ASHRAE 62.1 Compliance

Testing, balancing, and documentation of minimum ventilation requirements.

Overview

ASHRAE 62.1 testing and balancing for potential compliance.

Details

Designed by the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), ASHRAE 62.1 details minimum ventilation requirements for acceptable indoor air quality (IAQ) in commercial buildings.

Consequentially, it has been adopted by LEED in many rating systems and is a prerequisite for LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance.

The first step to understanding whether or not the space is in compliance with the standard is to calculate the minimum ventilation requirement for the specific space type, which factors in many building-specific elements such as the use and type/placement of the ventilation system delivering fresh air. The minimum ventilation requirement is detailed as Cubic Feet per Minute, or CFM. With a target CFM developed, the next step is to test the flow rates to determine if they are delivering as designed and/or in compliance with the minimum CFM. In some situations, systems are over-delivering, or can have dampers not closing properly, which can be easily adjusted to reduce flow rates, resulting in energy efficiency gains. Other buildings may be under-delivering, in which case a higher ventilation rate would be required to adhere with the standard. The process of adjusting the flow rate is commonly referred to as balancing the system.

The best reason to use this solution is if you are pursuing LEED Certification. As a prerequisite credit, it is required for existing buildings.

What We Need to Get Started

Whenever possible, floor plans detailing the mechanical schematics of the building are helpful in determining where and how the ventilation system is operating. To perform the testing, we will make a site visit with our mechanical specialist, in which case we must be able to turn temperatures inside the building to “worst case” scenario. The “worst case” scenario is usually only needed for a few minutes, but it may cause brief discomfort to occupants. Depending on the results, further balancing may be required in which case adjustments would need to be made and the entire system re-tested.

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