American National Standard Established as National Reference Energy Efficiency Standard for Many U.S. Buildings
Under recent rulings issued by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), federal, commercial, and high-rise residential buildings must meet requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007 - the energy efficiency standard developed by American National Standards Institute (ANSI) members ASHRAE and the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES).
ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, has been established by the DOE as the commercial building reference standard for state building energy codes under the federal Energy Conservation and Production Act. States are required to certify by July 20, 2013, that they have reviewed and updated the provisions of their commercial building code regarding energy efficiency, including a demonstration that the provisions of their commercial building codes regarding energy efficiency meet or exceed 90.1-2007.
DOE also has issued a rule that requires new federal buildings for which the design for construction begins on or after October 11, 2012, to meet the requirements of the standard. Prior to the new rules, federal and commercial buildings had to meet requirements in the 2004 standard.
Originally developed in response to the energy crisis of the 1970s, Standard 90.1 influences building designs worldwide. ASHRAE and IES currently are working on the 2013 standard. For more information, read the ASHRAE press release.
OASIS Committee on Trust in Electronic Identity Credentials Seeks Participants
Organizations are invited to participate in a new project of the OASIS open standards consortium to address the serious security and interoperability challenges involved in authenticating electronic identity credentials.
The OASIS Trust Elevation Technical Committee will define a set of standardized protocols that service providers may use to elevate the trust in an electronic identity credential presented to them for authentication. The work will reconcile the fundamental gap between credential-based trust approaches and transaction risk mitigation-based trust approaches. Formed in response to suggestions from the public sector, the committee's ultimate goal is to extend interoperability among service providers and make e-transactions easier and friendlier for end users.
Additional companies, government agencies, and standards organizations are expected to join before the committee's first teleconference meeting on September 5, 2011. Please note: you must be a member of OASIS in order to participate in the Trust Elevation Technical Committee.
Questions may be directed to Dee Schur, OASIS member support (978.667.5115 x211 or [email protected]).
Toy Industry Foundation Brings Comfort and Toys to Children of Military Families
On August 5, military families stationed in Virginia experienced some much-deserved joy and loads of fun as the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) - the philanthropic arm of ANSI member the Toy Industry Association - delivered 7,000 new toys and games to more than 5,000 children of military families.
An initiative of TIF and the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), the toy distribution was the latest and largest during year two of the TIF-BGCA Play Comforts partnership - the first-ever national toy distribution program to serve every branch of the military. Throughout 2011, thirty U.S. military installations with some of the highest deployment rates will receive playthings from TIF in the U.S. and in Germany.
Toys are distributed through the Foundation's Toy Bank, which collects $5 million worth of contributions from toy manufacturers, retailers, and distributors each year. The Toy Bank is the Foundation's signature program and also provides toys to children living in poverty, suffering from chronic illnesses, rescued from crisis situations, and affected by natural disasters. Click here to learn more.
RESNET Applies for Accreditation as an ANSI ASD
The Residential Energy Services Network, Inc. (RESNET) has submitted an application for accreditation as an ANSI accredited standards developer. RESNET's proposed scope of standards would cover performance-based residential and commercial energy rating and audit standards to determine the energy performance of a home or building and the associated standards for the performance improvements of the home or building, guidelines, standard practices, and other related standards.
To obtain a copy of RESNET's proposed operating procedures, or to offer comments, please contact: Steve Baden, RESNET executive director (760.408.5860; [email protected]). Comments to RESNET should be submitted by September 12, 2011, with a copy to Jim Thompson, the recording secretary of ANSI's Executive Standards Council ([email protected]; fax: 212.840.2298).
To view or download a copy of RESNET's proposed operating procedures, click here.