In an article on the Consulting-Specifying Engineer website, engineers with healthcare experience offer tips on dealing with healthcare projects' codes and standards.

They were asked if Energy Star, ASHRAE, U.S. Green Building Council, etc., affected their work on healthcare building projects.

"Newly updated and recently adopted ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2013 includes lowered water chiller efficiencies that will be effective Jan. 1, 2015. New and replacement equipment must meet these requirements. ASHRAE Standard 170-2013 has also been updated to meet current design trends and procedures for proper directional airflows, temperatures, and air change rates," said J. Patrick Banse, senior mechanical engineer at Smith Seckman Reid in Houston, Texas.

"Many owners want to have LEED Certified buildings. Facility managers are concerned with energy use and want efficient equipment and the means to operate their systems efficiently. The end results are usually all positive, but higher construction first costs generally are viewed as a negative influence. That is where a proper lifecycle cost analysis (LCCA) can help incorporate design features that aid a building operation in the long term."

Read the article.