1. (a) To determine life-cycle costs, the Department, in cooperation with the Maryland Energy Administration, shall establish standards that require at least:

   1. (1) an evaluation of:

      1. (i) the amount and type of glass used in the building and the directions of exposure;
      2. (ii) the effect of insulation incorporated into the design of the building;
      3. (iii) the effect of the use of active and passive solar energy systems;
      4. (iv) if wind or solar energy is used, the orientation and integration of the building with respect to its site; and
      5. (v) the variable occupancy and operating conditions of the building and its parts;

   2. (2) an energy consumption analysis of each major piece of equipment in any of the following systems serving the building:

      1. (i) the cooling system;
      2. (ii) the heating system;
      3. (iii) the hot water system;
      4. (iv) the lighting system;
      5. (v) the ventilation system; and
      6. (vi) any other major energy-using system; and

   3. (3) a comparison of possible alternative energy systems:

      1. (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
      2. (ii) with respect to the projected annual energy consumption of the major energy-using equipment of each system over the life of the building.

2. (b) To evaluate life-cycle costs, the Department shall:

   1. (1) adopt and uniformly apply a definition of the “life of the building”; and
   2. (2) provide defending criteria for the definition adopted.

Added by Acts 1985, c. 11, § 2, eff. Oct. 1, 1985. Amended by Acts 1990, c. 394, § 1, eff. July 1, 1990; Acts 1991, c. 468, § 1, eff. July 1, 1991.

Formerly Art. 78A, §§ 25D, 25E.