As a consulting member of the California Hospital Building Safety Board’s (HBSB) Energy Conservation and Management Committee, I attended the committee meeting on Thursday, February 13 in Sacramento and I wanted to share some of my takeaways.
This was the first meeting following the adoption of the 2019 Building Code, which now requires hospitals to comply with Title 24, Part 6 (Energy Codes), and each of the presenters addressed the application of the current codes and future code development.
Presentation: 2019 building codes
Presenter: Richard Tannahill and Ryan Nelson, OSHPD
It was good to hear from OSHPD’s Richard Tannahill and Ryan Nelson about the resources available to help the AEC community apply/comply with the new regulations. This included updated OSHPD forms TIO’s etc, modified to include the additional criteria.
My takeaways:
- Guides and supporting material is available
- Ongoing webinars will be given to help educate
Presentation: California Codes and Standards CASE change proposals
Presenter; Heidi Werner presented on the California Codes and Standards CASE change proposals for the next code cycle that will impact healthcare facilities studies.
To stay informed on these I would encourage people to sign up for updates from the CASE team (webinars) and (share comments to help influence future codes)
Update: Educational opportunities regarding California Energy Code Standards
My takeaways:
- Energy Code Ace is offering free online training sessions.
Upcoming Meetings
I am sure future meetings will be dominated by the all important Covid-19 Response. I also look forward to the next Energy Conservation and Management Committee meeting, at which I will lead a discussion around the impact that implementing a decarbonized model will have on electrical distribution in hospitals.
