Debating the effectiveness of a lengthy, 422-page ASHRAE 90.1
The size of ASHRAE Standard 90.1 (2019), “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings,” has grown exponentially to a current length of 422 pages as shown in Figure 1. The amount of time required by design engineers to ensure compliance has also increased exponentially. The staffs of authorities having jurisdiction must expand or disregard a sizeable portion of building codes based on the document. The expansion is based on the logic that a complex document with more explicit dictates reduces energy consumption. If the recent past is an indicator, this does not appear to be true.