Identify all private offices and spaces with specialty uses—such as break rooms and conference rooms—to understand how many active controls you’ll need.
Identify each solar exposure and the spaces that correspond to those exposures that have to have a separate control zone. An “exposure” is an external wall that’s included in your project scope. Identify all the external walls in your floor plan, and indicate which direction each faces: north, south, east, or west.
A “zone” implies an area with independent control of mechanical HVAC that typically includes its own thermostat and sensors to control air flow or temperature in a space.
Review the zoning and controls requirements to see what it will take to achieve these five points (you have to meet all three requirements to earn any points):
To achieve the first five points in Option 1 the design engineer has to demonstrate that the HVAC system in the space can maintain minimum temperature and humidity ranges that meet ASHRAE-55. This requirement makes those points tricky for projects that do not have humidity control, especially in regions with high humidity.
Review sections 1.4, 2.9, and 3.10 in the Advanced Buildings: Core Performance Guide (CPG) to understand the requirements and how they relate to the systems to be installed in the project:
