International. Throughout 2019, the International Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) has been working on the ANSI/AMCA 208 Standard, Ventilation Energy Index Calculation, which can now be downloaded for free.
The ratio between the electrical power of a reference fan and the electrical power of a real fan, both calculated at a given airflow and pressure working point, FEI "levels the playing field", allows for meaningful comparisons of many different types of fans. It was developed by AMCA and its members to replace the Fan Efficiency Grade (FEG), the metric introduced in 2010 in the ANSI/AMCA 205 Standard, Energy Efficiency Rating for Fans.
"FEI is superior to FEG because it includes motors and transmissions, not just the bare shaft fan, which is consistent with regulations covering pumps and air compressors," said AMCA Director of Global Affairs Michael Ivanovich. "It will help save energy by taking into account efficient motors and units."
"In addition, the FEI will be easier to enforce because the necessary size/selection window for the FEG is removed and, unlike the FEG, the FEI classifications are direct indicators of the energy use of the fans," Ivanovich continued. "FEG ratings remained consistent with fan size, therefore smaller and inherently inefficient fan sizes had disproportionately high FEG ratings."
Annex AO to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, which contain the proposed FEI requirements for Standard 90.1, is nearing completion and is expected to be considered for publication by ASHRAE in June. In addition, there is a proposal to replace FEG with FEI in the 2021 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code, and the California Energy Commission for the Title 20 Appliance Efficiency Regulation is considering the FEI.
"With these FEI proposals in place, AMCA is making AMCA 208 available at no cost to assist regulators and code officials," Ivanovich said.
The Standard is available for download by clicking here.
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