ASHRAE Publishes Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings

November 25, 2006 // Published as a news service by IHS

The guide offers energy efficiency guidance in many areas, including:

• Lighting.
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) efficiencies.
• Windows.
• Skylights.
• Envelope measures.

Unlike the ASHRAE Standard 90.1- Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, the guide provides equipment efficiencies by climate zone to take into account varying environmental factors, instead of having one number for the entire U.S.

"The purpose of the design guide is to provide a simple, prescriptive menu of options that will result in a building using 30% less energy than those constructed in accordance with the 1999 version of ASHRAE Standard 90.1, the foundation for energy efficiency in building codes throughout the United States," said Merle McBride, chairman of the committee overseeing the guide's creation.

The guide will be useful for designers looking to achieve a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), McBride said.

ASHRAE, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), USGBC, Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA) collaborated on the guide. The retail industry also provided the design guide's development team with input to ensure building owner perspectives were considered when forming design recommendations. To help in future editions, users of the guide will be able to provide feedback via an Internet link.

The guide is part of a series of ASHRAE publications that will progress toward providing net-zero energy designs for buildings of various types. The first publication in the series focused on small office buildings, and the next energy design guide will address K-12 schools.

The Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings is available to ASHRAE members for $49, and non-members for $59.

Source: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).