The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) in conjunction with the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) recently announced the introduction of a high-performance building standard and a stronger version of Standard 90.1, both being released next year. Together will provide a total green resource for local and state governments looking to set building code requirements to reduce energy use. It is estimated that the 2010 standard will result in 25 to 30 percent energy savings over the 2004 version.

Proposed Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is slated to be the first code-intended commercial green building standard in the United States when published early in 2010. It covers key topic areas typically included in green building rating systems, such as site sustainability, water use efficiency, energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials and resources.

“Both standards are written in mandatory language to allow for adoption with building codes,” Gordon Holness, ASHRAE president, said. “They are being developed using the widely respected American National Standards Institute consensus procedures. As such, their strength comes from the volunteer committee of experts from all facets of the building industry. In addition, the requirements in the draft standard were strengthened through the public review process with input from a variety of building industry professional.”

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