ATLANTA - The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has announced the availability of a new user’s manual to educate industry professionals on how to meet the requirements of the recently published Standard 189.1-2009, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

Standard 189.1 was published earlier this year by ASHRAE in conjunction with the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The standard provides a green building foundation for those looking to design, build, and operate green buildings.

“Because of the breadth of the key topic areas covered in the standard - site sustainability, water use efficiency, energy ef­ficiency, indoor environmental quality, and the building’s impact on the atmosphere, materials, and resources - it is important for users to have a thorough understanding of how they come together to create a sustainable building,” said Kent Peterson, former chair of the Standard 189.1 committee. “The User’s Manual aids architects and engineers in applying the standard to design; general and specialty contractors in constructing buildings that are in compliance; and plan examiners and field inspectors in enforcing the standard where adopted into code.”

The new User’s Manual provides explanations of the standard’s requirements and examples of its application. It contains sample calculations, forms to demonstrate compliance and references to helpful resources and websites. ASHRAE said the User’s Manual can also be suitable for use in educational programs.

For complete information on the standard, including a readable copy, visit www.ashrae.org/greenstandard.

Standard 189.1 also serves as a jurisdictional compliance option to the International Green Construction Code authored by the International Code Council, ASTM International, and the American Institute of Architects.

The cost of the Standard 189.1 User’s Manual is $93 ($79, ASHRAE members). To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 404-321-5478, or visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore.

Publication date: 12/06/2010