The First Facility Management Blog

A new standard for the design of high performance green buildings is set to revolutionize the building industry. Published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), in conjunction with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is the first code intended commercial green building standard in the United States.

The standard provides a green building foundation for those who strive to design, build, and operate green buildings. From site location to energy use to recycling, this standard will set the foundation for green buildings through its adoption into local codes. It covers key topic areas similar to green building rating systems: site sustainability, water use efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality and the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources.

The energy efficiency goal of Standard 189.1 is to provide significant energy reduction over that in ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007. It offers a broader scope than Standard 90.1 and is intended to provide minimum requirements for the siting, design, and construction of high performance, green buildings.

“The far reaching influence of the built environment necessitates action to reduce its impact,” Gordon Holness, ASHRAE president, said. “Provisions in the standard can reduce negative environmental impacts through high performance building design, construction, and operations practices. Ultimately, the aim is not just energy efficiency but a balance of environmental responsibility, resource efficiency, occupant comfort and well being, and community sensitivity, all while supporting the goal of sustainable development.”

Standard 189.1 has been written by experts representing all areas of the building industry, including engineers, lighting designers, sustainability experts, building owners, designers, architects, code and compliance officials, utilities, materials experts, and equipment manufacturers. The technical requirements in the standard were also supported by input from the building industry during the public review process.

For complete information on the standard, including a readable copy, visit this link.

The AEDG for Small Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities is the sixth in the 30% Advanced Energy Design Guide (AEDG) series designed to provide recommendations for achieving 30% energy savings over the minimum code requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999.

“The recommendations in the Small Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities Guide provide good design practices for integrating energy efficiency in a healthcare environment, while maintaining indoor air quality and required airflow and pressurization relationships,” Shanti Pless, chair of committee that wrote the guide, said.

The Guide focuses on small healthcare facilities up to 90,000 square feet in size, including acute care facilities, outpatient surgery centers, critical access hospitals, and inpatient community hospitals. These buildings have intensive heating and cooling systems, which the Guide covers extensively; additionally, other important energy saving measures such as daylighting are included.

“The energy efficiency recommendations in the Guide were developed based on design experiences from members of a project committee made up of healthcare facilities design professionals, combined with the insight gained from modeling the energy performance of these specific recommendations,” Pless said.

Some tips that the Guide offers include:

• Providing an unoccupied air flow and temperature setback for spaces that are not used 24 hours a day, such as surgery suites;
• Installing high efficiency condensing boilers with an outdoor air temperature reset schedule for all climate zones to address the high amounts of reheat energy used by such facilities to control humidity;
• Carefully laying out lighting design to meet recommended lighting power density by space type;
• Maximizing the use of daylighting and daylighting-responsive controls through both side lighting and top lighting strategies in all space types that do not have air change requirements;
• Installing an insulated thermal envelope, with additional recommendations to address air barriers and continuous insulation strategies.

The recommendations allow contractors, consulting engineers, architects, and designers to achieve advanced levels of energy savings easily without having to resort to detailed calculations or analyses.

Also, case studies provide examples of advanced hospital and healthcare facility designs that demonstrate the flexibility offered in achieving advanced energy savings such as the 30% goal of the Guide.

The AEDG series has been developed in collaboration with these partnering organizations: ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Since the Guides first began to be offered in early 2008, more than 200,000 have been downloaded. Other books in the series deal with small office and retail buildings, K-12 school buildings, highway lodging and small warehouse and self storage buildings.

For a free copy of the latest AEDG, send an e-mail to tfm@groupc.com with the words “AEDG Healthcare” in the subject line. For other versions of these guides, visit www.ashrae.org/freeaedg.

Requirements to “lighten up” energy use and costs through fenestration, parking lot lighting, and other proposed measures are being recommended for Standard 90.1. ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, provides minimum requirements for the energy efficient design of buildings except low-rise residential buildings. Currently, 15 proposed addenda to the standard are open for public review.

“As the industry continues to call for buildings and systems that use less energy, the Standard 90.1 committee is striving to find ways to reduce energy uses and costs,” Mick Schwedler, chair of the Standard 90.1 committee, said. “The proposed changes not only reduce energy use but move the standard closer to the workplan goal of a 2010 standard with 30 percent energy cost savings compared to the 2004 standards.”

Among the proposed addenda out for public comment is addendum cd, which would require active exterior control rather than just require the control capability; add bi-level control for general all night applications (such as parking lots to reduce lighting when not needed); and add control for façade and landscaping lighting not needed after midnight.

Eric Richman, chair of the standard’s lighting subcommittee, noted that studies from the California Lighting Technology Center at the University of California at Davis found that control strategies reduce lighting energy use by significant amounts during night time hours. A study by Polytechnic State University showed that parking lot lighting operates in a low mode 68% of the time.

