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AMCA introduces tools to aid transition to Fan Energy Index

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois, 2 August 2021: AMCA International introduced tools to aid transition to the Fan Energy Index. The body did so against the backdrop of recent developments related to energy efficiency in the United States.

On July 28, the US Department of Energy (DOE) issued determinations that the 2019 edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, and the 2021 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) “will achieve greater energy efficiency in buildings subject to the code” and “will improve energy efficiency in residential buildings,” respectively. Upon publication of these affirmative determinations, the DOE said, states in the country must review and certify their building codes relative to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2019 and the 2021 IECC.

As states begin to examine and update their energy codes, some are adopting an earlier edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1 (2016 or 2013) or the IECC (2018 or 2015), AMCA said. In so doing, they are prolonging the use of fan efficiency grade (FEG) as the metric for efficiency provisions for commercial and industrial fans and blowers, AMCA said. FEG, which the DOE concluded in an as-yet-unfinished rulemaking is not an appropriate metric for a federal appliance/equipment regulation, was replaced by Fan Energy Index (FEI) for ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2019 and the 2021 IECC, AMCA said, adding that it advises states adopting earlier editions of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1 and the IECC to “leapfrog” the outdated FEG metric to take advantage of the energy-saving, compliance-easing FEI.

For example, Florida, which on December 31 became the first state to adopt FEI when the seventh (2020) edition of Florida Building Code: Energy Conservation was published, adopted the 2018 IECC, but the 2021 IECC fan-efficiency provision, AMCA pointed out.

“Florida has set the example of how to leapfrog model-energy-code provisions to avoid prolonging the use of an outdated metric,” Aaron Gunzner, Senior Manager, Advocacy, AMCA International, said. “To help other states achieve the goal of phasing in the new FEI metric, AMCA International has, with permission from ASHRAE and the International Code Council, developed templates with exact strike-out/underline language.”

Additionally, to describe the rationale for and the benefits of changing metrics, AMCA said it recently updated its Advocacy Brief: New Fan Energy Index (FEI) Metric and Scope for Energy Codes, a document for code officials and others considering proposals to transition from FEG to FEI.

Formalized in ANSI/AMCA Standard 208-18, Calculation of the Fan Energy Index, FEI considers the effects of motors and drives, not just fans, and aids the right-sizing of fan systems for the conditions they will operate in, AMCA said. In addition to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2019 and the 2021 IECC, it added, FEI has replaced FEG in:

  • 2021 International Green Construction Code (IgCC)
  • ANSI/ASHRAE/ICC/USGBC/IES 189.1-2020, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings

AMCA recommended visiting www.amca.org/FEI, to download the templates and to view Advocacy Brief: New Fan Energy Index (FEI) Metric and Scope for Energy Codes. The microsite, AMCA said, additionally includes links to related codes and standards, technical articles and white papers, webinar recordings, and presentations.

ASHRAE, IUVA sign MoU

ATLANTA, Georgia, 12 May 2021: ASHRAE and the International Ultraviolet Association (IUVA) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalizing the relationship between the two organizations, ASHRAE said through a Press release.

Charles E Gulledge III, 2020-21 ASHRAE President, and Ron Hofmann, President, IUVA, signed the MoU in April to further specify the path forward, ASHRAE said. The agreement defines parameters by which ASHRAE and IUVA will work cooperatively to promote the advancement of emerging research and technologies to support a more sustainable built-environment, ASHRAE further said.

“Establishing and maintaining improved indoor environmental quality is the bedrock of ASHRAE’s sustainability mission, and the use of ultraviolet technology is a critical component towards addressing the challenges of minimizing the spread of infectious diseases,” Gulledge said. “We are pleased to partner with IUVA, as we collectively support research and new innovations to further our vision on a sustainable built environment for all.”

Hofmann added: “With a focus on the science and engineering of UV technology, IUVA members are pleased to have the opportunity to partner with ASHRAE to enhance the knowledge base and application of UV in the built environment. While the technology is already well established, the urgency of addressing the global pandemic has raised the profile of UV, and our partnership with ASHRAE promises to help develop the necessary data, protocols, guidelines, and standards to ensure its continued effective, safe use.”

According to ASHRAE, the MoU includes, but is not limited to, the following initiatives related to development of ANSI certifiable standards and related source documents:

  • Test and measurements on specific pathogens across a specified light spectrum (e.g., antimicrobial UV-C: 200nm – 280nm) and in specified mediums (e.g., aerosols, large droplets, surface – dry & wet, in aqueous solution, pristine & soiled)
  • Test and measurements on efficacy outcomes for antimicrobial UV-C devices and systems in specified, well defined testing environments (e.g., simulated hospital rooms, equipped and arranged in a standardized configuration, with predetermined numbers and locations of sampling points)
  • Test and measurements on efficacy outcomes for antimicrobial UV-C devices and systems installed in ‘upper room’ HVAC applications
  • Standards and guidelines that establish the minimum requirements for commissioning permanently installed UV antimicrobial systems in existing and newly constructed facilities
  • Standard and guidelines for the application of UV disinfection of water used in cooling towers to control spread of bacteria, such as Legionella, algae and fungi into the building HVAC system

ASHRAE said that in addition to these research and publication development initiatives, ASHRAE’s and IUVA’s other areas of potential collaboration include general advocacy, joint conferences and meetings, consistent leadership communication, education and professional development, technical activities coordination and research.

ASHRAE publishes updated health care facility ventilation standard

ATLANTA, Georgia, 11 May 2021: ASHRAE has released an updated edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/ASHE Standard 170, Ventilation of Health Care FacilitiesMaking the announcement through a Press release, ASHRAE said the standard offers guidance, regulation and mandates to designers of health care facilities.

The 2021 edition, ASHRAE said, delivers critical guidance for designers and operators of these front-line facilities and incorporates 17 addenda to the 2017 edition of the standard.

According to ASHRAE, changes include:

  • Expanded requirements to allow airborne infectious isolation room exhaust discharge to general exhaust under certain conditions
  • Revised scope, with improved guidance on thermal comfort conditions
  • Extensive modifications to address the Outpatient and Residential sections
  • Extensive revisions to air filtration requirements
  • Addition of new columns in the ventilation tables to prescribe filtration requirement and designate unoccupied turndown
  • Expanded guidance on separation distance requirements for varied intake and exhaust arrangements, coordinating with related ASHRAE Standard 62.1 data
  • Improved guidance related to behavioral and mental health
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