WSR 98-23-060
EMERGENCY RULES
BUILDING CODE COUNCIL
[Filed November 16, 1998, 9:54 a.m.]
Date of Adoption: November 13, 1998.
Purpose: To extend WSR 98-15-080, an emergency rule to correct chapter 51-11 WAC, the 1997 Washington State Energy Code, Section 503.7 Cooling with Outdoor Air (Economizer Cycle). The adoption of this requirement was found to have an unintended consequence that would eliminate commonly-used mechanical systems. The emergency rule was put into place to revert to the 1994 requirements. The permanent rule will not go into effect until July 1999.
Citation of Existing Rules Affected by this Order: Amending WAC 51-11-0503.7.
Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 19.27A.020, 19.27A.045, and 19.27.020.
Under RCW 34.05.350 the agency for good cause finds that immediate adoption, amendment, or repeal of a rule is necessary for the preservation of the public health, safety, or general welfare, and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment upon adoption of a permanent rule would be contrary to the public interest.
Reasons for this Finding: The State Building Code Council (council), based on the following good cause, finds that an emergency affecting the general welfare of the state of Washington exists. The council further finds that immediate amendment of a certain council rule is necessary for the public welfare and that observing the time requirements of notice and opportunity to comment would be contrary to the public interest.
The declaration of emergency affecting the general welfare of the state of Washington is based on the following findings:
The Washington State Energy Code Section 503.7 amendments contained herein as adopted by the council under emergency rule making pursuant to RCW 34.05.350, will provide economic relief to the hospitality industry (hotel and motel owners and operators), and any multifamily residential builder or building owners by allowing more realistic performance based economizer requirements. Immediate adoption of this amendment is necessary so as to not delay the construction of multifamily residential buildings, and so as not to adversely affect the state's building industry, building owners, and building tenants by imposing an unintended economic penalty.
In the spirit of regulatory reform and for consistency the State Building Code Council amended the residential economizer section in their regular 1994-1996 code change cycle. The council simplified the code language by deleting the existing requirement and replacing it with a reference to the nonresidential economizer requirements. This change had unintended consequences for multifamily residential applications. Under rules contained in the 1997 WSEC, Section 503.7 Cooling with Outdoor Air (Economizer Cycle), the residential economizer requirements would eliminate commonly used mechanical systems, would not always result in an energy savings benefit, and would ultimately result in undue expense. The council finds this to be an economic burden on the building and design industries, which will result in an increase in the cost of housing for multifamily residential buildings including hotels, motels, group homes, apartments and condominiums.
The amendment herein takes into consideration the general welfare of the public by reverting back to the existing residential economizer requirement. In order to provide immediate relief, the council finds it necessary to adopt the amendment as an emergency rule. The council also has taken the necessary steps to adopt a permanent rule. The permanent rule will not be effective until the end of the 1999 legislative session as per RCW 19.27.074.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Comply with Federal Statute: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0; Federal Rules or Standards: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0; or Recently Enacted State Statutes: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted at Request of a Nongovernmental Entity: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted on the Agency's Own Initiative: New 0, amended 1, repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted in Order to Clarify, Streamline, or Reform Agency Procedures: New 0, amended 1, repealed 0.
Number of Sections Adopted Using Negotiated Rule Making: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0; Pilot Rule Making: New 0, amended 0, repealed 0; or Other Alternative Rule Making: New 0, amended 1, repealed 0.
Effective Date of Rule: Immediately.
November 13, 1998
Mike McEnaney
Council Chair
OTS-2400.1
AMENDATORY SECTION (Amending WSR 98-03-003, filed 1/8/98, effective 7/1/98)
WAC 51-11-0503 Building mechanical systems.
503.1 General: This section covers the determination of design requirements, system and component performance, control requirements, insulating systems and duct construction.
EXCEPTIONS: Special applications, including but not limited to hospitals, laboratories, thermally sensitive equipment, and computer rooms may be exempted from the requirements of this section when approved by the building official.
503.2 Calculations of Heating and Cooling Loads, and System Sizing Limits: The design parameters specified in Chapter 3 shall apply for all computations.
503.2.1 Calculation Procedures: Heating and cooling design loads for the purpose of sizing HVAC systems are required and shall be calculated in accordance with accepted engineering practice, including infiltration and ventilation.
503.2.2 Space Heating and Space Cooling System Sizing Limits: Building mechanical systems for all buildings which provide space heating and/or space cooling shall be sized no greater than two hundred percent (200%) of the heating and cooling design loads as calculated above.
EXCEPTIONS: The following limited exemptions from the sizing limit shall be allowed, however, in all cases heating and/or cooling design load calculations shall be submitted.
1. For equipment which provides both heating and cooling in one package unit, including heat pumps with electric heating and cooling and gas-pack units with gas heating and electric cooling, compliance need only be demonstrated for either the space heating or space cooling system size.
