A major international ASHRAE standard aimed at ensuring energy efficiency in residential buildings is being revised, with the hopes of improving it significantly.

The ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 90.2: Energy Efficient Design of Low-rise Residential Buildings provides minimum requirements for such building designs and is adhered to throughout the Middle East and worldwide. Originally written by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), the revised version will be a joint effort between ASHRAE and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES).

The aim is to strengthen requirements in Standard 90.2 following a recommendation in 2009 by ASHRAE’s board of directors for the Standard to ensure 30% more efficiency than the 2004 version and include both a prescriptive and a performance path. The standard will be written in an easy-to-understand format that is simple to use. An advisory public review of the Standard is planned for late 2010 to determine whether proposed changes will meet the construction industry needs.

“By identifying ways for this major market to reduce energy use and costs, we serve the public and increase our energy security,” says ASHRAE President Lynn Bellenger.

“IES will contribute expertise in providing ways to achieve energy savings through lighting in this important market segment that consumes…approximately 15% of residential electricity consumption,” says IES director of technology Rita Harrold.

“The challenge here will be to achieve savings while still providing a quality environment to satisfy occupant needs," Harrold says.