Newly Revised Standard 90.2 Includes New Performance
Specifications, More

From eSociety, December 2018

The newest version of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.2-2018, Energy-Efficient Design of Low-Rise Residential Buildings, seeks to deliver residential building energy performance that is at least 50% more efficient than the energy efficiency defined by the 2006 IECC.

ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.2 establishes minimum whole-building energy performance requirements (design, construction and verification) for energy-efficient residential buildings.

The standard was last updated in 2007.

Updates to the 2018 edition include:

• New definitions and clarifications to existing definitions

• Clarification of which elements of the standard apply to new construction, additions and alterations

• Guidance on the use of international climate data from Standard 169 for users outside of the U.S.

• Clarification to prescriptive envelope performance data tables

• New performance specifications for ground-source heat pumps

• Clarification on minimum lighting efficiency provisions for single-family, large single-family, and multi-family homes

• Clarification on pool heater pilot lights, pump motor efficiency, and roof and gutter de-icing systems

• Clarification on compliance verification authority in locations outside of the U.S.

• Revisions to emphasize key building data and reports necessary for compliance determination

• Clarification for modeling software requirements

• Clarification for lighting modeling requirements

• Clarifications to address multi-zonal building air-leakage testing procedures

• A new normative appendix that addresses proper installation techniques for critical components of buildings that provide thermal resistance.