Recently there has been confusion on interpreting the insulation requirements for refrigerant lines connecting the indoor and outdoor units of heat pumps. The following are SDCI’s requirements for insulating refrigerant lines and how they differ between residential buildings and commercial buildings.
2015 Seattle Energy Code Development
Seattle DCI will hold a series of public meetings during January and February to review proposed changes to the “Commercial Buildings” provisions of the 2015 Seattle Energy Code. (The City does not amend the residential portion of the code.) We will post the proposals that are scheduled for discussion in advance of each meeting.
Seattle Energy Code Bests National Standard
A strong energy code is one of Seattle’s key tools for achieving significant reductions in energy use in the building sector and reaching the city’s ambitious goal of carbon neutrality. Seattle has consistently had one of the most advanced codes in the country and the new 2012 Seattle Energy Code is no exception. That’s the finding of a recently released study comparing Seattle’s Energy Code (SEC) to a national energy standard.
New Certification Program for Variable Refrigerant Flow Equipment
The 2009 Seattle Energy Code (and Washington State Energy Code), Section 1411.1, last sentence of the first paragraph, requires that products covered under tables 14-1A through 14-1G be listed in a nationally recognized certification program. Tables 14-1A(3) and 14-1A(4) of the 2009 Seattle Energy Code specify minimum equipment efficiencies for variable refrigerant flow (VRF) equipment and cite Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) Standard 1230 as the test procedure.
2009 Seattle Energy Code
Corrected electronic version of building envelope compliance form for nonresidential and multifamily residential spaces is now online.
Seattle Energy Code Update: Chapter 12, Energy Metering
On July 12, 2011, the Washington State Building Code Council (WSBCC) voted to “suspend the energy metering requirements in Chapter 12 of the Washington State Energy Code while reviewing the requirements and looking at the economic aspects of metering.”
