Federal statute requires the Department of Energy to develop and issue energy conservation performance standards for residential buildings. The standard for federal construction has been completed and is unique because of its software-based format. Its unique characteristics and development process are relevant to ASHRAE standard development activities. Federal agencies using the software will implement the standard by inputting necessary location, building type, equipment type, and conservation option information, and the software will produce a point-system compliance form. The software contains embedded cost and energy data used to derive the most cost-effective combination of conservation options. The point-system compliance form offers potential builders the energy-consumption information needed to determine design compliance or to perform trade-offs between alternative design options. This software serves as an alternative to complex graphs, tables, and calculations that would otherwise be needed to determine compliance with the cost-effective performance standard.

Units: I-P