Oct. 2, 2014: DOE Updates National Reference Standard for Commercial Buildings to 90.1-2013
States Required to Update Codes to Meet or Exceed 2013 Standard Within 2 Years
ATLANTA – Following preliminary analysis that ASHRAE/IES’s 2013 energy efficiency standard contains energy savings over the 2010 standard — 8.5 percent source energy savings and 7.6 site energy savings — the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a ruling that establishes the 2013 standard as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes.
In an announcement in the Sept. 26, 2014 edition of the Federal Register, DOE attributes the greater energy savings to improvements in "ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2013: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings" to changes in lighting, fans, commercial refrigeration, boilers, and more.