Regulated energy is the energy used for components of the building with requirements in Standard 90.1 Sections 5 through 10. This includes the energy used for HVAC, lighting, service water heating, motors, transformers, vertical transportation, refrigeration equipment, computer-room cooling equipment, and other building systems, components, and processes with requirements prescribed in Standard 90.1 Sections 5 through 10.
Unregulated energy is the energy used for all other end-uses in the building, which are primarily process loads. Some process loads do have requirements specifically identified in the standard and those are regulated, For example: some refrigeration systems, computer room cooling systems, fume hoods, items plugged into convenience outlets such as personal computers, printers, refrigerators etc. There is a multitude of unregulated energy use within the building that is not addressed by the standard, including but not limited to:
- All the things that are plugged into convenience outlets such as personal computers, printers, coffee machines, and refrigerators; i.e. the receptacle is regulated but the downstream component of the receptacle is not regulated.
- Compressed air systems in manufacturing and warehouse facilities;
- Specialized equipment in laboratories, hospitals, and manufacturing plants.
- Cooking equipment including griddles, fryers, ovens etc.
- Process loads without requirements specifically identified in the standard. For example: computer equipment in the data center, manufacturing equipment, industrial equipment.
- If chiller/boiler is used to provide chilled water or hot water to meet process loads and are covered by conditions in Standard 90.1-2019 Table 6.8.1-3 and Table 6.8.1-6, then the baseline equipment used to model the chilled water and hot water should use the efficiency specified in Standard 90.1-2019 Table G3.5-3 and Table G3.5-6, else it should be modeled as same as proposed.
- Energy used to recharge or refuel vehicles that are used for on-building site transportation purposes are considered unregulated energy and shall be modeled to be the same in the baseline and proposed building model.
- Energy used to recharge or refuel vehicles that are used for off-building site transportation purposes shall not be modeled in the baseline building or the proposed building model.
Energy modelers must be able to distinguish between regulated and unregulated energy use since this is an important factor in determining the PCI target for compliance with 90.1-2019. The target performance cost index (PCIt) assumes that the unregulated energy use is neutral for both the proposed design and the baseline building, and the procedure for determining PCIt has adjustments for the percent of unregulated energy.