Feb. 17, 2015: ASHRAE/USGBC/IES to Develop Biomass Requirements for Green Building Standard
Committee Intends to Work on a Definition of Biomass as Well as Requirements on the Use of Biomass
ATLANTA — Biomass requirements are being explored by ASHRAE, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) for inclusion in their green building standard. ASHRAE/IES/USGBC Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings, contains minimum requirements for siting, design, and construction of high-performance green buildings to help reduce building energy and resource consumption. Thus, the standard contains requirements for the use of renewable energy, such as solar, wind, and geothermal.
The Standard 189.1 Committee recently considered a proposal to add biomass to the definition of renewable energy systems, which was submitted by an interested individual from outside the committee. In this context, biomass includes organic material, such as wood and crop waste, that can be burned to generate thermal energy.