How New Energy Codes Impact Electrical Substation Designs: An Overview of the Changing Regulations

At present, more than 30 U.S. states have established industrialized modular building certification programs to enforce compliance with state-adopted building and energy conservation codes. Although electrical substation enclosures benefitted from energy code exemptions in previous versions of the codes, recent versions of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) from 2012 and later include electrical substation enclosures within their scope and impose stringent requirements affecting final designs. This article discusses the design impact of these requirements as it relates to the enclosure envelope (thermal insulation), mechanical systems [heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC)], and the electrical system (lighting). It concludes by presenting possible paths for the industry to challenge some of these requirements and to reintroduce waivers for electrical substation enclosures in future versions of the IECC.