International. In order to "align with evolving industry technologies," ASHRAE updated its 90.4 standard to version 2022. The update makes this standard a framework for the energy-efficient design of data centers, with particular attention to their unique load requirements compared to other buildings.
It is important to note that the 90.4 standard was developed under the guiding principle that data centers are mission-critical facilities, and that close attention should be paid to the potential impacts of the standard's requirements. This philosophy continues to guide successive editions, while recognizing advances in energy efficiency in the industry.
According to ASHRAE, "the 90.4 standard sets minimum data center energy efficiency requirements for the design, construction, and operation and maintenance, and use of on-site or off-site renewable energy resources." This standard was developed to meet the intent of the code, similar to Standard 90.1 and even mentions it for building envelope, service water heating, lighting, and other equipment criteria.
Changes of the 2022 edition
• Additional options for mechanical load component calculations.
• An additional reduction to the maximum ELC values required for compliance.
• The removal of the incoming service segment from ELC's calculation in recognition that designers must already account for utility transformers and feeders in most projects.
• New ELC segment calculation cut-off points of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% design load for consistent ELC and MLC
• A new methodology to apply a credit to MLC and ELC combined for on-site renewable energy deployment.
• Specific language to give credit for recovered heat shared with non-data center spaces.
The full list of changes is available at this link.
