Oregon Building Codes Division adopted an alternate building code for energy efficiency in commercial structures. The Oregon Zero Code Efficiency Standard, approved by the state's Building Structures Board, offers an alternative approach to meeting the existing code’s energy efficiency requirements.
Based on the Architecture 2030 ZERO Code and ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2016 (Standard 90.1-2016), the Oregon Zero Code Efficiency Standard is a statewide alternate method to meet the provisions of Chapter 13 in the 2014 Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC), the guiding code for any construction, reconstruction, alteration, repair, and installation of materials and equipment in or part of commercial building structures throughout the state. Chapter 13 of the OSSC governs design and construction of buildings for energy efficiency.
The Oregon Zero Code Efficiency Standard consists of three parts – compliance with 90.1-2016, identification of projected energy use for the building in question, and identification of the required amount of onsite or offsite renewable energy to achieve a net-zero building.
The second and third parts of the standard are based on the Architecture 2030 ZERO Code, a standard for new commercial, institutional, and mid- to high-rise residential buildings which integrates cost-effective energy efficiency measures with on-site and/or off-site renewable energy resulting in Zero-Net-Carbon (ZNC) buildings.
