How new Energy Codes are Impacting Electrical Substation Designs: Copyright Material IEEE, Paper No. PCIC-2018-11

At present, more than thirty states across the US have established industrialized modular building certification programs to enforce compliance with state- adopted building and energy conservation codes. While electrical substation enclosures could benefit from energy code exemptions in previous versions of the codes, recent versions of the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC 2015 and later) include electrical substation enclosures within its scope and impose stringent requirements that affect final designs. This paper discusses the design impact of these requirements as it relates to the enclosure envelope (thermal insulation), the mechanical systems (HVAC), and the electrical system (lighting). The paper concludes by presenting possible paths for the industry to challenge some of these requirements and to re-introduce waivers for electrical substation enclosures in the future versions of the IECC.