ASHRAE has recently been creating several new standards focused on healthcare. In late 2008, ASHRAE issued the ventilation standard, which is largely a reprise of information and requirements already in the Guidelines for Healthcare Construction. Now they are at work on two new standards, 189.2 and the Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Hospitals. This session will be a presentation of these two new standards, given by members of the committees working on them. The presentation will include discussion with the audience of various portions of the draft standards.

The committee for 189.2 is focused on creating a model green buildings code for hospitals. The Guidelines has determinedly stayed clear of any requirements for green hospitals, but more and more jurisdictions are interested in creating just such regulations. California is creating its own green hospitals code, and Massachusetts recently made it a requirement for CON approval that a project achieve GGHC or LEED Certification. To fill this vacuum, ASHRAE created a committee composed of representatives of ASHRAE, ASHE, Green Guide for Healthcare, US Green Buildings Council, the Guidelines, and others, to create a model building code that can fill this void. By the time of this presentation, the committee will be well under way, and it will be an opportunity to report on the direction this document is heading, and to discuss it with members of the healthcare community. Dick Moeller is the chair of the 189.2 committee.

Similarly, more and more hospitals are interested in pursuing LEED certification. However, these requirements are often difficult to understand for those who are new to them. This difficulty can be especially troublesome for smaller facilities who may not have the resources to hire experts to help them navigate the processes involved. To help address this issue, ASHRAE is in the process of creating an Advanced Energy Design Guide. Again, ASHRAE created a committee with representatives of IES, IEEE, ASHE, USGBC, GGHC, and others, to create a consensus document. The AEDG will propose a series of energy-saving measures for any climate zone that will allow a project to achieve a 30% energy savings against ASHRAE 90.1, and, thus, achieve energy points for LEED without having to perform time-consuming and expensive calculations.

The DOE is interested in also creating an Advanced Energy Design Guide for Large Hospitals, which is currently in its initial planning phase. This session will also include a brief description of the initial thinking for this document, and engage the audience in feedback as to the direction it will take.