2. Natural gas- or oil-fired space heating equipment whose total rated space heating output in any one dwelling unit is fifty-six thousand Btu/h or less may exceed the two hundred (200%) percent sizing limit provided that the installed equipment has an annual fuel utilization efficiency (AFUE) of not less than the sum of seventy-eight percent plus one percent for every five thousand Btu/h that the space heating equipment output exceeds the design heating load of the dwelling unit.
3. Stand-by equipment may be installed if controls and other devices are provided which allow redundant equipment to operate only when the primary equipment is not operating.
503.3 Simultaneous Heating and Cooling: Systems and equipment that provide simultaneous heating and cooling shall comply with the requirements in, as appropriate, Section 1422 or Section 1435.
503.4 HVAC Equipment Performance Requirements:
503.4.1 Equipment Components:
503.4.1.1: The requirements of this section apply to equipment and mechanical component performance for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems. Equipment efficiency levels are specified. Data furnished by the equipment supplier or certified under a nationally recognized certification program or rating procedure shall be used to satisfy these requirements. Equipment efficiencies shall be based on the standard rating conditions in Tables 5-4, 5-5 or 5-6 as appropriate.
503.4.1.2: Where components from more than one manufacturer are assembled into systems regulated under this section, compliance for each component shall be as specified in sections 503.4.2 through 503.4.6 of this Code.
503.4.2: HVAC System Heating Equipment Heat Pump-heating Mode. Heat pumps whose energy input is entirely electric shall have a coefficient of performance (COP) heating, not less than the values in Table 5-7. Heat Pumps with supplementary backup heat other than electricity shall meet the requirements of Table 5-7.
503.4.2.1: These requirements apply to, but are not limited to, unitary (central) heat pumps (air source and water source) in the heating mode, water source (hydronic) heat pumps as used in multiple-unit hydronic HVAC systems, and heat pumps in the packaged terminal air-conditioner in the heating mode.
503.4.2.3 Supplementary Heater: The heat pump shall be installed with a control to prevent supplementary backup heater operation when the operating load can be met by the heat pump compression cycle alone.
503.4.2.4 Heat Pump Controls: Requirements for heat pump controls are listed in section 503.8.3.5 of this Code.
503.4.3 HVAC System Combustion Equipment: For Group R Occupancy, all gas, oil, and propane central heating systems shall have a minimum AFUE of 0.78.*. All other Group R Occupancy heating equipment fueled by gas, oil, or propane shall be equipped with an intermittent ignition device, or shall comply with the efficiencies as required in the 1987 National Appliances Energy Conservation Act (Public Law 100-12).
.*HVAC Heating system efficiency trade-offs shall be made using Chapters 4 or 6 of this Code.
503.4.4 Packaged and Unitary HVAC System Equipment, Electrically Operated, Cooling Mode: HVAC system equipment as listed below, whose energy input in the cooling mode is entirely electric, shall have an energy efficiency ratio (EER) or a seasonal energy efficiency ratio (SEER) cooling not less than values in Table 5-8.
503.4.4.1: These requirements apply to, but are not limited to, unitary (central) and packaged terminal heat pumps (air source and water source); packaged terminal air conditioners.
503.4.5 Other HVAC Equipment: HVAC equipment, other than that addressed in Sections 503.4.2 through 503.4.4, shall have a minimum performance at the specified rating conditions not less than the values shown in Tables 14-1 through 14-3.
503.5 Reserved.
503.6 Balancing: The HVAC system design shall provide a means for balancing air and water systems. Balancing the system shall include, but not be limited to, dampers, temperature and pressure test connections and balancing valves.
503.7 Cooling with Outdoor Air (Economizer Cycle):
((Systems and equipment that provide mechanical cooling shall
comply with Section 1413 and, as appropriate, Section 1423 or
Section 1433.)) Each fan system shall be designed to use up to
and including 100% of the fan system capacity for cooling with
outdoor air automatically whenever its use will result in lower
usage of new energy. Activation of economizer cycle shall be
controlled by sensing outdoor air enthalpy or outdoor air dry-bulb temperature alone or alternate means approved by the
building official.
EXCEPTIONS: Cooling with outdoor air is not required under any one or more of the following conditions:
1. The fan system capacity is less than 3,500 cfm or total cooling capacity is less than 90,000 Btu/h.
2. The quality of the outdoor air is so poor as to require extensive treatment of the air and approval by the building official.
3. The need for humidification or dehumidification requires the use of more energy than is conserved by the outdoor air cooling on an annual basis.
4. The use of outdoor air cooling may affect the operation of other systems so as to increase the overall energy consumption of the building.
5. When energy recovered from an internal/external zone heat recovery system exceeds the energy conserved by outdoor air cooling on an annual basis.
6. When all space cooling is accomplished by a circulating liquid which transfers space heat directly or indirectly to a heat rejection device such as a cooling tower without use of a refrigeration system.
7. When the use of 100% outside air will cause coil frosting, controls may be added to reduce the quantity of outside air. However, the intent of this exception is to use 100% air in lieu of mechanical cooling when less energy usage will result and this exception applies only to direct expansion systems when the compressor is running.
