Florida Building Commission

Energy Technical Advisory Committee

Meeting Minutes

Tuesday, December 8th, 2015

                  

Meeting Location:  Teleconference Meeting from Tallahassee, Florida

 

TAC/POC Members and Objectives

TAC Members Present Via Teleconference: Drew M. Smith , Chair; Ron Bailey Brent Caldwell; Oscar Calleja; Bob Cochell; Jan Geyselaers ; Roger Sanders; David Wojcieszak, David Wojcieszak.

 

TAC Members not Present:, Lawrence Maxwell

 

Staff Present: Norman Bellamy, Nick Duval, Jim Hammers, April Hammonds, Mo Madani.

 

Guests Present:  Jeff Sonne, Muthusamy Swami, Joe Belcher, Brad Schiffer, Corey Dougen, Bob Morris, Rob Vieira, Paul Bost, Arlene Steward.

 

Objectives:  

Ř To review and accept draft report for Research project titled “Evaluating the Economic Impacts of the Legislatively Delayed Provisions of the 5th Edition (2014) Florida Building Code.

Ř To consider and discuss Declaratory Statements DS 2015-125 and DS2015-134

Ř To review and provide recommendation to the Commission on possible submittals for approval of energy compliance software.

 

Meeting Minutes

Objective

Discussion of objectives included the following: 

1)

 

1:03 PM. Welcome and Opening, Roll Call.  A quorum was present.

Norman Bellamy, facilitator for the Florida Building Commission, provided a welcome and a brief introduction of the members present.   

2)

April Hammonds, staff counsel, proposed that the TAC take Item 5 and 6 of the agenda first.  This was so that the petitioner for the Declaratory Statement could speak.

 

Mo Madani, Staff, also proposed that item 4 be taken last.

3)

The agenda was approved as amended by the committee members. 

The meeting minutes for the August 05th meeting of the Energy TAC meeting was approved unanimously by the committee members.

4)

Objective:  To consider and discuss the following request for Declaratory Statement:

 

DS 2015-125 by Gary R. Beaumont of Beaumont Electric Co.

 

  • The petitioner was not present to give statement. This Declaratory Statement was also taken up by the Electrical TAC, in which they voted in favor of staff recommendation.
  • Mo Madani, Staff, was present to give the Staff Analysis of the Declaratory Statement. Afterward there were questions from the TAC.
  • There was a motion to accept the staff analysis by Bob Cochell, and was seconded by Jan Geyselaers. The motion passed, with one vote dissenting.

 

TAC Action taken:

 

Question:

 

Can electrical engineers design commercial construction projects to allow feeders to have more than a 2% voltage drop, as long as the feeders and branch circuits combined shall be sized for a maximum of 5% voltage drop to meet the intent of FBC – Energy Conservation – 2014 – C405.7.4”

 

Answer: 

 

No.  As per Section C405.7.3.1 of the 5th Edition (2014) FBC, Energy Conservation, feeder and customer owned service conductor must be sized for a maximum voltage drop of 2 percent at design load.

 

5)

Objective:  To consider and discuss the following request for Declaratory Statement:

 

DS 2015 -134 by Joseph Hetzel of Door & Access Systems Manufacturers Association International (DASMA).

 

  • The petitioner was not present to give statement. This Declaratory Statement was also taken up by the Code Admin TAC, in which they voted in favor of staff recommendation.
  • Mo Madani, Staff, was present to give the Staff Analysis of the Declaratory Statement. Afterward there were questions from the TAC concerning the difference circumstances of this declaratory statement analysis and the DS2015-125. Which were then answered by Mo Madani and April Hammonds.
  • There was a motion to accept the staff analysis by Bob Cochell,  and was seconded by Brent Caldwell. The motion passed unanimously.

 

TAC Action taken:

 

Question 1) Can the maximum air leakage rate requirement for high speed doors as shown in Table C402.5.2 of the 2015 IECC be used for the high speed door to be installed in the facility in question, to meet the intent of the Florida Energy Code Fifth Edition based on technical justification?  Our understanding is that the answer is Yes, provided that the authority having jurisdiction approves the use of the Table per the "alternate method" allowance in the Code

 

Answer: The answer is yes, provided that the authority having jurisdiction approves the use of Table C402.5.2 of the 2015 IECC for the high speed door in question in accordance with Section C102, Alternate Material –Method of Construction, Design or instillation System, of the 5th Edition (2014) FBC, Energy Conservation.

 

Question 2) Is the Florida Energy Code Fifth Edition Section C102, "Alternate Materials - Methods of Construction, Design or Insulating Systems", applicable toward use of the Table described in Question #1?  Our understanding is the answer is Yes, provided that the authority having jurisdiction finds the Table referenced in Question #1 to be itself applicable to the door in question.

 

Answer: Please see answer to question 1.

 

6)

Objective: To review and provide recommendation to the Commission on possible submittals for approval of energy compliance software for the 5th Edition (2014) Florida Building Code, Energy Conservation.

COMCheck: https://www.energycodes.gov/comcheck

  • Mo Madani, staff, gave a brief overview of the review of the COMCheck software by the Department of Energy and the period of review by the staff. There were no comments from the public. There was one clarifying question from the TAC clarifying that COMCheck is for prescriptive compliance only.

 

  • There was a motion to recommend approval of the COMCheck software by the Florida Building Commission, by Bob Cochell, which was seconded by Brent Caldwell.  The motion passed unanimously.

7)

Objective: Categorizing Mandatory Requirements for Commercial Code Compliance

 

  • Muthusamy Swami, from Florida Solar Energy Center, was present to discuss an update to the approved Energy Code Compliance Software.  No information was deleted from the program printout , the checklist required was merely recategorized to be more user friendly to the people utilizing the printout.  Documents uploaded to the Agenda reflect the original and revised versions.

 

  • There were questions from the TAC, and a request for a checklist item related to load sizing calculations.  Also detailed was the fact that some errors in the program will be corrected but that the software will need to be reapproved per the Technical Assistance Manual. One of the users, Paul Bost was also present to give a brief statement on helping develop the changes to the categorization.

 

Note: No action was taken by the TAC at this time with the understanding that FSEC will submit a revised program for review and approval by the commission during the upcoming Commission meeting.

8)

Objective:  To review and accept draft report for research project titled “Evaluating the Economic Impacts of the Legislatively Delayed Provisions of the 5th Edition (2014) Florida Building Code:

Ř  Mandatory blower door testing for residential buildings or dwelling units as contained in Section R402.4.1.2 of the Florida Building Code, 5th Edition (2014) Energy Conservation Volume;

Ř  Mechanical ventilation for residential buildings or dwelling units as contained in Section R303.4 of the Florida Building Code, 5th Edition (2014) Residential Volume.

 

·                  Jeff Sonne was present from the Florida Solar Energy Center to give the report on the research project above.  Jeff Sonne also detailed the next steps in the research project after this stage. Afterward there were some questions from TAC Members, Bob Cochell, Drew Smith, and Oscar Calleja. There was a question during public comment from Arlene Steward. Rob Vieira was also present from FSEC to answer questions.

 

·                  A motion was made to accept the draft report by Oscar Calleja, and was seconded by Roger Sanders.  The motion passed unanimously.

 

Other TAC Business. None

 

Public Comment. None.

 

Adjourn:  Having no other TAC business, the meeting was closed after a Motion and Second to Adjourn. Time 2:18 pm.

 

Staff Contacts: Norman Bellamy, Government Operations Consultant (850) 717-1834 Norman.Bellamy@myfloridalicense.com or Mo Madani, Manager mo.madani@dbpr.state.fl.us (850) 717-1825