ICC Adopts Revised ASHRAE Energy Standard

The International Code Council (ICC) has announced it will be including ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2001, “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings,” in the 2003 version of its International Energy Conservation Code. The standard, developed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is the first update since the document’s controversial 1999 revision.

The 2001 standard outlines minimum requirements for designing energy-efficient buildings. It is written in mandatory, enforceable language to allow for adoption into building codes. This latest version also addresses modifications to existing buildings.

The 2001 version also simplifies the presentation of guidelines related to thermal performance of roofs, walls, glazing and other building envelope components. Users had found the previous document’s requirements difficult to decipher.

Current ICC codes reference the 1999 version, Standard 90.1-1999. Last summer, the U.S. Dept. of Energy adopted this earlier code to supersede the 1989 version referenced in the Energy Policy Act of 1992. The Act requires all federal and state nonresidential building codes to include minimum efficiency levels that meet or exceed those in the ASHRAE standard.

ASHRAE also has recently signed a partnering agreement with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to include Standard 90.1, along with the corresponding residential energy code, in NFPA’s consensus code set.

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