COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, ADDITIONS AND ALTERATIONS

2008 Nonresidential and High-Rise Residential Standards

New construction, additions and alterations which are not low-rise residential occupancies fall within the Nonresidential Standards which cover all commercial buildings, hotel/motel and high-rise residential occupancies. There are separate requirements for the building envelope, the lighting system and the mechanical system(s). We will evaluate whether an alteration triggers the need for an energy code analysis, and if so, we will suggest the best approach to take in demonstrating building compliance.

• Nonresidential buildings such as offices, retail spaces, restaurants, schools, warehouses, and theaters, plus high-rise residential (i.e., four habitable stories or more) occupancies, hotels and motels, must meet all applicable requirements of the Nonresidential Standards.
• Energy trade-offs between the building envelope, indoor lighting and mechanical systems are allowed under the performance approach. The Existing+Addition+Alteration performance approach is also an option when an addition or alteration does not comply with the standards by itself.

One of our special skills is to sort out complex permit scenarios in which, for example, several alterations are permitted as well as multiple additions in different mechanical zones. We carefully review each project and decide which approach to use in demonstrating and documenting compliance.

The 2008 Nonresidential Standards include some important changes from the 2005 energy code:

• Greater weighting of electricity use during peak hours (i.e., increasing Time Dependent Valuation energy credits and penalties during summer afternoons).
• More stringent prescriptive insulation requirements, especially for standard wood frame and metal frame exterior walls.
• Prescriptive U-values for glass skylights with a curb and plastic skylights have been tightened to U=1.11, the equivalent of a double pane, thermal break metal frame product.
• Prescriptive SHGCs for all plastic skylights and some glass skylights have been made more stringent.
• New equations available to calculate the U-values and SHGCs for skylights and site-built fenestration provide an alternative to NFRC-rating for those products. This alternative is only allowed in buildings with less than 10,000 square feet total skylights plus site-built fenestration.
• Revised prescriptive Cool Roof requirements for low-slope and steep-slope roofs.
• More stringent envelope requirements for alterations.
• Prescriptive requirement for gas water heating.
• Changes in the definition of daylit areas and prescriptive requirements for daylighting controls under certain circumstances.
• Reductions in prescriptive general lighting wattage in some occupancies, and reductions in wall and floor display lighting.
• Revisions to the Certificates of Compliance (PERF-1C, ENV-1C, MECH-1C, LTG-1C, OLTG-1C and SLTG-1C) forms to facilitate better field inspection; revised Acceptance forms; and new Installation forms.