ASHRAE 189.1 Is the Most Important Story in Green Building Today

That headline is not linkbaiting either. ASHRAE 189.1 represents the first green building standard written in enforceable code language here in the US. As we highlighted in our podcast over the last two weeks, programs like the Living Building Challenge and LEED will always be there to advance the higher causes of green building and challenge pros to think about how to design and construct our buildings more sustainbly, but the introduction of this kind of code represents a primary shift in the way buildings will be constructed in the US.

If you work in the design/build industry here in the US you are familiar with ASHRAE Standard 90.1, this standard establishes the baseline for energy usage and effieciency here in the US. This standard has become code almost universally across the US...the following paragraph from ASRAE explains the intent of Standard 189.1  (and here's the whole document).

The standard is not a design guide or a rating system, though it is hoped that organizations...will integrate this standard into their rating programs...Standard 189.1 is primarily based on mandatory requirements (with some elements allowing a choice between a prescriptive or performance options for compliance) that establish baseline criteria for a high-performance green building. Also, because Standard 189.1 is a code-intended standard, it references documents that are in normative language, meaning those documents are not just for informative purposes but are required for compliance with the standard.

It's a green building code. How much more effiecient is it that the current building code (ASHRAE 90.1)? Again from ASHRAE:

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, has made a preliminary estimate based on the second public review draft of Standard 189.1. Applying the minimum set of prescriptive recommendations in Standard 189.1 led to site energy savings ranging from 10 percent to 34 percent over Standard 90.1-2007, including plug and process loads and all other energy consumption for the building. The weighted average across all building types was 18 percent. Since the second public review, additional energy savings measures were incorporated into the standard, so the published standard is expected to yield even greater energy savings.

The question now is how rapidly will state and local governments adopt the green building code and make it the law of their respective land? How municipal governments answer that question will rapidly set the baseline for green building in the United States. Have any thoughts? Experience or expertise with the standard? We'd love to hear them in the comments.

New York State Builds The Case for Build2Sustain

Ok, so not literally or purposefully. But, the New York State government released a draft of their 2009 State Energy Plan today that outlines their objectives and strategies for the future. As I was reading, I found that they have written an argument for why B2S needs to exist. Here are some of the sections that I found particularly interesting (emphasis ours):

"The 2008 Optimal Report concluded that opportunities for electricity end-use efficiency in New York are extensive and inexpensive compared with available supply options. Results of the study estimate the State’s achievable potential through 2015 to be about 26,000 GWh, representing a reduction of approximately 14 percent from the forecast of electricity demand in 2015. In addition, improved building codes and appliance standards, likely to be implemented prior to 2015, could provide a reduction of an additional 11,000 GWh (5.7 percent) from the forecasted electricity use....The benefit-cost ratio of the electric efficiency measures is estimated to be 2.60, which means that the New York economy would capture approximately $2.60 in benefits for every dollar invested in efficiency."

"The 2008 Optimal Study attributes 38 percent (9,824 GWh) of the statewide achievable potential to New York City, 14 percent (3,603 GWh) to Long Island, and the remaining 48 percent (12,573 GWh) to the rest of the State. Approximately 70 percent of the total achievable potential savings in 2015 would be in the commercial sector, 17 percent would be in the residential sector, including low-income programs, and 13 percent would be in the industrial sector."

"Similarly, the end-uses with the greatest efficiency potential for the commercial sector are indoor lighting, cooling, ventilation, and refrigeration. Within the commercial sector, the study concludes that the building type with the greatest energy savings potential is office space, which accounts for 33 percent of the efficiency savings opportunities."

So with all these stats and the state looking to improve efficiency through new and existing programs and improved building codes, why do we still need Build2Sustain to develop best practices and convince developers, owners, and tenants that they will benefit from doing a whole scale renovation? Won't they be forced to with these new codes?

"New York's Energy Code applies to a building renovation only if the renovation is “substantial,” i.e., it involves replacement of more than 50 percent of any building subsystem. This “50 percent rule” currently provides owners of existing buildings opportunities to avoid application of the Energy Code by breaking building renovations into separate projects with no single project involving the replacement of more than 50 percent of any building subsystem. In turn, this reduces the State's opportunity to use the Energy Code to achieve improved energy efficiency in existing buildings. While the Energy Code applies to all new construction, the number of new buildings constructed annually is typically dwarfed by the number of existing buildings being renovated, particularly in urban areas, such as New York City. Therefore, the 50 percent rule significantly limits the State‟s ability to use the Energy Code to achieve an overall improvement the energy efficiency of buildings."

Now, who wants to join us?