Development of Revised Energy Standards for Texas Buildings: Preliminary Results

Abstract

In 1977, the State of Texas published a two-part Energy Conservation Manual to aid designers, builders, and contractors in the design of energy-efficient state buildings. Under the sponsorship of the Governor's Energy Management Center, the Center for Energy Studies (CES) at The University of Texas at Austin is revising and updating the nonresidential building portion of the Energy Conservation Manual. The proposed revision is a Texas-specific adaptation of ASHRAE Standard 90.1P ("Energy Efficient Design of New Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings"). These modifications include editorial changes, such as deletion of criteria that do not apply to Texas climates, as well as improved envelope criteria and the addition of HVAC system performance criteria. This paper documents the approach taken in the development of the revised Texas standards. Preliminary results are presented for the new envelope calculation procedures that will be included in the compliance software. This software will parallel that provided for the envelope and lighting sections in the ASHRAE Standard and will ultimately extend the standard to include a performance-based approach for HVAC systems and whole-building Energy Targets.