States to Use 90.1-2010 by Oct. 18, 2013

ASHRAE's Washington office is reporting that the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has determed that ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, saves more energy than Standard 90.1-2007. Specifically, DOE found national source energy savings of approximately 18.2%, and site energy savings of approximately 18.5%, when comparing the 2010 and 2007 versions of Standard 90.1. As a result of this week's DOE final determination, states are required to certify by Oct. 18, 2013 that that have reviewed the provisions of their commercial building code regarding energy efficiency and updated their code to meet or exceed Standard 90.1-2010.

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Source: ASHRAE

Improving IEQ in U.S. Office Buildings Could Bring Billions in Economic Benefits

Increasing ventilation rates in U.S. office buildings would reduce sick building syndrome (SBS) symptoms and absences, improve work performance, and provide billions of dollars in annual economic benefits in the U.S., according to a recent study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. A second study found that four remedial measures in U.S. offices—increasing low ventilation rates, improving temperature controls so that offices don't get too hot in winter, performing dampness and mold remediation, and adding economizers—would reduce adverse health effects and health-care costs, decrease absence rates, improve thermal comfort, and improve work performance. The projected societal economic benefits of non-overlapping combinations of the remedial measures range from $17 billion to $26 billion per year.

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Source: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Photo: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory