ASHRAE 90.1 ECB

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(Click here for a brief video overview of the ASHRAE 90.1 ECB website.)

The Energy Cost Budget (ECB) method provides an alternative approach to demonstrating compliance with the ASHRAE 90.1 Standard.

With the ECB method a computer program is used to calculate the design energy cost for the proposed building design and to calculate the energy cost budget for a budget building design. In the budget building design, which is a variant of the proposed building design, all mandatory and prescriptive requirements of the Standard are applied. In other words, the energy cost budget represents the building as if it complied with the Standard. The design energy cost for the proposed design cannot exceed the energy cost budget.

Standard compliance forms report on the energy cost budget, design energy cost, and the energy-related features of a proposed building. Standardized forms make sure that designers submit all the information needed for approval and make it easier for enforcement authorities to review and approve the ECB calculations that are submitted. The forms also make it easier for the enforcement authorities to verify that the necessary energy features of the design are installed in the finished building.

These forms are located in the ASHRAE 90.1 Standard and accompanying User Manual. This ASHRAE 90.1 ECB website is a web version of the ECB form that allows you to enter all of the required information and then export it to an Excel spreadsheet so it can be printed or archived. This form also includes additional reporting functionality that is above and beyond what the Standard ECB form includes. This is described in more detail below.

The ASHRAE 90.1 ECB website allows you to create accounts where all of your current and previois project(s) information are stored remotely and can be accessed from any device including your laptop computer, tablet, or phone.

This website includes a number of different web pages:
  1. Registration: This page allows sign up as a new user. It asks you for an email address, password, and demographic information
  2. About: This page displays generic information about the ASHRAE 90.1 ECB Method and how this website works. It also links to this more detailed help.
  3. Contact: This page includes an email link for support and suggestions
  4. Project List: This web page is only accessed after you have logged in. It displays a list of all of your active projects.
  5. Project Details: This web page is only accessed after you have logged in. It displays all of the project details and simulates a webified spreadsheet that emulates the ECB compliance form.

Registration

The Registration page allows you to register as a brand new user. It asks for the following information:

  1. Email address: This email address input is used as your login to the website
  2. Password: Input an 8 character password
  3. Confirm password: Re-input the same password as above for confirmation
  4. Name: Input your name
  5. Company: Input your company name
  6. Address: Input your street address
  7. City: Input your city
  8. State/Province: Input your state or province if appropriate
  9. Postal/Zip code: Input your zip or postal code
  10. Country: Input your country
  11. Type of Firm: Select from the dropdown the type of work that your firm does
Select the "Accept" checkbox to accept the license agreement then click "Register" to register your user information. You will be redirected to the Project List page that allows you to begin adding new projects.

Project List: The Project List page displays a list of existing projects. You can select any existing project to edit it, or press the "Create Project" button to create a new one. You can sort the list of projects by selecting the appropriate column header. You can delete a project by pressing the "x" button on the far right-hand side of the project. You will be asked for confirmation prior to deletion.

Create Project

The Create Project page allows you to create a new project and enter the demographic details of the project.

  1. Project Name: Input the name of the project
  2. Project Address: Input the project street address
  3. Project City: Input the project city
  4. Contact Email: This is the email address of the contact person for the project (ie - owner, maintenance person, etc.)
  5. Contact Name: This is the full name of the project contact person
  6. Contact Phone: This is the phone number of the project contact person
  7. Designer Email: This is the email address of the person entering the information for the project (most likely, you)
  8. Designer Name: This is the full name of the person entering the information for the project
  9. Designer Phone: This is the phone number of the person entering the information for the project
  10. Principal Heat Source: Select from the drop down the principal source of energy for the building in the project
  11. Unit System: Select from the drop down either English (IP) or Metric (SI) units
Click the Save button after entering all of the above information. You will be redirected to the Project Details page.

Project Details

The Project Details page allows you to enter all of the information related to the ECB form. Each section of this page is described in more detail below.

Section 1: The first section includes basic project and designer information that was inputted when you first created the project. You can edit this information at any time by clicking the "Edit Project Details" button located at the top of the webpage. When you click this button, it displays a new web page that allows you to edit project details information. This page also includes additional inputs for total energy costs for electricity, natural gas, district energy, solar, and other fossil fuel. These values are usually derived from the energy modeling software outputs.

