This chapter summarizes the whole building performance approach to compliance. It includes a discussion of computer methods, the procedures involved in determining the energy budget and the proposed building’s energy use, and how to plan check performance compliance. The basic procedure is to show that the Time Dependent Valuation (TDV) energy of the proposed design is less than or equal to the TDV energy of the standard design, where the standard design is a building with the same geometry as the proposed design, but the features are defined by the prescriptive package requirements.
The performance method is the most detailed and flexible compliance path. The energy performance of a proposed building design can be calculated according to actual building geometry and site placement. Credit for certain energy features, such as a high efficiency mechanical system, cannot be taken in the prescriptive approach, but can be evaluated with an approved compliance software program.
The contents of this chapter are organized as follows:
•Section 11.2 describes the performance method changes made for the 2013 code cycle.
•Section 11.3 describes the basic concepts and procedures used to demonstrate compliance, including the rules used to generate the annual energy budget.
•Section 11.4 reviews the basic scenarios for compliance, including cases when the permit application includes less than a whole building such as an alteration or an addition.
•Section 11.5 outlines the enforcement and compliance process, including the plan check documents required when using the performance approach.