The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) contracted Mike D. Kennedy, Inc to conduct the 2019 Oregon Commercial Energy Code Savings analysis (OCEC 2019). The OCEC 2019 replaces the previous 2014 Oregon Energy Efficiency Specialty Code (OEESC 2014) and was developed by the Oregon Building Codes Division. It has been adopted statewide for construction permitted as of January 1, 2020. The OCEC 2019 requires that buildings demonstrate compliance with the ASHRAE 90.1-2016 building energy code. ASHRAE 90.1-2016 changes lighting and envelope efficiency requirements, has more HVAC control requirements, and significantly expands the building systems that are regulated such as refrigeration, plug loads and metering. This study was designed to evaluate the energy savings of the newly adopted OCEC 2019 over the OEESC 2014.
Findings from the study show that adoption of the OCEC 2019 energy code represents a substantial advancement in new building energy efficiency. The code-to-code method estimates a 9% reduction in site energy while the current practice adjusted method estimates a 7.8% reduction. The code provision changes generating the bulk of energy savings are those impacting interior and exterior lighting power and controls, automatic receptacle control and envelope requirements.
