The process to develop the 2013 Standards began with a call for ideas in winter of 2010, moved through a series of IOU Sponsored stakeholder meetings throughout the state, Energy Commission staff workshops and Energy Commission hearings in 2011 through 2012 and concluded at the adoption hearing on May 23, 2012. Energy Commission staff, contractors, utilities and many others participated in the process. The following paragraphs summarize the principle changes that resulted.
Revisions to the administrative §10-103 sets the format and informational order for electronic compliance document registration and submittal and for electronic retention of compliance documentation, including the nonresidential forms, for future use and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of the documentation author and the responsible person;
1. §10-109 describes the rules for approving compliance software, alternative component packages, exceptional methods, data registries and related data input software, or electronic document repositories.
2. §10-111 describes the rules for reporting fenestration U-factor, SHGC, and VT.
3. §110.3(c)5 explains the requirements for the water heating recirculation loops serving multiple dwelling units, high-rise residential, hotel/motel, and nonresidential occupancies.
4. Revisions to §110.9 now covers ballasts and luminaires and residential vacancy sensors.
1. Increased low-slope cool roof requirements (increase reflectance from 0.55 to 0.63 for new construction and alterations). (§140.3(a)1Aia1).
2. Established a maximum air leakage rate (0.04 cfm/sf) except in mild climate zones. (§140.3(a)9B).
3. Increased fenestration requirements to reduce solar gains and increase visual transmittance for daylighting; 0.36 U-factor, 0.25 SHGC, VT 0.42 for fixed windows; the numbers are different for operable windows and skylights. (§140.3(a)5B,C & D).
4. Fenestration. The Standards now include Dynamic Glazing, Window Films and new maximum values for Visible Transmittance (VT). New Dynamic Glazing, Window Films requirements and changes are in the Reference Nonresidential Appendix NA6 and NA7.4.
5. Added mandatory Roof insulation requirements and minimum insulation for demising walls. (§110.8(e) & (f)).
Lighting
1. Clarification and simplification of existing language; removing exceptions no longer relevant. (§130.0-130.5, 140.6-140.8).
2. Lighting control devices moving from Title 24 Part 6 to Title 20; Lighting control systems shall now be acceptance tested for Title 24. (§110.9(b) & §130.4(a)).
3. Nonresidential indoor lighting, advanced multi-level lighting controls (controllable ballasts) increased in granularity ('in addition to ON/OFF, increasing from one intermediate level to three intermediate levels for or continuous dimming), favoring dimmable ballasts for linear fluorescent lighting systems. These controls will allow precise and non-interruptive adjustment of lighting to match the available daylighting, and provide dimming and demand response function throughout the building. (§130.1(a) 2C) & §130.1(b).
4. Enhancing, modifying, and adding to the prescriptive and mandatory daylighting control requirements; daylighting language significantly simplified. (§130.1(d) & (§140.6(d)).
5. Requirements for demand responsive reduction of lighting power being applied to smaller spaces. (§130.1(e)).
6. Mandatory Automated Lighting Controls and Switching Requirements in Warehouses and Libraries - Require the installation of occupancy sensors in warehouse aisle ways and open spaces, and library stack aisles. (§130.1(c)6A & B).
7. Mandatory automated lighting controls and switching requirements for hotels and multifamily building corridors - Require the installation of occupancy sensors in corridors and stairwells in lodging and multifamily buildings. (§130.1(c)6C).
8. New mandatory occupancy sensor and daylighting controls in parking garage spaces. (§130.1(d)3).
9. Increased requirements for multi-level lighting controls for nonresidential outdoor lighting. (§130.2(c)3B).
10. Alternate path to comply with existing outdoor lighting cutoff (shielding) requirements, phasing in the new Backlight, Uplight, Glare (BUG) requirements. (§130.2(b)).
11. Reduction of allowed lighting power density for some nonresidential indoor and outdoor lighting applications. (§140.6(c) and §140.7(d))
12. Tailored lighting revisions - Reduce the allowed LPD for Floor Display, Wall Display, and Ornamental Lighting under the Tailored Compliance. §140.6(c)3I, J & K).
