ASHRAE has released an updated version of the ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.2-2018, Energy-Efficient Design of Low-Rise Residential Buildings. The standard establishes a minimum whole-building energy performance requirement for ‘energy efficient’residential buildings. According to Plumbing & HVAC magazine, “The new standard outlines cost-effective residential building energy performance measures that are at least 50% more efficient than the older standard created in 2006.”
The last standard was last published in 2007. Changes to the new 2018 standard include:
- Clarification on compliance verification authority in locations outside of the U.S.
- Guidance on the use of international climate data from Standard 169 for users outside of the U.S.
- Clarification of which elements of the standard apply to new construction, additions and alterations
- New definitions and clarifications to existing definitions
- Clarification to prescriptive envelope performance data tables
- New performance specifications for ground-source heat pumps
- Revisions to emphasize key building data and reports necessary for compliance determination
- Clarification on minimum lighting efficiency provisions for single-family, large single-family, and multi-family homes
- Clarification on pool heater pilot lights, pump motor efficiency, and roof and gutter de-icing systems
- Clarification for modeling software requirements
- Clarification for lighting modeling requirements
- Clarifications to address multi-zonal building air-leakage testing procedures
- A new normative appendix that addresses proper installation techniques for critical components of buildings that provide thermal resistance.
The full text of the new standard can be accessed here.