ASHRAE has released a new standard that defines the terms "zero Energy" and "zero carbon" to describe buildings.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 228-2023, Standard Method of Evaluating Zero Net Energy and Zero Net Carbon Building Performance, sets requirements for evaluating whether a building or group of buildings meets a definition of “zero net energy” or a definition of “zero net carbon” during operation. The standard draws from other ASHRAE standards to address energy and carbon flows across a site boundary, their measurement, and their balance.
“Achieving a zero energy building has been viewed by many as a difficult goal to meet, with unforeseeable roadblocks and differing guidance,” said Keith Emerson, P.E., Life Member ASHRAE, chair of the Standards Project Committee 228. Standard 228 provides a consistent method for determining whether new and existing sites have reached zero energy. We hope this standard will become a helpful resource for building professionals in strategic decarbonization planning.”
Features of Standard 228 include:
- Allowances for sites that lack the means to produce adequate renewable energy, while placing additional requirements on the use of external carbon and renewable energy in the calculation.
- Defined calculation of energy in terms of source—a multiplier on the energy crossing the site boundary including energy used or lost in extraction, generation, and transit to the site.
- The main energy calculation made in terms of annual average factors. Allowance is made for the calculation of individual hours where data is available.
Related Stories
| Oct 31, 2012
Investigators look into crane severely damaged by Sandy in Manhattan
Investigators are examining a construction crane collapse atop a $1.5 billion luxury high-rise in midtown Manhattan due to high winds during Hurricane Sandy.
| Oct 31, 2012
Construction error suspected in Miami-Dade College garage collapse
A construction error is the chief suspect in the partial collapse of a parking garage at Miami-Dade College in Doral, FL.
| Oct 31, 2012
New European laws on timber will go into effect in March 2013
A new European Union timber regulation prohibits the “placing on the market of illegally harvested timber or timber products derived from such timber.”
| Oct 31, 2012
MIT models show roofs' capacity for solar energy in Cambridge, Mass.
A new mapping tool from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a Boston design firm can calculate rooftops' capacity for solar energy.
| Oct 31, 2012
Demand for living roofs, walls to reach $7.7 billion by 2017
The demand for green roofs and living walls is expected to climb from $5.3 billion in 2011 to $7.7 billion in 2017, according to a report from Lux Research.
| Oct 25, 2012
Philadelphia councilmen move to crack down on contractors working without licenses, permits
Two Philadelphia city councilmen are trying to crack down on the "underground economy" of developers and contractors who work without licenses and permits, pay cash under the table, and operate unsafe job sites.
| Oct 25, 2012
OSHA and NIOSH offer Spanish version of nail gun safety document
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have made available a Spanish version of “Nail Gun Safety - A Guide for Construction Contractors.”
| Oct 25, 2012
AGC holding webinar on sequestration’s potential impacts on the construction industry
AGC will hold a free webinar on sequestration and its potential impact on federal construction contractors on Nov. 7.