13. Plug Load Circuit Controls - requiring automatic shut-off controls of electric circuits that serve plug loads, including task lightings, in office buildings. (§130.5(d)1).
14. Hotel/Motel Guest Room Occupancy Controls for HVAC and lighting systems - would require installation of occupancy controls for HVAC equipment, and all lighting fixtures in hotel/motel guest rooms, including plug-in lighting. (§120.2(e)4 & §130.1(c)8).
15. Reduction of threshold when lighting alterations must comply with the Standards, from when 50% of the luminaires are replaced, to when 10% of the luminaires are replaced. Consistent with proposed changes to ASHRAE 90.1-2010. (§141.0(b)2I & J).
Mechanical
1. Added requirements for Fan Control and Integrated Economizers. Packaged units down to 6 tons must be VAV with the ability to modulate cooling capacity to 20% of maximum. Economizers must also be able to modulate cooling capacity to match VAV units. (§140.4(c) & (e))
2. Reduced ability for HVAC systems to reheat conditioned air. (§140.4(d))
3. Increased chiller efficiency requirements, consistent with ASHRAE 90.1-2010. (§140.4(i))
4. Increased cooling tower energy efficiency and WATER Savings. (§140.4(k)2)
5. Added requirements for commercial boiler combustion controls. (§140.4(k)3)
6. Added acceptance tests for HVAC sensors and controls, including those for demand controlled ventilation. (§120.5(a))
7. Added efficiency requirements for small motors. (§140.4(c)4)
8. Added credit for evaporative systems that meet the Western Cooling Efficiency Challenge (WCEC program to acknowledge high energy and water efficiency in evaporative systems).
9. Moving Fault Detection and Diagnostics (FDD) protocols for air temperature, economizers, damper modulation, and excess outdoor air to mandatory measures from the current compliance option. (§120.2(i))
Electrical
1. Added mandatory requirement for receptacle controls in private offices, open office areas, reception lobbies, conference rooms, kitchens, and copy rooms to automatically shut off task lighting and other plug loads when the area is not occupied. (§130.5(d)).
2. Added mandatory requirement for electrical panels to be isolated by energy end use (e.g. lighting, HVAC, plug loads). (§130.5(b)2).
Covered Processes
The 2013 Standards now cover some specific process energy applications, such as supermarket refrigeration, refrigerated warehouses, commercial kitchen ventilation requirements, laboratory exhaust, parking garage ventilation, compressed air, and computer rooms. Definitions for Covered Processes and Exempt Processes were added. Covered Processes are defined as processes for which there are listed requirements. All other processes are Exempt Processes. Specific requirements for Covered Processes are in separate sections (§120.6 Mandatory and §140.9 Prescriptive). It should be noted that the HVAC equipment efficiencies in §110.1 and §110.2 also apply to Covered Processes. In the 2013 Standards, the Covered Processes include:
1. Increased mandatory requirements for refrigerated warehouses (§120.6(a))
2. Added mandatory requirements for commercial supermarket refrigeration (§120.6(b)).
3. Added mandatory ventilation control requirements for parking garages (§120.6(c)).
4. Added mandatory requirements for process boilers (§120.6(d))
5. Added mandatory requirements for storage and unloading for compressed air systems (§120.6(e)).Added prescriptive requirements for HVAC systems serving computer rooms (§140.9(a)).
6. Added prescriptive ventilation control requirements for commercial kitchens (§140.9(b)).
7. Added prescriptive requirements for variable air volume for laboratory exhaust systems. (§140.9(c)).
Solar Ready
1. Added mandatory requirements for nonresidential buildings (3 stories or less) to make provisions to more easily enable the future addition of solar electric or solar water heating systems. (§110.10(a)4).
Commissioning
1. Moved Part 11 commissioning requirements to Part 6 for energy-related building components. (§120.8).
2. Added mandatory requirements for design-phase commissioning, which includes an early review of design intent documents and highlighting efficiency specifications in both construction documents and Standards compliance forms. (§120.8(d)).
Compliance Option
Hybrid Evaporative Cooling Systems in Nonresidential Buildings.