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ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2022 is estimated to use 9.8% less national-average site energy than the 2019 edition. That figure comes from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and is a modeled comparison of the two editions—not a guaranteed reduction for every building and not an estimate for the later 2025 edition.
For owners, designers and contractors, the practical change is a more demanding code baseline, new Section 11 energy-credit requirements, and revised whole-building performance paths. The edition that controls a project, however, is the one adopted and enforced by its state or local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ). Always confirm that edition, its effective date and local amendments before making design or construction decisions.
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How much more efficient is ASHRAE 90.1-2022 than the 2019 standard?
DOE’s affirmative determination says buildings meeting Standard 90.1-2022 would achieve 9.8% national-average site-energy savings compared with buildings meeting Standard 90.1-2019. DOE published that conclusion in its 2024 Federal Register determination, supported by a technical analysis of the changes between editions.
The wording matters:
- Baseline: 90.1-2019, not 90.1-2025.
- Metric: site energy, not energy cost, source energy, emissions or peak demand.
- Scope: a modeled national-average comparison of code-compliant commercial buildings.
- Meaning: an estimate of the performance of the two code editions as modeled, not a promised utility-bill reduction for an individual project.
DOE’s exact conclusion is that “buildings meeting Standard 90.1-2022, as compared with buildings meeting the previous 2019 edition, would result in national average site energy savings of 9.8 percent of commercial building energy consumption.” A building’s actual result will depend on its form, climate, systems, schedules, controls, operation and maintenance, and how faithfully the design is built and commissioned.
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ASHRAE separately describes the 2022 Section 11 energy-credit provisions as enabling approximately 4% to 5% energy-cost savings. That is a feature-level estimate from ASHRAE, measured in energy cost, and must not be added to or substituted for DOE’s 9.8% site-energy result.
What is Standard 90.1, and which buildings does it cover?
Standard 90.1 establishes minimum energy-efficiency requirements for buildings other than low-rise residential buildings. Its scope reaches design and construction, provisions for operation and maintenance planning, and on-site renewable-energy use. It is a model standard; it becomes legally binding only when a government adopts it through its building or energy code.
The standard is used by code officials, architects, engineers, energy modelers, contractors, commissioning teams and owners. A project may also be required to demonstrate compliance with a state code that references a particular 90.1 edition, with amendments that change how the model text is applied.
Do not assume that the newest edition is automatically the governing requirement. ASHRAE identifies 90.1-2025 as its published edition, but a jurisdiction may still enforce an earlier edition. The permit pathway, project location, occupancy, scope of work and AHJ interpretation determine which requirements apply.
What changed in 90.1-2022?
The 2022 edition incorporates revisions intended to improve efficiency and updates the ways a project can demonstrate whole-building performance. Two changes are especially important for project teams because they affect both design choices and compliance documentation.
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Section 11 added energy-credit requirements
Section 11 introduced additional efficiency requirements through energy credits. Instead of treating every project as identical, the credit structure provides a menu of measures that can be selected to reach the required level. ASHRAE’s overview of the 2022 changes says these provisions enable approximately 4% to 5% energy-cost savings.
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Because the standard text and jurisdictional amendments control the exact requirements, use the adopted edition rather than relying on a summary. A credit that appears attractive in an early model may be impractical after equipment lead times, electrical capacity, maintenance access or fire and life-safety coordination are considered.
Whole-building performance paths were revised
ASHRAE revised the whole-building Energy Cost Budget Method and Performance Rating Method. These are alternative compliance paths that evaluate a proposed building against a modeled baseline rather than checking every prescriptive item in isolation. The revisions affect how the baseline and proposed models are assembled, how measures are represented and how results are documented.
ASHRAE’s technical article on the 2022 performance-path changes is useful for understanding the direction of the revisions. It is not a substitute for the adopted standard, addenda and local instructions. A model that satisfies a designer’s copy of 90.1-2022 may still fail if the AHJ requires a different software version, reporting format, baseline interpretation or amendment.
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How should a project team use the 2022 energy-credit and performance provisions?
Use a documented compliance plan before construction documents are complete. The following sequence reduces redesign and prevents a performance path from becoming an unverifiable promise.
- Confirm the governing rule. Ask the AHJ or code consultant which 90.1 edition is adopted, whether it is embedded in another energy code, when it became effective and what local amendments apply.
- Choose the compliance route. Decide whether the project will follow the applicable prescriptive provisions, the Energy Cost Budget Method, the Performance Rating Method or another route allowed by the adopted code.
- Assign responsibility for each requirement. Put envelope, HVAC, lighting, controls, electrical, renewable-energy and documentation items on a responsibility matrix. Identify the design professional who will make the final compliance determination.
- Lock assumptions early. Record building area, schedules, occupancy, climate data, ventilation assumptions, equipment efficiencies, setpoints and control sequences. Changes to these assumptions can alter both credit eligibility and modeled results.
- Coordinate procurement with compliance. Confirm that specified equipment and assemblies are available at the required efficiency and that substitutions will be reviewed for code and model impacts before approval.
- Document installation. Preserve submittals, shop drawings, control diagrams, test reports and photographs where they support a credit or modeled input. A compliant design cannot be demonstrated if the record does not show what was installed.
- Verify operation. Include functional testing and owner training where the compliance approach relies on controls, sequences, sensors or scheduled operation. The standard’s energy objective depends on systems operating as designed.
- Submit the final package. Provide the calculations, model reports, credit forms and construction evidence required by the AHJ. Keep the approved basis of compliance with the project record for future alterations and inspections.
