This is taken from ASHRAE 62.1 2007 USERS MANUAL, Page 93
Example 6-E—Occasionally Occupied Spaces
Q
Table 6-1 lists ventilation requirements for infrequently
occupied spaces such as electrical rooms, elevator machine rooms, and corridors. Do all such spaces need to be ventilated to meet Standard 62.1?
A
No. Only "occupiable spaces" are required by the Standard to be ventilated. By definition, this excludes "those spaces intended primarily for other purposes, such as storage rooms and equipment rooms, that are only occupied occasionally and for short periods of time." So if an equipment room, for example, is expected to be occupied only
occasionally (e.g. for servicing equipment), ventilation is not required by the Standard (although it may be required for other reasons such as temperature control). Similarly, stairs and corridors that are used primarily for emergency egress do not have to be ventilated. Corridors that are more frequently occupied, such as those used for the delivery of merchandise in a retail mall, must be ventilated.
SO....would the refrigeration / Freezer section be considered a "storage room"
Ben Stanley
Senior Sustainability ManagerWSP - Built Ecology
LEEDuser Expert
250 thumbs up
February 1, 2010 - 10:27 am
Elizabeth,
If the team can show that the freezer is occupied only occasionally, then we would think that it follows the ASHRAE response for storage rooms and does not need to meet ventilation requirements.
However, if the cooler is more of a workspace then the team would need to find a solution to meet the ASHRAE requirements.
Elizabeth Repin
PrincipalGreen Living, LLC
29 thumbs up
February 3, 2010 - 1:47 pm
Thanks Ben, A freezer is in essence a HVAC system, correct? Additionally, the ventilation of a freezer would cause huge increases in the energy consumptions based upon size, reconditionling the air and dehumidifying. Seems that a freezer would not apply, even if it is a workspace. Imagine the energy consumption.
This was a problem for supermarkets during the LEED for retail pilot. How do we find out what they decided?
Gunnar Hubbard
PrincipalThornton Tomasetti
93 thumbs up
February 24, 2010 - 1:11 pm
We have kicked this question back and forth in our office. We have done some work on LEED for Retail - specifically Hannaford's LEED Platinum store - and we did not have any freezers that were work spaces.. so yes, they were "storage".... so it comes around, in our opinion only, that if a freezer DOES have people working in it on a regular basis, we think it needs to be included in your calcs. There are some very smart ventilation systems and efficiencies in refrigeration that would help the energy optimization calcs. Ultimately, it may need to be a call by the GBCI based on your specific case.
Elizabeth Repin
PrincipalGreen Living, LLC
29 thumbs up
March 2, 2010 - 1:05 pm
Thanks Gunnar. What was the sqft of the freezers? How did you determine it was not a work space? Anything would help...
Gunnar Hubbard
PrincipalThornton Tomasetti
93 thumbs up
March 12, 2010 - 3:30 pm
In the grocery store, refrigerated prep areas such as the meat cooler (450 sq ft) where there are tables for cutting and processing meat are ventilated. On the other hand, the grocery freezer (400 sq.ft.) which is essentially a large walk refrigerator is not ventilated because it is used like a closet (or refrigerator), only entered occasionally and not where an employee is working.