Monday, December 1, 2014

Mandatory HERS Testing in the 2013 Title 24 code.

That is the 2013 code that came into effect July 1 2014. One major change is that all ducted systems are to meet the low leakage thresholds that used to be elective. So any leakage must be less than 6% of the airflow as determined by design or equipment specifications. This means all new ducted systems must be tested, which though adds expense, will result in real energy savings. Even now it is still common for me to see less than perfect duct installations. Another mandate that won't save energy but is intended to assure that indoor air quality is maintained is, required measurement of Air flow at bathroom and range exhaust fans. Ashrae 62.2 ventilation rates must also be verified. Below is a boiled down formula page.
Refrigerant Charge and Airflow must also be verified on all systems that have air-conditioning. Again the intent is to save energy which this will. Of course an even better method in the SF Bay area would be to not use AC at all. Good design and quality building can eliminate any need for AC in most of this area. 

No comments:

Post a Comment