Additional information from a study by Navigant Consulting shows that parking lots account for 22 Twh out of a total 57 Twh used for outdoor lighting annually nationwide. While this estimate includes all lit parking areas, the potential for energy savings in parking areas that are directly associated with specific building projects are significant and should be supported by the standard.

A second public review of proposed addendum, bn, would reduce solar loads by orienting the fenestration in more appropriate directions. Changed in response to comments during the first public review, this approach gives flexibility to building design teams to work with siting and fenestration and orientation as well as fenestration area to comply with the requirement.

Proposed addendum bb updates building envelope requirements for opaque elements, such as walls and rooms, and fenestration (windows and skylights). A number of changes were made in response to public comments during the first public review.

The proposed addenda to ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 are available for comment only during their public review period. To read the addenda or to comment, visit this link.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), along with nine other organizations, is forming a consortium in response to the U.S. Department of Energy request for consortia to advise the department on high performance building issues. The HighPerformance Commercial Green Building Partnership (HPCGBP) brings together leading organizations from all aspects of the building community to provide guidance and technical leadership on key sustainability issues to the Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program.

“This partnership will ensure that the voices of the building industry are being heard,” says Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president. “At a time when reducing energy consumption in buildings is paramount, the consortium gives leaders in the built environment and in those industries affecting construction a clear path to offer advice to the DOE on our goals, concerns, and new technologies.”

ASHRAE initiated formation of the partnership and will serve as the group’s secretariat. Other members of the HPCGBP’s steering committee currently includes the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), American Institute of Architects (AIA), Alliance to Save Energy (ASE), Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), International Code Council (ICC), Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The partnership intends to be recognized as a “Partnership Consortium” by the Department of Energy as requested in response to the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 Section 421. Section 421 is part of the formation of the Net-Zero Commercial Building Initiative, which is intended to develop a research, development, and deployment strategy toward achieving net zero energy commercial buildings.

Partnership participants reflect all disciplines necessary to design and build high performance commercial buildings, including:

• architects and engineers
• the development, construction, financial, and real estate industries
• building owners and operators 
• academic and research organizations
• building code agencies and organizations
• independent high performance green building associations or councils
• experts in indoor air quality and environmental factors
• experts in intelligent buildings and integrated building information systems
• utility energy efficiency programs
• manufacturers and providers of equipment
• public transportation industry experts
• nongovernmental energy efficiency organizations

Changes to the purpose and scope of ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 as well as new lighting requirements are being proposed through public review. ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, provides minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design of buildings except low-rise residential buildings.

Among the proposed addenda out for public review is addendum aq, which proposes changes to the purpose and scope of the standard. The proposed modification addresses applications not covered in the existing standard scope, such as requirements for laboratories, data center cooling, and kitchen exhausts. It would also permit the 90.1 committee to address technologies, such as computer equipment and refrigerated casework, and would extend existing requirements for envelope, space cooling, and lighting to a larger group of spaces where energy is consumed.

“ASHRAE is committed to substantially reducing energy use in buildings,” Mark Hydeman, vice chair of the committee, said. “This addendum is a critical step toward achieving that goal. For example, it requires all cooling and heating equipment that operates under standard conditions to comply with the existing minimum efficiencies of the standard regardless of the facility that they are in. Manufacturing and process environments often operate at much longer hours than office buildings and retail facilities, which served as the basis for the life-cycle cost analysis of the minimum efficiencies.”

Standard 90.1 currently addresses design and construction of buildings. The proposed addendum would add operation and maintenance, which allows incorporation of industry standards such as ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 180-2008, Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Commercial Building HVAC Systems.

The addendum also incorporates utilization of on-site, renewable energy resources. “By including on-site and renewable energy resources in the scope, an appropriate mechanism was created for future requirements as well as credits for these energy resources not currently provided in the standard,” Hydeman said.

Proposed addendum aq is open for public review until February 2, 2009.

Other Proposals
Four other proposed addenda–ar, as, au, and av–are open for review until January 19, 2009. A fifth addenda, at, is open until January 4, 2009.

Proposed addenda ar and av are related to lighting efficiencies. Proposed addendum ar revises an earlier version of the standard where expanded exterior lighting power limits were put in place but details were not included on calculating installed power and its comparison to the limits. Addendum av would require that in all spaces where alterations take place, all requirements of section 9 are met, not just the lighting power density requirements.

The proposed addenda to ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 are available during their public review period. To read the addenda or to comment, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.

The International Association of Lighting Designers (IALD) and The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in November 2008 to work cooperatively toward improving the efficient use of energy by lighting equipment and systems. The MOU emphasizes the importance of minimizing the impact of energy use on the environment in support of DOE SSL programs on lighting quality.

