ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2022 - 25

Design Conditions database (http://ashrae-meteo.info/
v2.0/) are given.
Implications for the Built Environment
For much of the world, the signifi cant climatic changes
anticipated for Portland, Ore., (future climatic analog: San
Antonio, Texas) are much more typical than the somewhat
lesser ones for Jacksonville, Fla. (future climatic analog:
Orlando, Fla.). To illustrate, ASHRAE 2-percent monthly
design conditions are shown in Table 2. Undoubtedly,
these changing conditions will make the design and
operation of commercial buildings more of a challenge,
a challenge compounded by factors related to climaticdata
acquisition, code development, code adoption, and
misapplication of mechanical-design elements.
For large commercial buildings with low internal heat
loads, such as warehouses and light-manufacturing facilities,
climatic conditions can have an outsized impact on
building performance. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 169-2021
defi nes design conditions for more than 5,500 locations
worldwide. Also, it provides climate zones (e.g., 4A,
2B) that enable easy characterization and comparison
of thermal and moisture conditions. At the same time,
however, it relies on historical averages from the previous
30 years. In decades past,
when climates were not
changing as rapidly, this
would not have been an
issue. But a building with
a projected lifespan of 50
years const ructed today
l i kely wi l l exper ience
environmental conditions
dramatically different from
those of the 1990s through
the 2010s used in its design.
This problem will only
be compounded by lags in
the development of standards
and the adoption of
standards into building
codes. Take, for example,
ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard
90.1, Energy Standard
www.amca.org
for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings,
which is on a three-year publication cycle and adoption of
which can vary widely. As of this writing, only 19 states
have adopted ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2016 or
an equivalent later standard (e.g., the 2018 International
Energy Conservation Code, the 2018 Washington State
Energy Code, the 2019 California Energy Code), while
12 either have no commercial building code or are using
ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010 or an earlier
equivalent standard.6 While current codes and standards
are based on measures and methods proven in the recent
past, the requirements and guidelines they set forth may
not be as effective under future climatic conditions.
For a representative grocery store in San Francisco,
researchers from the University of California, Berkeley's
Center for the Built Environment (CBE) evaluated the
performance of 57 energy-conservation measures using
both current and future climatic conditions. Of the 57
measures studied, only 24 were deemed effective under
current conditions. Of those 24, only 15 were deemed
effective under future conditions. (Interestingly, 10 of 14
measures deemed ineffective under current conditions
were found to be more effective under future conditions.)7
The study shows just how dramatically conditions can
High-volume-low-speed (HVLS) air-circulating fan installed in a conditioned
offi ce. Photograph courtesy of Big Ass Fans
2022 AMCA inmot ion 25
http://www.ashrae-meteo.info/v2.0/ http://www.ashrae-meteo.info/v2.0/ http://www.amca.org
ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal Supplement - AMCA InMotion - November 2022
