At Long Last, ASHRAE Standard 189 Is Here

After a tumultuous, three-year development process that included the disbanding and reorganization of the committee charged with its creation, the long-awaited first code-enforceable green building standard in the nation has been approved and published.

According to an estimate by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Standard 189.1 could lead to site energy savings between 10% and 34% over Standard 90.1-2007, based on the minimum prescriptive recommendations of the new standard—and possibly even higher, since further energy-saving measures were incorporated after the NREL inquiry.

While energy efficiency has been the most talked-about component of Standard 189.1, it also addresses the areas of site sustainability, water efficiency, indoor environmental quality, and a building’s impact on the atmosphere and natural resources.

– Andrea Ward