ASHRAE redesigned its building decarbonization webpage and released a new Building Performance Standards Technical Resource Guide.
The ASHRAE Task Force For Building Decarbonization (TFBD) webpage includes technical resources, information, videos and publications to expedite the adoption of climate change mitigation policies and reaffirms the society’s goals stated in the ASHRAE Vision 2022 Report, approved by ASHRAE’s board of directors, as well as the ASHRAE Position Document on Building Decarbonization, to achieve net zero GHG emissions in operation for all new buildings by 2030.
Additional features of the redesigned Building Decarbonization webpage include:
- Descriptions of seven new guidebooks focused on building decarbonization.
- A list of related outside decarbonization resources.
- A list of key decarbonization terminology.
The newly released Building Performance Standards (BPS): A Technical Resource Guide was created to provide a technical basis for policymakers, building owners, practitioners and other stakeholders interested in developing and implementing a BPS policy. The first in a series of seven guidebooks by ASHRAE on building decarbonization, this guide focuses on reducing building operating energy use and resulting emissions in existing commercial and multifamily buildings, as established by leading U.S. cities and states. Jointly developed by ASHRAE, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and its national laboratories, the BPS guide is meant to provide the information needed to make informed policy design decisions that drive deeper existing building decarbonization and provide equitable outcomes for all involved.
Highlighted topics covered in the guide include:
- BPS Metrics and Terminology
- Performance Targets
- Major Policy Considerations
- Analysis Methods for BPS Policy Design
“So much collaboration brought this guide to fruition, which we hope will establish some much-needed consistency across the buildings industry to set these types of goals and targets—and then work toward meeting them,” said DOE’s Harry Bergmann, who led DOE’s involvement in the collaborative effort. “These methodologies and approaches are a critical starting point for moving our building stock toward a high-performance, decarbonized future, and we’re intentionally doing everything we can to reduce the barriers stakeholders have to engage with this content wherever possible.”
ASHRAE recently strengthened building decarbonization components of ASHRAE standards, including in ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2022, Energy Efficiency Standard for Sites and Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings and to reach net-zero-energy by 2031.
