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Review of ‘Green’ Standard Resumes

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

ASRHAE announced the initiation of a new round of public review for Proposed Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

The proposed standard would be the “first code-intended commercial green-building standard in the United States,” with publication anticipated in early 2010, ASHRAE said. The standard is being developed by ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) in conjunction with the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) and the  U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

The newly announced public-review period—the fourth for the standard—is an “independent substantive change” review, meaning that only changes from the third public review, which ended in June, are open for comment. The public comment period started Sept. 18 and remains open until Nov. 2.

A copy of the public-review draft can be viewed at www.ashrae.org/publicreviews. Copies of public-review drafts are only available during public-review periods.

Significant revisions have been drafted in the proposed standard’s exterior light-pollution section, including elimination of the Total Site Lumen approach, and in the Outdoor Air Delivery Monitoring section, ASHRAE said.

The standard-development committee that is writing the document will meet again during the USGBC Greenbuild conference in November to review comments received during the public review.

“This is one of the most highly-anticipated building standards ever released,” said ASHRAE President Gordon Holness. “ASHRAE’s commitment to excellence and transparency in true consensus standards development is reflected in the quality of and interest in Standard 189.1.”