “create buildings that are 20-25% more energy efficient than what today’s average standards require.”  The groups submitted these recommendations in June to the International Code Council for consideration in the current code development process for the IECC 2012 version.  The proposal incorporates many high efficiency measures for building envelope, mechanical systems, lighting, quality assurance, and renewable power.

Residually, the recommendations are also designed to provide general “doable guidance to help motivate commercial building professionals to apply them to the next project.”  In other words, the recommendations provide helpful strategies for energy conservation measures that could be implemented fairly readily in current projects.

CAUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

With all of these changes scheduled for short term durations, it would be prudent for owners, developers, designers, jurisdictions, contractors, and others involved in the building industry to investigate the timeframes that these regulations will be adopted and to also explore options to meet them prior to adoption.  It would be short sided to look only at present common practices meeting current standards that will be soon be displaced shortly with more stringent regulations and miss the opportunity to provide more viable robust implementations.  Otherwise, the risk of constructing facilities that may not meet the codes enforced at the time of completion is a real possibility.

A better solution to energy conservation measures would be to explore opportunities available for a project and analyze implications of proposed codes to the current design or construction project process.  As the old saying goes, “The better the understanding, the better the solution.”
These proposed codes provide a helpful and insightful energy conservation roadmap for various systems ranging from building envelope to building system efficiencies.  Consideration of these individual constructs provides even greater clarity to the design and construction of sustainable buildings.

Another consideration for jurisdictions would be to look at the applicable code enforcement strategies that should be implemented and the timeframes associated with these decisions.  In turn, this energy roadmap should be communicated concisely to other stakeholders in the industry.  Which code will be adopted by the jurisdiction?  Will it be one ordinance or several complimentary one?  Which regulation will the LEED Rating System employ in future versions?  What role will Standard 189 play in the jurisdiction?  Will it be a requirement or reference?  These and many others are just a few considerations that will need jurisdictional discussion and clarity while adopting or amplifying a green building process.

LEED v4

Based upon historical precedence, it can be reasonably assumed that the next version of LEED will utilize the next version of ASHRAE 90.1-2010 in some capacity.  What is unclear at this point, with the information in hand is the relationship of Standard 189 and residual regulations to the overall context of the next generation of the LEED Rating System.  According to information received to date, the next version of LEED is scheduled for a 2012 release.