ASHRAE recently released an updated edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.2-2018 Energy-Efficient Design of Low-Rise Residential Buildings.

The 2018 revision of Standard 90.2 outlines cost-effective residential building energy performance measures that are at least 50% more efficient than those defined by the 2006 International Energy Construction Code (IECC), according to an ASHRAE news release. “Standard 90.2 provides a mechanism by which any residential building design can be easily evaluated against performance objectives,” said Theresa Weston, Ph.D., chair of the Standard 90.2 committee. “This update to the standard offers better alignment between this standard’s requirements and marketplace product availability as well as some revisions to improve the document’s clarity and internal consistency.”

The updated version provides:

• Clarification for modeling software requirements
• Guidance on the use of international climate data presented in ASHRAE Standard 169
• A new normative appendix on proper installation techniques for critical thermal resistance building components
• Improved prescriptive envelope performance data tables
• New performance specifications for ground-source heat pumps
• Minimum lighting efficiency provisions for single-family, large single-family, and multifamily homes
• Guidance on pool heater pilot lights, pump motor efficiency, and exterior de-icing systems
• Clarifications to multi-zonal building air-leakage testing procedures