For a practical approach to developing energy-efficient buildings, check out the new Advanced Energy Design Guide For Small Office Buildings from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). This new guide incorporates readily-available, “off-the-shelf” technology.
According to ASHRAE, the Advanced Energy Design Guide offers all the tools needed to create an energy-efficient building where the owners will see a 30% energy savings compared to buildings that only meet the minimum requirements of Standard 90.1.
The peer-reviewed Advanced Energy Design Guide presents a simple approach to energy design for contractors and designers of office buildings up to 20,000 sq.ft.
The Advanced Energy Design Guide includes:
- Easy to follow climate zones for every geographic region
- Recommendations for achieving energy efficiency credits for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)
- Bonus strategies for saving energy outside the building
- Ways to retrofit existing buildings and renovations.
The Advanced Energy Design Guide For Small Office Buildings was developed by a diverse group of energy professionals: ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), New Buildings Institute (NBI), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA).
Terry Townsend, president of Townsend Engineering, Chattanooga, TN and Panama City Beach, FL, told CB that the Advanced Energy Design Guide is particularly noteworthy in that it was developed in conjunction with a user group of contractors, architects, engineers, developers, and building owners. “That’s something we had never done before, and we feel like we came away with a very usable document,” he says. To order, contact ASHRAE at 800/527-4723 or visit ashrae.org.