ASHRAE Vice President Testifies at DOE Hearing on Sustainable Design Standards

The US Department of Energy held a hearing Wednesday (July 27, 2010), regarding sustainable design standards for new federal buildings and major renovations of federal buildings.

Testifying at the hearing, ASHRAE Vice President Ross Montgomery encouraged the DOE’s Federal Energy Management Program to reference ANSI/ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, compliance option of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) as a means of meeting the requirements in the rulemaking.

"Standard 189.1 represents a revolutionary new step for building standards, as it provides a long-needed green building foundation for those who strive to design, build and operate green buildings,” Montgomery said. “From site location to energy use and recycling, this standard will set the foundation for green buildings through its adoption into local codes. ASHRAE strongly believes that Standard 189.1 can help meet many of the Federal government’s building needs.”

This potentially a great step in jump starting industry wide sustainable building standards.  For more information on the International Green Construction Code (IGCC) the full copy can be found here.