ASHRAE Announces Scholarship Recipients

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has announced the recipients of 16 scholarships totaling $85,000 for the 2008-09 academic year. The students, all pursuing courses leading to a career within the HVAC industry, will receive the following undergraduate ASHRAE scholarships:

Reuben Trane Scholarships: $10,000 over two years, Jonathan Jenkins, University of Kansas, architectural engineering; Carrie Baughman, North Carolina State University, mechanical engineering; and Ashanti Hepburn, NC A State University, architectural engineering. The scholarship was established in 1991 when The Trane Co. established an endowment fund in memory of its founder.

Willis H. Carrier Scholarship: $10,000 for one year, Felipe Pinsheira, Southern Illinois University, mechanical engineering; James Newman, Kansas State University, architectural engineering. The scholarship was established by The Carrier Corp. in memory of its founder, a pioneer in the HVAC industry known for his contributions to establishing air conditioning as an industry.

Frank M. Coda Memorial Scholarship: $5,000 for one year, Martin Nolan, City College of the City University of New York, mechanical engineering. The scholarship is named in memory of ASHRAE’s former executive vice president.

The following one-year $3,000 scholarships will be awarded:

Henry Adams Scholarship: Alyssa Adams, Penn State University, architectural engineering. The scholarship was established by the consulting firm of Henry Adams Inc. in memory of its founder.

Duane Hanson Scholarship: Susan Nagel, Kansas State, architectural engineering. The scholarship’s namesake was president of Gayner Engineers in San Francisco, CA.

Alwin B. Newton Scholarship: James Gawthrop, Penn State, architectural engineering. The scholarship’s namesake was an industry pioneer who was granted 219 patents and strived to provide knowledge to younger people in the industry.

ASHRAE Region VIII Scholarship: Tanushree Thote, University of Arkansas, biological engineering.

ASHRAE Scholarships: Clinton Gechter, University of Kansas, architectural engineering; and Paul Schack, University of Wisconsin, electrical engineering.

Memorial Scholarship: Eric White, Southern Illinois, mechanical engineering.

Associate of Engineering Technology Scholarship: Jeffrey Normandy, Massasoit Community College, HVAC technology; Benjamin LaRose, State University of New York (Canton), air conditioning engineering technology.

Bachelor’s Engineering Technology Scholarship: Jeffrey Hansen, Alfred State University (SUNY), mechanical engineering technology.

ASHRAE has awarded 180 scholarships during the past 19 years totaling more than $925,000. The ASHRAE scholarship program encourages and assists HVAC education through scholarships and fellowships.

In addition, ASHRAE has launched a Web page for its scholarship program–www.ashrae.org/ scholarships. The page provides a summary of all ASHRAE scholarship opportunities for students seeking scholarship information, along with testimonials from former scholarship recipients.

ASHRAE Raises More Than $2 Million for Research Promotion

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure a year? So goes the song from the hit play Rent. But at ASHRAE, the past year has been measured in dollars: $2,081,422 to be exact. Exceeding the 2007-2008 fiscal year’s $2 million goal, ASHRAE’s efforts on the chapter and society level for raising funds for research have led to a record breaking year.

“Surpassing our goal for research promotion truly signifies the dedication of our volunteer base,” says Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president. “ASHRAE volunteers are the backbone of our research promotion program, which is a grassroots effort. I thank each of the 160 dedicated fundraising volunteers on the chapter level for helping fund our research program, which is widely respected in the building industry.”

With 6,000 total donations for the year, nearly half came from individual ASHRAE member donations, with corporate donations comprising the remainder. With an increase of nearly $300,000 over the previous year, the money raised will fund research projects beginning in the 2008-2009 fiscal year. ASHRAE conducts about $8 million in research in any given year, with projects often spanning several years. Currently, there are 92 active research projects, including ones focusing on hospital operating room air distribution and air quality on board commercial aircraft.

Individual chapters raise funds in a variety of ways, including golf tournaments, auctions, and educational seminars. ASHRAE’s Region VIII, which covers Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, led the regions in total funds raised with $375,591.

Market Transformation Taking Place with Free Advanced Energy Design Guide Downloads

Nine million tons of carbon dioxide. $600 million in energy costs.

That’s the potential savings represented by 100,000 copies in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series now in circulation. More than 88,000 of the publications have been obtained via free download since January.

The series includes publications on small retail and small office buildings, K-12 school buildings, and warehouses and self storage units. The books provide guidance on how to achieve 30% energy savings over building code minimum based on ANSI/ASHRAE/ IESNA Standard 90.1-1999.

Calculations show that if every guide downloaded resulted in a single building designed to save 30% beyond code minimum, the estimated energy and carbon savings would be 52 trillion btus and 9 million tons of carbon dioxide. With an average cost of electricity of 5 cents per kwh and gas at $7 per mmbtu, the estimated cost of energy savings is over $600 million.

The guides are developed by ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America and the U.S. Green Building Council, with support from the U.S. Department of Energy. The downloads are available at www.ashrae.org/freeaedg.

“ASHRAE is committed to energy optimization and producing guidance that will help move the building industry toward market viable net zero energy and carbon neutral buildings,” ASHRAE President Kent Peterson, P.E., said. “The call for these high performing buildings is transforming our industry, and the guidance in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series is usable technology guidance to help owners, architects and engineers in accomplishing high-performing buildings.”

“This is proof positive that there are substantial economic benefits to green building strategies,” said AIA President Marshall E. Purnell, FAIA. “Hopefully this will help convince skeptics of the value and payback of green building design and that practitioners will take advantage of this excellent resource so that we can move closer to reaching our shared goal of carbon neutral buildings by 2030.”

“IES is pleased to part of the team developing these important guides, whose success demonstrates that collectively the collaborating organizations are raising awareness about how to achieve energy savings and developing a receptive audience for future guidance on net zero energy and carbon neutral buildings,” said Rita M. Harrold, IESNA director of technology.

“The green building movement offers an unprecedented opportunity to respond to the most important challenges of our time, including global climate change, dependence on non-sustainable and expensive sources of energy, and threats to human health,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO & Founding Chair, U.S. Green Building Council. “Working with ASHRAE, AIA, and IESNA on the Advanced Energy Design Guide series is part of a critical collaborative effort to provide the industry with the tools it needs to make an immediate and measurable impact.”

Upcoming publications in the series include 30% guidance books for highway lodging, existing buildings and small health care facilities.

Outstanding Achievements Recognized at ASHRAE’s Annual Meeting

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recognized 86 members for contributions to ASHRAE and the HVAC&R industry at the Society’s 2008 Annual Meeting.

The Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award honors an ASHRAE Fellow for continuous preeminence in engineering or research work. The recipient is Presidential Member James E. Hill, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE, Moneta, VA.

The Andrew T. Boggs Service Award recognizes a past Distinguished Service Award recipient for continuing, unselfish, dedicated, and distinguished service. The recipient is Presidential Member Presidential Donald G. Rich, Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, retired from Carrier-UTC, Fayetteville, NY

The Exceptional Service Award recognizes Distinguished Award recipients who have continued to serve the Society faithfully and with exemplary effort. Ten recipients were recognized:

• William P. Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, a professor of architectural engineering and director of the Indoor Environment Center, Penn State University, University Park, PA.
• Michael F. Beda, P.E., president, Process Equipment Co., