ASHRAE recently announced the publication of ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1-2011, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.
The first code-intended commercial green-building standard in the United States, Standard 189.1 covers site sustainability, water-use efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and a building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials, and resources.
“Since Standard 189.1 was first published (in 2009), we have received much input from the industry offering suggestions on how to strengthen it in all areas,” Dennis Stanke, chairman of the Standard 189.1 committee, said. “This 2011 version incorporates much of that input. More importantly, the 2011 version incorporates updated connections to its referenced standards, primarily ANSI/ASHRAE/IES(NA) 90.1-2010 (Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings) and ANSI/ASHRAE 62.1-2010 (Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality). Compliance with these updated provisions will result in further improvements to indoor environmental quality, while further reducing energy use and environmental impact.”
The most significant change in energy-related provisions results from requirements in the 2010 version of Standard 90.1 that add to and supersede those in the 2007 version. In October 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy found that buildings built to the 2010 version of Standard 90.1 consume significantly less energy than buildings built to the 2007 version.
Additionally, mandatory and prescriptive renewable-energy requirements were clarified to reduce confusion and simplify calculations. Now, provisions for preparing for on-site renewable energy and provisions for producing prescribed levels of renewable energy must be met. Also, buildings that meet the prescriptive requirement for renewable-energy production now are deemed to comply with the mandatory requirement for renewable-energy site preparation.
The performance option for energy efficiency (Appendix D) in Standard 189.1 was updated to refer to the normative Appendix G of Standard 90.1-2010. Appendix G applies to projects seeking annual-energy-cost reductions beyond those possible by merely meeting the requirements of Standard 90.1-2010. Appendix D, on the other hand, provides a performance option for compliance as an alternative to the less-complex prescriptive option; a project design must be shown to result in annual energy cost equal to or less than would be possible by meeting the mandatory plus prescriptive requirements of Standard 189.1, Stanke said.
Standard 189.1 is a jurisdictional compliance option in the International Green Construction Code developed by the International Code Council, ASTM International, and The American Institute of Architects.
The cost of Standard 189.1-2011 is $99 for ASHRAE members and $119 for non-members. Copies can be ordered by phone at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400, by fax at 404-321-5478, or online by clicking here.