ASHRAE 228 Regional Electricity Source Energy Conversion Factors?

Hi Jesse, I see that no one bit yet on your intriguing question. You might try reposting it on the all-Peer-Networks "Green Gurus" forum and see if any of the SMEP Leaders there have insights for you.

Jesse, I think we thought that this ASHRAE standard would answer for us our dilemmas about electricity emissions factors, but we didn't really get that, did we? So we will continue to decide based on the stories. One question I had was about calculating emissions for a Zero Energy or Zero Carbon project. At least for the ILFI programs, it doesn't really matter what the emissions factors are if energy use (net) is zero, right? Or am I missing something? For LEED Zero programs it does matter I guess since LEED allows the use of purchased offsets to zero out energy or emissions. Jim Jim Hanford, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, Principal The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP

I believe ASHRAE and ICC are developing a standard for calculating a whole building life carbon standard - ASHRAE/ICC 240P - and that it uses Cambium data for grid emissions. I would like to learn how this standard relates to ASHRAE 228-2023?  Did anyone here participate in the review of the draft document?

There are certifications/standards, and then there is ‘trying to get the numbers right’ and honest so we can make decisions. One hopes that these two things align closely. Standards need to hold up to rigorous scrutiny and address myriad possibilities. Getting the numbers right and honest can be a bit more flexible. ASHRAE took a conservative approach, I don’t think it’s wrong, it’s a great starting point for this conversation on how we best account for carbon emissions. CLF just set up a topic discussion for this specific area, here: https://community.carbonleadershipforum.org/g/focus-operational-c My opinion is that in most areas of the country that are governed by ISO/RTO structure we should (IMHO) use regional carbon emissions profiles, since it’s planned and operated at that scale, for rigorous standards like 228. Some states have Byzantine electricity markets like Washington State, where each utility manages its own carbon emissions and sources (and it’s not really that simple), which would be crazy to have a standard based around. Should we take credit in Seattle for nearly zero carbon electricity, while just a few miles away PSE has high-carbon electricity? Are all, all-electric buildings in Seattle inherently very close to zero carbon? Maybe, but... ASHRAE avoided this challenge by using egrid regions. I’m a big fan of time-of-use hourly emissions profiles that are optional in 228 – I hope they become required in 228 as the industry coalesces around good metrics, especially forward-looking profiles since most electricity in the US has mandates or commitments to get to 90-100% clean power by or before 2045 AND buildings are long-lived assets. Hourly use is important since some net zero energy projects on an annual basis are not anywhere near net zero operational carbon using hourly emissions rates. A good default tool is the USGBC Grid Harmonization ACP that includes a spreadsheet for estimating hourly carbon emissions based on hourly electricity use. Is it a design tool? Not yet convinced, but it gets at hourly emissions rates better than not looking at them. https://www.usgbc.org/credits/gridoptimal-152-v4.1?view=resources For a deeper dive on hourly emissions profiles and their use: Path To Zero Carbon series Post 13. -Kjell From: Jim Hanford