(a) To determine life-cycle costs, the Department, in cooperation with the Maryland Energy Administration, shall establish standards that require at least: (1) an evaluation of: (i) the amount and type of glass used in the building and the directions of exposure; (ii) the effect of insulation incorporated into the design of the building; (iii) the effect of the use of active and passive solar energy systems; (iv) if wind or solar energy is used, the orientation and integration of the building with respect to its site; and (v) the variable occupancy and operating conditions of the building and its parts; (2) an energy consumption analysis of each major piece of equipment in any of the following systems serving the building: (i) the cooling system; (ii) the heating system; (iii) the hot water system; (iv) the lighting system; (v) the ventilation system; and (vi) any other major energy-using system; and (3) a comparison of possible alternative energy systems: (i) that would use the most plentiful and available energy resources in combinations that would result in maximum energy efficiency, both in the building and at the source; and (ii) with respect to the projected annual energy consumption of the major energy-using equipment of each system over the life of the building. (b) To evaluate life-cycle costs, the Department shall: (1) adopt and uniformly apply a definition of the "life of the building"; and (2) provide defending criteria for the definition adopted.
‹ Prev All Maryland sections Next ›
Lexace provides legal information, not legal advice, and no attorney–client relationship is created. Statute text is provided for general information and may not reflect the most recent amendments; verify against the official state code.