The MOU highlights four key areas on which the IALD and the U.S. DOE will collaborate:

• Promoting lighting design principles and technologies that improve lighting quality, energy efficiency, and environmental sustainability.
• Developing and disseminating technical information to assist the lighting design community in the assessment and specification of SSL and other efficient technologies to support DOE programs on lighting quality such as ENERGY STAR® and SSL Quality Advocates.
• Jointly facilitating forums in which lighting designers can exchange ideas and information with DOE and provide input to DOE lighting program planning.
• Encouraging professional lighting designers to participate in DOE lighting projects, such as GATEWAY demonstrations, with particular attention to helping DOE assess lighting quality.

IALD is already working closely with DOE on several fronts. In March 2008, DOE and IALD, along with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA), co-hosted a Lighting Designer Roundtable in Chicago to solicit the designer perspective on solid-state lighting market and technology issues. [To request a PDF of this report, send an e-mail to tfm@groupc.com with the words "LIGHTING DESIGNER ROUNDTABLE" in the subject line.]

In addition, IALD and IESNA are co-sponsors of the new DOE Next Generation Luminaires™ Design Competition, which recognizes excellence in the design of energy-efficient LED commercial lighting luminaires. IALD members also contribute to DOE GATEWAY demonstration activities, including a recent tour and roundtable discussion on the LED roadway lighting for the new I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Nine million tons of carbon dioxide. $600 million in energy costs: that’s the potential savings represented by 100,000 copies in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series now in circulation. More than 88,000 of the publications have been obtained via free download since January 2008.

The series includes publications on small retail and small office buildings, K-12 school buildings, and warehouses and self-storage units.  The books provide guidance on how to achieve 30% energy savings over building code minimums based on ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999.

Calculations show that if every guide downloaded resulted in a single building designed to save 30% beyond code minimum, the estimated energy and carbon savings would be 52 trillion btus and 9 million tons of carbon dioxide. With an average cost of electricity of 5¢ per kwh and gas at $7 per mmbtu, the estimated cost of energy savings is over $600 million.

The guides are developed by ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, and the U.S. Green Building Council, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy.

“ASHRAE is committed to energy optimization and producing guidance that will help move the building industry toward market-viable net-zero energy and carbon neutral buildings,” ASHRAE President Kent Peterson, P.E., said. “The call for these high performing buildings is transforming our industry, and the guidance in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series is useable technology guidance to help owners, architects, and engineers in accomplishing high-performing buildings.”

“This is proof positive that there are substantial economic benefits to green building strategies,” said AIA President Marshall E. Purnell, FAIA.  “Hopefully this will help convince skeptics of the value and payback of green building design and that practitioners will take advantage of this excellent resource so that we can move closer to reaching our shared goal of carbon neutral buildings by 2030.”

Upcoming publications in the series include 30% guidance books for highway lodging, existing buildings, and small health care facilities.

Nine million tons of carbon dioxide. $600 million in energy costs.

That’s the potential savings represented by 100,000 copies in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series now in circulation. More than 88,000 of the publications have been obtained via free download since January.

The series includes publications on small retail and small office buildings, K-12 school buildings, and warehouses and self storage units. The books provide guidance on how to achieve 30% energy savings over building code minimum based on ANSI/ASHRAE/ IESNA Standard 90.1-1999.

Calculations show that if every guide downloaded resulted in a single building designed to save 30% beyond code minimum, the estimated energy and carbon savings would be 52 trillion btus and 9 million tons of carbon dioxide. With an average cost of electricity of 5 cents per kwh and gas at $7 per mmbtu, the estimated cost of energy savings is over $600 million.

The guides are developed by ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the U.S. Green Building Council, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy. The downloads are available at www.ashrae.org/freeaedg.

“ASHRAE is committed to energy optimization and producing guidance that will help move the building industry toward market viable net zero energy and carbon neutral buildings,” ASHRAE President Kent Peterson, P.E., said. “The call for these high performing buildings is transforming our industry, and the guidance in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series is usable technology guidance to help owners, architects and engineers in accomplishing high-performing buildings.”

“This is proof positive that there are substantial economic benefits to green building strategies,” said AIA President Marshall E. Purnell, FAIA. “Hopefully this will help convince skeptics of the value and payback of green building design and that practitioners will take advantage of this excellent resource so that we can move closer to reaching our shared goal of carbon neutral buildings by 2030.”

“IES is pleased to part of the team developing these important guides, whose success demonstrates that collectively the collaborating organizations are raising awareness about how to achieve energy savings and developing a receptive audience for future guidance on net zero energy and carbon neutral buildings,” said Rita M. Harrold, IESNA director of technology.

“The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy, and threats to human health,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “Working with ASHRAE, AIA, and IESNA on the Advanced Energy Design Guide series is part of a critical collaborative effort to provide the industry with the tools it needs to make an immediate and measurable impact.”

Upcoming publications in the series include 30% guidance books for highway lodging, existing buildings and small health care facilities.