ASHRAE is developing Standard 202P, Commissioning Process for Buildings and Systems, to identify the minimum acceptable commissioning process for buildings and systems as described in ASRHAE’s Guideline 0-2005, The Commissioning Process. The draft is open for public review until Oct. 1, 2012. The proposed standard will benefit the industry by ensuring performance criteria of the built environment, ASHRAE said.
The Energy Department announced a new partnership to certify zero net energy-ready homes. The collaboration involves the Department’s Challenge Home program and Passive House Institute US (PHIUS) in the voluntary certification process. The partnership encourages builders to seek Challenge Home certification – which certifies homes that are 40-50 percent more energy efficient than typical homes – as a first step to the Passive House program, DOE said.
Building engineering services consultants Environmental Building Strategies said that its San Francisco Surgical Arts project, a new oral surgical facility, has received LEED Platinum certification. Notable features of the facility include a 37 percent reduction in lighting power use from LED lighting, occupancy sensors and lighting controls, installation of Energy Star-qualified appliances and a 100 percent paperless records and administration system, EBS said.
The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center has earned a LEED Gold certification for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance. The 600,000-square-foot structure is the first convention center in Florida to be LEED certified and one of only three in the nation to achieve LEED Gold certification for an existing building, the convention center said.
Grindstone Elementary School in Berea, Ohio, has earned LEED Gold certification. The Ohio School Facilities Commission expected a silver designation for the newly constructed building. Some of school’s features that helped it reach the gold level are a geothermal heating and cooling system, the use of recycled steel, concrete blocks and other materials, and a 10 out of 10 score for energy efficiency, Sun News writes.
The PeoplesBank branch in West Springfield, Mass., has earned LEED Gold certification for its recent renovation. The 4,000-square-foot building features cool roof materials, drought-resistant landscaping and irrigation systems, as well as the use of local building supplies for 34 percent of materials, the bank said.
The Encinitas Civic Center in Southern California is now LEED Silver certified. The facility is one of the first municipal centers in the area to earn the rating. The redesign project included a solar PV system, HVAC upgrades, and a 120-ton water-cooled central plant that makes chilled water and ice at night to cool the building during the day, Patch.com reports.
Odisha Hydro Power Corporation in Bhubaneswar, India, has earned ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications for power production at multiple power stations. The awards were presented by Energy Minister Arun Kumar Sahu, the Daily Pioneer writes.