Energy codes and the building design process: Opportunities for improvement

Abstract

This reportis one in a series of documents describing research activities in support of the U.S. Departmentof Energy (DOE) Building Energy Standards Program. The Pacific Northwest Laboratory(PNL) leads the program for DOE. The goal of the program is to develop and encourage the implementationof perrefinance standardsto achieve the maximum practicableenergy efficiency in the design of new buildings. Such standardsare requiredof DOE by Title III of the Energy _ation and ProductionAct (42 USC 6831 et seq.) as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (1)ublicLaw 102-486). The program apptme.hto meeting the goal is to initiate and manage individual •. researchand stamtatdsand guidelines development efforts thatare planned and conducted in mopegation with represmtafives from throughoutthe buildings conammity. Projects under way involve practicing architectsand engineers, professionalsocieties and code organizations, industry representatives,and from the private sector and nationallaboratories. Research results and technicaljustifications for standardscriteria are provided to standards development and model code organizations and to Federal, State, and local jurisdictions as a basis to update their codes and standards. Tiffs effort helps to ensure thatbuilding standardsincotl)orate the latest research results to achieve maximummergy savings in new buildings, yet remain responsive to the needs of the affected professions, organizations, and jurisdictiom. Our efforts also support the implementation,deployment, and use of energy-efficient codes and standards. This report documentsfindings from results of a survey thatPNL conducted of aschite_ and dmigners to daerminz their knowledge and use of energy codes and mergy-efficiency infonmtion. Readers with questions, commeats, or suggestions about this documentor the work it describes are encouraged to contact the author(s), program managers, or project managers.