EXCEPTIONS:

1. Systems complying with Section C403.6 Dedicated outdoor air systems (DOAS) with year-round cooling loads from lights and equipment of less than 5 watts per square foot.

 

2. Unitary or packaged systems serving one zone with dehumidification that affect other systems so as to increase the overall building energy consumption. New humidification equipment shall comply with Section C403.2.3.4.

 

3. Unitary or packaged systems serving one zone where the cooling efficiency meets or exceeds the efficiency requirements in Table C403.3.

 

4. Water-cooled refrigeration equipment serving chilled beams and chilled ceiling space cooling systems only which are provided with a water economizer meeting the requirements of Section C403.3.4.

 

5. Systems complying with all of the following criteria:

 

5.1. Consist of multiple water source heat pumps connected to a common water loop;

 

5.2. Have a minimum of 60 percent air economizer;

 

5.3. Have water source heat pumps with an EER at least 15 percent higher for cooling and a COP at least 15 percent higher for heating than that specified in Section C403.2.3;

 

5.4. Where provided, have a central boiler or furnace efficiency of 90 percent minimum for units up to 199,000 Btu/h; and

 

5.5. Provide heat recovery with a minimum 50 percent heat recovery effectiveness as defined in Section C403.5 to preheat the outside air supply.

 

6. For Group R occupancies, cooling units installed outdoors or in a mechanical room adjacent to outdoors with a total cooling capacity less than 20,000 Btu/h and other cooling units with a total cooling capacity less than 54,000 Btu/h provided that these are high-efficiency cooling equipment with IEER, SEER, and EER values more than 15 percent higher than minimum efficiencies listed in Tables C403.2.3 (1) through (3), in the appropriate size category, using the same test procedures. Equipment shall be listed in the appropriate certification program to qualify for this exception. For split systems, compliance is based on the cooling capacity of individual fan coil units.

 

7. Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems, multiple-zone split-system heat pumps, consisting of multiple, individually metered indoor units with multi-speed fan motors, served on a single common refrigeration circuit with an exterior reverse-cycle heat pump with variable speed compressor(s) and variable speed condenser fan(s). These systems shall also be capable of providing simultaneous heating and cooling operation, where recovered energy from the indoor units operating in one mode can be transferred to one or more indoor units operating in the other mode, and shall serve at least 20 percent internal (no perimeter wall within 12') and 20 percent perimeter zones (as determined by conditioned floor area) and the outdoor unit shall be at least 65,000 Btu/h in total capacity. Systems utilizing this exception shall have 50 percent heat recovery effectiveness as defined by Section C403.5 on the outside air. For the purposes of this exception, dedicated server rooms, electronic equipment rooms or telecom switch rooms are not considered perimeter zones.

 

8. Equipment used to cool Controlled Plant Growth Environments provided these are high-efficiency cooling equipment with SEER, EER and IEER values a minimum of 20 percent greater than the values listed in Tables C403.2.3 (1), (3) and (7).

 

9. Equipment used to cool any spaces with year-round cooling loads from lights and equipment of greater than 5 watts per square foot, where it can be demonstrated through calculations, to the satisfaction of the code official, that the heat rejection load of the equipment will be recovered and used for on-site space heating or service water heating demands such that the energy use of the building is decreased in comparison to a baseline of the same equipment provided with an air economizer complying with Section C403.3.

 

10. Equipment used to cool any dedicated server room, electronic equipment room or telecom switch room provided the system complies with Option a, b or c in the table below. The total capacity of all systems without economizers shall not exceed 240,000 Btu/h per building or 10 percent of its air economizer capacity, whichever is greater. This exception shall not be used for Total Building Performance.

Notes for Exception 10:

For a system where all of the cooling equipment is subject to the AHRI standards listed in Tables C403.2.3(1) and C403.2.3(2), the system shall comply with all of the following (note that if the system contains any cooling equipment that exceeds the capacity limits in Table C403.2.3(1) or C403.2.3(2), or if the system contains any cooling equipment that is not included in Table C403.2.3(1) or C403.2.3(2), then the system is not allowed to use this option).

The cooling equipment shall have an EER value and an IPLV value that is a minimum of 15 percent greater than the value listed in Tables C403.2.3(1) and C403.2.3(2).

For units with a total cooling capacity over 85,000 Btu/h, the system shall utilize part-load capacity control schemes that are able to modulate to a part-load capacity of 50 percent of the load or less that results in the compressor operating at the same or higher EER at part loads than at full load (e.g., minimum of two-stages of compressor unloading such as cylinder unloading, two-stage scrolls, dual tandem scrolls, but hot gas bypass is not credited as a compressor unloading system).

The cooling equipment shall have an EER value and an IPLV value that is a minimum of 5 percent greater than the value listed in Tables C403.2.3(1) and C403.2.3(2).

The system shall include a water economizer in lieu of air economizer. Water economizers shall meet the requirements of C403.3.1 and C403.3.2 and be capable of providing the total concurrent cooling load served by the connected terminal equipment lacking airside economizer, at outside air temperatures of 50°F dry-bulb/45°F wet-bulb and below. For this calculation, all factors including solar and internal load shall be the same as those used for peak load calculations, except for the outside temperatures. The equipment shall be served by a dedicated condenser water system unless a nondedicated condenser water system exists that can provide appropriate water temperatures during hours when waterside economizer cooling is available.

For a system where all cooling equipment is subject to ASHRAE Standard 127.

The cooling equipment subject to the ASHRAE Standard 127 shall have an EER value and an IPLV value that is equal or greater than the value listed in Tables C403.2.3(1) and C403.2.3(2) when determined in accordance with the rating conditions ASHRAE Standard 127 (i.e., not the rating conditions in AHRI Standard 210/240 or 340/360). This information shall be provided by an independent third party.