Status of Commercial Energy Codes

As of July 20, 2010

Source: Department of Energy, Building Energy Code Project (BECP)

http://www.energycodes.gov/states/maps/commercialStatus.stm

Relationships between energy use and indoor air quality

How energy is conserved through building practices can have profound importance to the health of
occupants because the majority of building energy goes to conditioning the air that occupants breathe.
Buildings in the past had high air change rates that ensured that the pollutants generated indoors were
constantly diluted with outdoor air. However, except when outdoor climate conditions are
complementary to what is desired indoors, such air changes require energy to condition the air for health
and comfort indoors. This energy burden can be significant during outdoor temperature and humidity
extremes.

In general, the primary ways of conserving energy in buildings involves: (1) improving the energy
efficiency of equipment and appliances and reducing their unnecessary use, and (2) improving the thermal
performance of the building envelope and reducing air change rates to minimize the energy used to
condition the indoor air. This latter function-- reducing air change rates—puts energy conservation in
conflict with providing adequate indoor air quality if it provides insufficient outdoor air to dilute indoor-
generated contaminants, or insufficiently replace air exhausted by exhaust fans, clothes dryers and
combustion equipment. This is of concern in all buildings, but especially in homes where adequate
ventilation has traditionally relied on infiltration or occupant use of windows.

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