Green Buildings Get Another Boost

ASHRAE has just announced a policy change on the part of the US Army that will give another boost to "green building" design.  In October of last year the assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy and the environment issued a policy memorandum that made ASHRAE Standard 189.1-2009 the baseline design standard for all permanent US Army facilities worldwide.  This includes US Army Reserve installations and totals some 954 million square feet of existing buildings.

For those who are not familiar with ASHRAE 189.1 it is the "Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings".  Energy efficiency and monitoring are key elements of the standard.  Modern HVAC equipment such as that produced by Applied Air incorporates sophisticated DDC controls that can both improve performance and provide a mechanism for monitoring equipment.  Retrofitting of existing Army buildings to improve operating efficiency is an integral part of the Army's goal of achieving a "net zero" energy profile across the globe.