Project Space Summary

This section allows you to input the individual spaces of the building along with their respective conditioned, semiheated, and unconditioned areas. To add a new space, click the "Add Space" button. A new web page will appear allowing you to enter the following information:
  1. Space Use Type: The spaces are categorized by building use, parkade, and site/other. Select the appropriate one.
  2. Building Use: Type in a space name or description
  3. Conditioned Area: Input the area of the space that is conditioned
  4. Semiheated Area: Input the area of the space that is heated
  5. Unconditioned Area: Input the area of the space that is not conditioned
Click the Save button to return to the main Project Details page. You will see that the new space has been added to the appropriate category within the Project Space Summary.

To edit an existing line item, click the building use description, and you will return to the web page that allows you to edit the information. You can delete a space by pressing the "x" image on the far right-hand side of the row of the space that you wish to delete. You will be asked for confirmation.

Advisory Message

The Advisory Message section allows you to input a number of values. The row and column headings should be self-explanatory. These values are used for reference only and are not utilized in any of the calculations.

Project Energy Summary by End Uses

This section allows you to add different types of building loads along with the appropriate information. Click the "Add Use Type" button to add a new load. A new web page will appear allowing you to enter the following:
  1. Building Use: Select the building use category that the building load falls under: Building regulated, building plug/process, parkade, site/other. Depending upon the selection you make, an addition drop down will appear below the Energy Type drop down. Also, this selection will determine which category the load appears under within the Project Energy Summary section.
  2. Energy Type: Select the type of energy the building load is using: electricity, natural gas, oil/other, or district energy.
  3. Energy Use: This drop down appears when you select "Building (Regulated)" from the Building Use drop down above. The selections in this drop down include different types of energy use desriptions such as lighting, space heating and cooling, pumps, and more.
  4. Load Type: This drop down appears for all options (other than "Building (Regulated)") that are selected in the Building Use drop down above. The selections in this drop down include the 4 different types of loads such as plug, process, other, and regulated.
  5. Proposed Energy: Input the proposed energy usage for the load in 106 Btu/yr (derived from the energy model)
  6. Proposed Peak: Input the proposed peak energy usage in 103 Btu/h
  7. Budget Energy: Input the budgeted energy usage in 106 Btu/yr
  8. Budget Peak: Input the budgeted peak energy usage in 103 Btu/h
Click the Save button to save the information and return to the main Project Details page. You will see that the new load has been added to the appropriate category within the Project Energy Summary section. To edit an existing line item, click the use type, and you will return to the web page that allows you to edit the information. You can delete a line item by pressing the "x" image on the far right-hand side of the row of the item that you wish to delete. You will be asked for confirmation.

The remaining sections on the Project Details page are output-only sections (with the exception of a couple of items that will be discussed).

Virtual Rates

This section displays total energy usage and costs broken down by energy type. The total energy costs were inputted in the Project Details section described above. The total energy usages are being totalled across the Project Energy Summary section by energy type. The virtual rate column divides the total energy cost into the total energy usage. This volumn is used in later table described below.

Project Energy Consumption and Cost Summary

This section displays proposed and budget building information broken down by load type, energy type, and it also displays proposed to budget ratios for energy consumption and costs. Within this section are rows labeled "Solar / Site Recovered". These rows are hyperlinked and allow you to enter proposed and budget energy amounts for any renewable onsite renewable energies (including solar). These amounts are subtracted from the total energy amounts in each section for regulated, plug/proces, parkade, and site.

Project Compliance - ECB Method (90.1-2010)

This section is similar to the Project Energy Consumption and Cost Summary above. However, it combines the regulated line items of the parkade and site sections with the building regulated section. It also combines the plug/process line items of the parkade and site sections with the building plug/process loads section. This section is more closely aligned with the Energy and Cost Summary by Fuel Type section located in the ECB Compliance form of the actual ASHRAE 90.1 Standard.

Project Statistics for Fuel and Load Types, and GHGs (ECB)

This section displays % totals of all fuel and load types broken down into regulated and plug/process load sections. It also displays greenhouse gas emissions and savings.

Proposed Building Energy & Emissions Statistics

This final section displays energy intensity and greenhouse gas emission values.