ASHRAE has released a new standard to measure whether a building or group of buildings meets the definition of “zero net energy” or “zero net carbon” during operation. The standard draws from the previous ASHRAE standard 105 to address energy and carbon flows, measurement, and balance across a site boundary.
Meanwhile, similarly to the “zero net carbon” goals, the EU also proposed that buildings move to zero emissions by 2030.
Definitions and Features
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 228-2023, Standard Method of Evaluating Zero Net Energy and Zero Net Carbon Building Performance, tells whether a building or group of buildings meets the “zero net energy” or “zero net carbon” requirements during operation.
Keith Emerson, P.E., Life Member of ASHRAE, chair of the Standards Project Committee 228, said that many people considered achieving a zero energy building is a difficult goal, because there are unforeseeable roadblocks and differing guidance. Standard 228 provides a consistent method of deciding whether new and existing sites have reached zero energy. “We hope this standard will become a helpful resource for building professionals in strategic decarbonization planning,” added Emerson.
Standard 228 includes 3 main features:
● Allowances for sites that lack the means to produce adequate renewable energy while placing additional requirements on the use of external carbon and renewable energy in the calculation.
● Defined calculation of energy in terms of source—a multiplier on the energy crossing the site boundary including energy used or lost in extraction, generation, and transit to the site.
● The main energy calculation made in terms of annual average factors. Allowance is made for the calculation of individual hours where data is available.
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About ASHRAE
ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, is an American professional association that seeks to advance heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems design and construction. Founded in 1894, ASHRAE has now become a global professional society committed with more than 50,000 members in over 130 countries worldwide. Its members include building services engineers, architects, mechanical contractors, building owners, equipment manufacturers' employees, and others concerned with the design and construction of HVAC&R systems in buildings. ASHRAE and its members are committed to serving humanity by advancing the arts and sciences of HVAC&R and the allied fields, promoting a healthy and sustainable built environment for all, through strategic partnerships with organizations in the HVAC&R community and across related industries.
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Who Uses ASHRAE Standards
ASHRAE standards are often referenced in building codes and are used by consulting engineers, mechanical contractors, architects, and government agencies. They are widely regarded as best practices for architects and engineers worldwide. The standards are not mandatory, just that they are considered minimum design standards.
What’s worth mentioning is, the European Commission has also proposed that EU countries will move from the current nearly zero-energy building (NZEB) to zero-emission building (ZEB) by 2030. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive further requires that EU countries have to ensure that all new buildings were nearly zero-energy by the end of 2020 while all new public buildings had to be nearly zero-energy after 31 December 2018.
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What Opportunities to Grasp
It’s high time that global designers take into account up-to-date standards on currently designed or future buildings. Especially in designing HVAC&R systems, make sure the building meets the “zero net energy” or a definition of “zero net carbon” requirements. While product suppliers can also work on product innovation and production with less or zero carbon emission. Building owners, project owners, and developers can also evaluate designers’ experience and knowledge based on the ASHRAE standards on the buildings and decide the best candidate for the projects complying with local codes and standards.
Reference: 1. Building Design+Construction 2. ASHRAE 3. Wikipedia 4. European Commission
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