The guide offers energy efficiency guidance in areas that include lighting, HVAC efficiencies, windows, skylights and envelope measures. A major difference from Standard 90.1 is that the guide provides equipment efficiencies by climate zone to take into account varying environmental factors, instead of having one number for the entire United States, according to ASHRAE.
"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," says Merle McBride, chairman of the committee overseeing the book’s creation. "Those looking to achieve a LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) will find this guide particularly useful."
The guide, intended for retail spaces up to 20,000 square feet, resulted from collaboration among ASHRAE, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) and the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
The retail industry provided guidance to the guide’s development team 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, says ASHRAE.
ASHRAE says the guide is part of a series that will foster 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, according to ASHRAE.
"This is a long-term endeavor by ASHRAE," says McBride. "ASHRAE is focusing on improving the energy efficiency of the nation’s building stock, targeting where the greatest energy–saving impact can be achieved."
