The newly revised ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 105-2014, Standard Methods of Determining, Expressing, and Comparing Building Energy Performance and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, is intended to provide consistency in reporting the energy performance of existing or proposed buildings.
The standard answers such questions as: Should the measurements of a building’s area used in the equation to derive energy use per square foot be taken from the exterior dimensions or to the centerline of the wall? And, should storage spaces be included even though they are unoccupied?
“A standard method of measurement is needed to compare one building’s energy use to another,” says Keith Emerson chair of the Standard 105 committee. “For instance, comparing one building’s summer energy use to another building's winter use would be comparing apples and oranges.”
The standard provides a common basis for reporting building energy use in delivered energy forms and expressions of energy performance, and for comparing energy performance in terms of energy resources used and greenhouse gas emissions created—both across buildings and for energy efficiency measures within buildings. It also provides guidelines for comparing design options.
“To keep the standard flexible, a number of decisions are left to those who adopt it, including what should be calculated beyond site energy and the multipliers for those additional calculations,” Emerson said.
Related Stories
| Jun 14, 2012
AGC, other business groups oppose hiring rules for disabled
Business groups have asked the U.S. Department of Labor to reconsider a proposed hiring quota aimed at federal contractors pertaining to people with disabilities.
| Jun 5, 2012
HP Labs aims for net-zero energy data centers
Building sustainable data centers is one of the goals of HP Labs, and it believes technology, combined with the right building techniques, could result in the construction of energy-efficient data centers.
| Jun 5, 2012
USGBC delays LEED 2012; renames it LEED v4
In response to concerns by LEED users, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced that it will delay the ballot on LEED 2012 until June 1, 2013.
| Jun 5, 2012
Baltimore officials vow to block $1.8 billion urban renewal project
Baltimore officials want to block a $1.8 billion urban renewal project until more neighborhood residents and minority contractors are hired and displaced residents can benefit from the revitalization.
| Jun 5, 2012
OSHA launches campaign to warn of heat dangers in outdoor work
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has begun a campaign to warn outdoor workers about the dangers of heat exposure.
| Jun 5, 2012
AGC’s Safety and Health Conference focuses on regulations, legislation
More than 150 industry professionals and other attendees will participate in the Associated General Contractors of America’s (AGC’s) safety and health conference July 11-13 in Washington, D.C.
| Jun 1, 2012
New BD+C University Course on Insulated Metal Panels available
By completing this course, you earn 1.0 HSW/SD AIA Learning Units.
| May 31, 2012
Proposed change in Michigan’s building code would hurt innovation, say critics
Legislation pending before the Michigan Senate would change the law that calls for building codes to be updated every three years to require an update only every six years.