What does the 9.8% number not tell you?
The DOE estimate does not predict a particular building’s utility bills. Site energy is the energy delivered to and consumed at the building—such as electricity or fuel at the site. Source energy accounts for upstream production and delivery losses. Energy cost depends on tariffs and rates. Emissions depend on the electricity-generation mix and fuel factors. These measures can move in different directions.
The estimate also does not isolate one product or one provision. It reflects the modeled effect of the edition as a whole. A project that uses a performance path may achieve compliance with a different mix of measures than a project using prescriptive requirements, while both satisfy the same adopted edition.
Finally, 9.8% is an average across DOE’s modeled national building stock. Climate, operating hours, plug loads, vacancy, maintenance and occupant behavior can make the difference between editions larger or smaller at a particular site. Present the number as an evidence-based national estimate, not as a payback calculation or a guaranteed savings claim.
What does DOE’s determination require from states?
Federal law requires DOE to review published commercial-building energy standards and determine whether an updated edition improves energy efficiency. DOE’s 2024 determination found that 90.1-2022 improves efficiency relative to 90.1-2019. The determination directs states to review their commercial energy-code provisions and, as necessary, update them to meet or exceed the revised standard.
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The Federal Register notice set March 6, 2026 as the deadline for state certification. That federal timetable does not by itself tell a contractor which text controls a permit. States may adopt through legislation, regulation or a code update, and local enforcement, amendments and effective dates still matter.
For a live project, obtain the adopted code citation from the AHJ or the project’s code consultant. Do not write “90.1-2022 applies” solely because DOE issued a determination or because ASHRAE has published a newer edition.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How is 90.1-2025 different from the 2022 savings comparison?
90.1-2025 is a later published edition, not the edition used in DOE’s 9.8% comparison. ASHRAE reports that the 2025 edition incorporates 105 addenda. That fact describes the scale of the revision history; it does not establish a percentage of savings.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsNo DOE savings determination for 90.1-2025 is established by the evidence for this article. Therefore, do not describe 2025 as delivering 9.8% savings, and do not extrapolate the 2022-versus-2019 result to it. Use the ASHRAE 90.1-2025 scope information and the current standard text for requirements, then check the jurisdiction’s adoption status.
In July 2026, ASHRAE announced a future direction that keeps energy efficiency and cost-justified requirements as 90.1’s primary focus. It also said the committee plans to move optional operational-carbon concepts introduced in the 2025 edition to a separate publication. That is a stated plan, not a completed revision or a change that should be treated as current code.
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What are the most common compliance mistakes?
- Quoting 9.8% without the baseline. Always name both editions: 2022 versus 2019.
- Calling site-energy savings “cost savings.” Use the metric supplied by the source; ASHRAE’s 4%–5% figure is a separate energy-cost estimate tied to Section 11.
- Applying 2025 requirements automatically. The published edition and the legally adopted edition may differ.
- Choosing credits after design is fixed. Late selections can trigger equipment changes, structural conflicts or unavailable products.
- Treating a model as proof of installation. Field substitutions and control changes must be reviewed and documented.
- Ignoring addenda and amendments. Use the complete adopted text and the AHJ’s required forms and software instructions.
- Promising project-level savings. A national modeled average is not a guarantee for an individual building.
Where can you verify the requirements?
Start with the authority that issues the permit, then obtain the exact ASHRAE edition incorporated by that jurisdiction. The DOE Building Energy Codes Program determinations page explains the federal review process; the DOE technical support document provides the analysis behind the 2022 determination. ASHRAE’s Standard 90.1 page identifies the current publication and access route.
For construction administration, keep one controlled copy of the adopted standard, all referenced addenda, jurisdictional amendments, approved compliance calculations and the final record of installed systems. That package is more useful than a generic statement that a project is “90.1 compliant.”
What should a contractor take away?
90.1-2022 represents a measurable step beyond 90.1-2019 in DOE’s modeled national analysis: 9.8% less site energy on average. Its practical impact comes from the combined edition, including Section 11 energy credits and revised whole-building performance paths, not from a single piece of equipment.
Use the 9.8% figure to explain the policy-level improvement, not to promise a building owner a specific bill reduction. For a project decision, the controlling questions are which edition the AHJ has adopted, which compliance path the design team selected, what evidence each requirement needs and whether the installed building matches the approved design.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 9.8% figure a guaranteed reduction in my building’s energy bills?
No. It is DOE’s modeled national-average site-energy difference between 90.1-2022 and 90.1-2019. Actual consumption and bills depend on climate, occupancy, schedules, equipment, controls, maintenance and utility rates.
Does Standard 90.1 apply to a single-family or low-rise residential project?
Standard 90.1 is written for buildings other than low-rise residential buildings. The applicable residential or commercial code depends on the project’s classification and the jurisdiction’s adopted code, so confirm the scope with the AHJ.
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Where can I get the edition of 90.1 that controls my permit?
Ask the permitting authority or project code consultant for the adopted citation, effective date and amendments. Then use the corresponding ASHRAE text and any required state or local compliance forms rather than relying on a newer edition sold by the publisher.
Can a project claim both the 9.8% site-energy savings and the 4%–5% Section 11 savings?
Those figures describe different things and should not be combined. The 9.8% figure is DOE’s whole-edition site-energy comparison, while the approximately 4%–5% figure is ASHRAE’s estimate for energy-cost savings enabled by the 2022 Section 11 credits.
