ASHRAE Journal - March 2010 - 41

was a member of SPC 90.1 in the 1980s, is past chair of the Standards Committee, was a member and chair of SSPC 90.2 from 1989 to 2000 and previously chaired the government affairs committee. He is a member of the Standards Advisory Committee and the ASHRAE Appeals Panel. Item Climate Zones (CZ) Compliance Paths 90.1-1989 38 Performance (U-factors) except for Wall Below Grade and Unheated Slabs Three levels per CZ – based on Internal Load Density One specification per CZ One specification per CZ 36 specifications per CZ One specification per CZ 90.1-1999 26 Prescriptive (R-values) and Performance (U-factors) for each opaque component Three Classes of Construction (CoC) per CZ Three specifications for three CoC per CZ Three specifications for three CoC per CZ Three CoC per CZ No criteria Building Characterization Roofs Light Weight Walls Mass Walls Walls Adjacent to 1992 Energy Policy Act and 90.1-1999 Unconditioned Space By Ronald E. Jarnagin, Member ASHRAE Below Grade Walls One specification per CZ Three CoC per CZ h e fall of 1992 marked a Three specifications for three CoC per Floors One specification per CZ pivotal moment in the hisCZ tory of Standard 90.1 with Slab-On-Grade Floors Unheated and Heated Unheated and Heated the passage of the U.S. Energy Two specifications for three CoC per Opaque Doors Included in wall criteria Policy Act of 1992. The Energy CZ Policy Act contained sweeping Vertical Fenestration Up to 132 options per CZ 10 specifications for three CoC per CZ provisions related to energy, in Included in Vertical Fenestraparticular, it contained a requireSkylights Six specifications for three CoC per CZ tion Criteria ment that all states must adopt energy codes for commercial Table 1: Major envelope changes between Standards 90.1-1989 and 90.1-1999. and high-rise multi-family residential buildings at least as stringent as Standard 90.1. This from approximately 20 to approximately 70 members during singular requirement effectively anointed Standard 90.1 as the the development period to help provide broader expertise and “law of the land.” Additionally, the Act required that states must to engage more of the materially affected parties. update their codes when Standard 90.1 was revised subsequent The development of Standard 90.1-1999 represented 10 years to a DOE determination that the new version of Standard 90.1 of effort on the part of the project committee that resulted in was more stringent than the old one. a complete revision of the 1989 version of the standard. The Prior to the passage of the Energy Policy Act, states were free process of revising began shortly after the 1989 standard was to adopt what they chose as energy codes. Once the act passed, published to address the major concerns raised by reviewers. the mandate from the federal government pushed the states into These concerns revolved around the need for greater stringency action. While the Act provided no real enforcement mechanism, of the standard and use of professional judgment by the project there was the possibility of federal funds being made available to committee for setting criteria. states to update their codes, provided that they met or exceeded The committee decided that economics would be used to help efficiency levels contained in the standard required by the act. establish the criteria, and a process was defined to apply the With Standard 90.1 having become a mandatory baseline, economics to the development criteria. A simplified National the interest of the industry in the standard was elevated Energy Model was developed to assess the energy savings posignificantly. As a result of the increased interest, increased tential of a new standard at various levels of stringency. Other participation by stakeholders was evident in the development changes in the 1999 Standard included a change to produce the of the 1999 Standard. The size of the project committee grew standard in enforceable language suitable for adoption into codes; T Standard 90.2-1993 published. Energy Code for Commercial and High-Rise Residential Buildings published, which was a codification of 90.1-1989. ASHRAE Special Project 52 develops criteria and procedures for development of wholebuilding energy design targets. Standard 90.1-1999 is published. It is written in clearer, mandatory, enforceable language. ASHRAE announces 90.1 will be a continuous maintenance standard. March 2010 ASHRAE Journal

ASHRAE Journal - March 2010

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - March 2010