ATLANTA, United States, 5 March 2024:  ASHRAE announced that it received a determination issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) stating that ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2022, Energy Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, will increase energy efficiency in commercial buildings subject to the code. 

Making the announcement through a Press release, ASHRAE said, the standard achieved this determination through the DOE’s technical analysis, which estimated that buildings meeting 90.1-2022 (as compared to the previous 2019 edition) would result in a national average site energy estimate savings increase from 9.8% to 14% (reference as “net” savings).

Ginger Scoggins, P.E., President, ASHRAE, said: “With the intensified demand for decreased energy consumption and carbon reductions in existing buildings, Standard 90.1 continues to offer essential guidance in shaping building regulations and amplified energy legislation. The DOE’s latest determination further solidifies Standard 90.1 as the cornerstone for achieving energy efficiency goals and ultimately moves us closer towards widescale, global building decarbonisation of the built environment.”

According to ASHRAE, the following are DOE’s estimates of national savings in commercial buildings:

• 9.8% site energy savings
• 9.4% source energy savings
• 9.3% carbon emissions savings

ASHRAE said Standard 90.1-2022 marks the first time onsite generation of renewable energy systems is incorporated as a prescriptive requirement of the standard, recognising the role of renewables in new construction, echoing similar requirements in several state and local building codes and better positioning new commercial buildings to achieve net zero energy in the future. ASHRAE also said that other key changes include customisable energy credits, a new mechanical system efficiency performance option, requirements to address thermal bridging, expanded criteria for whole-building air-leakage testing, updated lighting power allowances, and additional guidance for using emissions in addition to traditional site, source and cost-based metrics. Furthermore, ASHRAE said that states are required to certify within two years of DOE’s affirmative determination that the provisions of its commercial building code regarding energy efficiency have been reviewed and, as necessary, updated to meet or exceed the updated edition of Standard 90.1.

ASHRAE said that more information about DOE’s model energy code determination, including specific requirements and deadlines, can be found at energycodes.gov/determinations.