ASHRAE Releases Next Advanced Energy Design Guide

Buildings designers are one step closer to a net-zero energy building.

Published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings is the second in a series of publications that cover various types of building construction. Intended for use by builders, contractors and architects, the guide covers energy-efficient design for retail buildings up to 20,000 square feet.

"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, chairperson 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 offers energy efficiency guidance in many areas, including 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.

The guide resulted from collaboration among ASHRAE, the Department of Energy, 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.

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.

"This is a long-term endeavor by ASHRAE," said 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."

The cost of the Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Retail Buildings is $59 ($49, ASHRAE members). To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide) or visit the ASHRAE.org Bookstore at www.ashrae.org.