Guide aims to save energy in standard office buildings
February 2, 2005
By
Canadian Consulting Engineer
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is trying to make things sim...
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is trying to make things simpler for people designing small office buildings of up to 20,000 square feet.
While most green buildings are custom-designed and detailed to a minute degree, this guide suggests ways of designing more energy efficient buildings but using standardized and common approaches.
The Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings, says ASHRAE, "provides a sensible, hands-on approach to design through use of products that are off-the-shelf technology from major manufacturers."
The small office building represents the bulk of office space in the U.S. so there are opportunities for large greenhouse gas savings.
The guide is the first in a series of documents designed to provide recommendations for achieving 30 per cent energy savings over the minimum code requirements of ASHRAE Standard 90.1.
Ron Jarnagin, chair of the committeee that wrote the guide, says: “Opportunities exist for owners of small buildings to lower operating costs through use of off-the-shelf technology.” The guide, he says, “represents a clear methodology with adequate technical support.”
Visit www.ashrae.org, or call 1-800-527-4723 (U.S. and Canada)
