In developing recommendations to upgrade the commercial building portion of ASHRAE Standard 90A-1980, a rigorous testing process was established to examine the effects of proposed modifications of the standard on both energy use and economic performance of ten representative buildings. The economic and energy analysis of the recommended ASHRAE standard consisted of a life-cycle cost analysis and energy simulations (using DOE 2.1B) of ten test buildings, each configured for five locations, an average of three HVAC systems, four ownership perspectives, and three levels of the standard. The levels under analysis were: compliance with ASHRAE 90-1975, ASHRAE 90A-1980, and the recommendations for upgrading the standard.

This paper describes the methodology used in the testing process, discusses the tools developed to perform the analysis, and demonstrates the calculative procedure for a medium-sized office building located in Seattle, Washington. Finally, the paper presents a brief overview of the results of the economic analysis, and concludes with an implication about how the results might affect public policy.