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Act 250 Energy Review

Commercial & Industrial:

Introduction to Act 250 and the 2001 Vermont Guidelines for Energy Efficient Commercial Construction

2001 Vermont Guidelines for Energy Efficient Commercial Construction

Consolidated Act 250 Commercial and Industrial Guidelines. These are the 1998 consolidated energy guidelines for typical commercial and industrial buildings in Vermont.

1993 Act 250 Commercial-Industrial Construction Handout

Building Life Cycle Cost (BLCC) Software that helps analyze investments in energy-consuming equipment and building systems.

Residential:

Residential Building Energy Standards Energy Efficiency in New Construction can dramatically lower a building's energy cost over its lifetime.

1993 Act 250 Commercial-Industrial Construction Handout

Vermont Department of Public Service
Act 250 Commercial/Industrial Construction
Energy Criterion 9(F), Energy Conservation:
Energy Measures to be Addressed
August 1992

# Make sure you also check out the updated (September, 1998) Act 250 Commercial and Industrial Guidelines

The Department of Public Service (DPS) participates in the interagency review of Act 250 applications with regard to Environmental Board Criteria 9(F) Energy Conservation and 9(J) Public Utility Services. Criterion 9(F) Energy states: ...the planning and design of the subdivision or development reflect the principles of energy conservation and incorporate the best available technology for efficient use or recovery of energy. The DPS interprets "best available technology" to mean that option which results in either the least energy use or has the lowest life cycle cost.

The following is an outline of measures that the DPS recommends be addressed in order to assist the DPS in the review process and to assure that the proposed development reflects the best available technology for efficient use, generation, conservation and recovery of energy. Also include analyses of measures not recommended. Please state if a measure is not applicable. These issues should be addressed for both common and individual tenant spaces:

1. List site related design considerations proposed to influence energy use, including building orientation, protective vegetation and solar access.
2. Provide calculations and plans for proposed insulation levels in the roofs/ceilings, exterior walls, foundations and percent fenestration.
3. State the interior design temperatures.
4. Provide specifications for the energy management system, including time-of-day scheduling, holiday scheduling, start/stop optimization, daylighting, multiple temperature setbacks, humidity controls, variable air volume control, variable speed motor control, load shedding, duty cycling and demand limiting.
5. Calculate the anticipated connected electrical load and annual energy consumption.
6. Calculate the anticipated winter and summer season peak loads.
7. Provide specifications for electric motors including efficiency, power factor and use of variable speed drives.
8. Provide plans and specifications for interior and exterior lighting systems and controls, including lamp type, wattage, ballasts, watts per sq. ft. and pole height.
9. Provide plans and specifications for HVAC systems, including AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency), EER (energy efficiency rating), cfm ventilation rate, economizer operation on AC units and use of outside make up air.
10. Provide plans and specifications for heat recovery systems which address ventilation, refrigeration or other potential sources.
11. Provide plans and specifications for refrigeration equipment, including COP (coefficient of performance).
12. Provide plans and specifications for hot water heating systems, including E.F. (energy factor) and use of heat reclamation from refrigeration systems, if appropriate.
13. Provide plans and specifications for windows/doors/air lock entries.
14. Describe drying and cooking equipment including fuel type proposed and energy efficiency design options explored in kitchen design.
15. Describe energy efficiency consideration in any proposed loading docks/overhead doors.
16. Certify that there will be no use of electricity as heat source for space or hot water heating, including any backup systems, or demonstrate the necessity of such systems.
17. Provide a tenant clause to be included in any lease agreement binding tenants to all measures addressed in the permit.

The Department of Public Service reserves the right to review plans again after the schematic design phase when specific equipment and appliances are specified.

Calculations, blueprints, life cycle cost analysis or cutsheets describing the above measures, as well as a review meeting with architect/design engineers can significantly effect the time required for a review. Inclusion of such supporting documentation as well as a meeting are strongly encouraged.

To contact the Department of Public Service regarding any of these items please be sure to include the words ENERGY EFFICIENCY in the subject line of an email and your name, address, phone number and email address in the body of the message.