Standards & Compliance: ASHRAE 90.1 Overhaul, Utilities’ Water Meter Push

ASHRAE announced that 26 more proposed addenda to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, are open for public comment. The 90.1 committee says many of the changes are the result of earlier public review comments, and contribute to its goal of making the 2013 standard 40 to 50 percent more stringent than the 2004 version. Twenty-two addenda are open for comment until April 21, one until April 28 and three until May 6, all at www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.

The Natural Resources Defense Council, in a partnership with utilities including American Water, Austin Water Utility and San Antonio Water System of Texas, is urging the American Water Works Association to revise national accuracy standards for new water meters, to make sure they can accurately measure extended low flows. The NRDC said the minimum flow rates at which meters must be tested have not changed since 1921.  The New York City Department of Environmental Protection and California’s East Bay Municipal Utility District of California also back the NRDC proposal.

Ecometrica has become the first environmental accounting provider to secure assurance of audit readiness, following a review by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The company commissioned PwC to carry out an independent review of output from its ‘Our Impacts’ service, in line with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements 3000 and the code of ethics of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.

The R2 Technical Advisory Committee unanimously approved the R2:2013 recycling standard, which now goes before the R2 Solutions board of directors. The board has 60 days to approve and adopt the standard or remand it to the committee for further work.

The Global Sustainable Tourism Council has selected the Cusco-Sacred Valley-Machu Picchu corridor in Peru, and the shores of Lake Llanquihue, Puerto Varas, and Frutillar in the Lakes Region of Chile, for the second round of its pilot program to test its new Criteria and Indicators for Destinations. The criteria are designed to help destination managers, communities, and businesses understand the steps needed to sustain their natural and cultural assets.

Caterpillar‘s 850,000 sq ft axle-manufacturing plant in Winston-Salem, NC has secured LEED Silver certification for new construction. The facility uses 25 percent less energy and 40 percent less water than comparable buildings. It is the company’s first LEED certification for a US heavy manufacturing plant, and its 13th LEED-certified facility worldwide, the Winston-Salem Journal reports.

Nine products from PPG Architectural Finishes have received certification under Greenguard’s Indoor Air Quality and Children & Schools programs, the company said. Seal Grip Interior/Exterior Acrylic Universal Primer/Sealer has been certified along with four PPG Speedhide interior paints, two Pitt-Glaze acrylic epoxies, one Pitt-Tech industrial primer and one Pitt-Tech industrial enamel.