503.8 Controls:
503.8.1 Temperature Control: Each system shall be provided with at least one adjustable thermostat for the regulation of temperature. Each thermostat shall be capable of being set by adjustment or selection of sensors as follows:
503.8.1.1: When used to control heating only: Fifty-five degrees to seventy-five degrees F.
503.8.1.2: When used to control cooling only: Seventy degrees to eighty-five degrees F.
503.8.1.3: When used to control both heating and cooling, it shall be capable of being set from fifty-five degrees to eighty-five degrees F and shall be capable of operating the system heating and cooling in sequence. The thermostat and/or control system shall have an adjustable deadband of not less than ten degrees F.
503.8.2 Humidity Control: If a system is equipped with a means for adding moisture to maintain specific selected relative humidities in space or zones, a humidistat shall be provided. Humidistats shall be capable of being set to prevent new energy from being used to produce space-relative humidity above thirty percent.
EXCEPTION: Special uses requiring different relative humidities may be permitted when approved by the building official.
503.8.3 Zoning for Temperature Control:
503.8.3.1 One- and Two-Family Dwellings: At least one thermostat for regulation of space temperature shall be provided for each separate system. In addition, a readily accessible manual or automatic means shall be provided to partially restrict or shut off the heating and/or cooling input to each zone or floor.
503.8.3.2 Multifamily Dwellings: For multifamily dwellings, each individual dwelling unit shall have at least one thermostat for regulation of space temperature. A readily accessible manual or automatic means shall be provided to partially restrict or shut off the heating and/or cooling input to each room. Spaces other than living units shall meet the requirements of 503.8.3.3.
503.8.3.3 Reserved.
503.8.3.4 Control Setback and Shut-off:
Residential Occupancy Groups. One- and Two-Family and Multifamily dwellings--The thermostat required in section 503.8.3.1 or section 503.8.3.2, or an alternate means such as a switch or clock, shall provide a readily accessible, manual or automatic means for reducing the energy required for heating and cooling during the periods of non-use or reduced need, such as, but not limited to unoccupied periods and sleeping hours. Lowering thermostat set points to reduce energy consumption of heating systems shall not cause energy to be expended to reach the reduced setting.
503.8.3.5 Heat Pump Controls: Programmable thermostats are required for all heat pump systems. The cut-on temperature for the compression heating shall be higher than the cut-on temperature for the supplementary heat, and the cut-off temperature for the compression heating shall be higher than the cut-off temperature for the supplementary heat. Heat pump thermostats will be capable of providing at least two programmable setback periods per day. The automatic setback thermostat shall have the capability of limiting the use of supplemental heat during the warm-up period.
503.9 Air Handling Duct System Insulation: Ducts, plenums and enclosures installed in or on buildings shall be thermally insulated per Table 5-11.
EXCEPTIONS: Duct insulation (except where required to prevent condensation) is not required in any of the following cases:
1. When the heat gain or loss of the ducts, without insulation, will not increase the energy requirements of the building.
2. Within the HVAC equipment.
3. Exhaust air ducts.
4. Supply or return air ducts installed in unvented crawl spaces with insulated walls, basements, or cellars in one-and two-family dwellings.
503.10 Duct Construction: All duct work shall be constructed in accordance with Standards RS-15, RS-16, RS-17, RS-18, RS-19 or RS-20, as applicable, and the Uniform Mechanical Code.
503.10.1: High-pressure and medium-pressure ducts shall be leak tested in accordance with the applicable standards in Chapter 7 of this Code with the rate of air leakage not to exceed the maximum rate specified in that standard.
503.10.2: When low-pressure supply air ducts are located outside of the conditioned space, all HVAC ductwork seams and joints, both longitudinal and transverse, shall be taped and sealed with products approved by the building official only. Ductwork joints shall be mechanically fastened with a minimum of three fasteners per joint for a cylindrical duct. Use Table 5-11 for duct insulation requirements.
503.10.3: Requirements for Automatic or manual dampers are found in the Washington State Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality Code.
503.11 Piping Insulation: All piping installed to serve buildings (and within) shall be thermally insulated in accordance with Table 5-12. For service hot water systems see section 504.7. If water pipes are outside of conditioned space then the pipe insulation requirement shall be R-3 minimum for nonrecirculating hot and cold water pipes. For recirculating service hot and cold water pipes use Table 5-12 for pipe sizes and temperatures.
EXCEPTION: Piping insulation is not required within unitary HVAC equipment.
[Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27A.025 and 19.27A.045. 98-03-003, § 51-11-0503, filed 1/8/98, effective 7/1/98. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27A.025. 93-21-052, § 51-11-0503, filed 10/18/93, effective 4/1/94. Statutory Authority: Chapter 19.27A RCW. 92-01-140, § 51-11-0503, filed 12/19/91, effective 7/1/92. Statutory Authority: RCW 19.27A.020 and 1990 c 2. 91-01-112, § 51-11-0503, filed 12/19/90, effective 7/1/91.]