ASHRAE 90.1 / IECC

ASHRAE 62.2

Long flex duct runs with multiple bends severely reduce airflow. Each 90° bend in 4" flex adds ~15 equivalent feet of duct. This run has excessive pressure drop.

ASHRAE 90.1 — Insulation

Chilled water pipes MUST have vapor barrier on insulation to prevent condensation. Without it, moisture penetrates insulation, causes mold, and reduces R-value to near zero.

ASHRAE 90.1 / ASME B31.9

Chilled water piping insulation must have a continuous vapor barrier (vapor retarder) on the exterior to prevent moisture from migrating through the insulation and condensing on the cold pipe surface.

ASHRAE 90.1 Section 6.5.1

This fails ASHRAE 90.1 requirements. ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Section 6.5.1 requires economizer systems for cooling equipment above certain capacity thresholds in climate zones with sufficient free cooling hours, and Climate Zone 5A (Chicago) easily qualifies with thousands of annual hours where outdoor conditions can provide free or assisted cooling. A PUE of 1.8 indicates that 44% of total facility energy is consumed by non-IT overhead, which is very poor by modern standards. With a properly designed air-side or water-side economizer, this facility could achieve a PUE in the 1.2 to 1.4 range, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual energy costs. The economizer requirement is not optional regardless of cost justification arguments.

ASHRAE 90.1 Section 6.5.4.2 (6.5.4.1 in the 2016 edition) — Hydronic Variable Flow Systems

The VFD is in bypass mode despite being fully functional, meaning the pump runs at constant full speed. This eliminates the energy savings from variable flow operation. At 50% flow, a VFD-controlled pump uses only ~12.5% of full-speed power (affinity laws). Running in bypass at full speed wastes substantial energy and creates excessive pressure in the system.

ASHRAE 90.1 Table 6.8.3-1

Per ASHRAE 90.1 Table 6.8.3-1, a 4-inch hot-water pipe (NPS 4 falls in the '4 to <8 inch' column) operating in the 141-200°F fluid band requires a minimum of 2.0 inches of insulation. At 200°F the pipe is in that band, so the 1.5 inches of fiberglass installed is below the 2.0-inch minimum — the pipe is under-insulated and the installation fails. (1.5 inches would only satisfy the requirement for pipe smaller than 1.5 inches in this temperature band.) The fix is to bring the insulation up to at least 2.0 inches for a 4-inch pipe at this fluid temperature.