COMcheck

Last year, the Oregon Legislature approved Senate Bill 79, directing the Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) to reduce energy use in commercial construction 15-25% over the 2007 code provisions by 2012. With the adoption of the 2010 Oregon Energy Efficiency Specialty Code (OEESC) the division achieved the goal set out by the Legislature two years ahead of schedule.

The 2010 OEESC is now a stand-alone code. It takes the place of Chapter 13 in the Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC).

COMcheck is Oregon's new method of determining compliance with the OEESC. The U.S. Department of Energy developed the COMcheck software to clarify and simplify commercial building energy code compliance.

Use of COMcheck is now required to demonstrate that a project complies with the OEESC. The reports and checklists generated by COMcheck must be included with construction documents when applying for a building permit.

COMcheck offers a streamlined, easy-to-understand process for demonstrating compliance with all commercial energy code requirements for envelope, interior and exterior lighting, and mechanical systems. It eliminates calculation tasks other than determining square footages and requires no specialized technical knowledge of commercial codes. When applied to simple buildings, COMcheck is self-contained, requiring no additional resources or reference books.. Contractors and designers who use COMcheck can save time and effort in documenting code compliance.

COMcheck is the subject of the City of Eugene’s next Design/Plan Review sack lunch presentation. It will take place on Thursday, September 2, 2010, from noon to 1:00 PM, in the Atrium Building’s Sloat Room (99 West 10th Avenue). Mark Campion of the State of Oregon Building Codes Division will be the speaker. He will demonstrate COMcheck’s capabilities by modeling some typical buildings. He will also discuss use of the prescriptive method versus the simplified trade-off method, and why a designer would choose one over the other.

Mark encourages anyone interested in attending his presentation to bring examples of envelope assemblies, interior and exterior lighting systems, and HVAC equipment types to see how COMcheck would handle them.

Don’t miss the City’s Design/Plan Review sack lunch to learn more about this important new energy code compliance software. If you have any questions regarding the September 2 meeting, contact Mark Whitmill, Assistant Building Official, City of Eugene by phone at (541) 682-5128 or by email at mark.d.whitmill@ci.eugene.or.us.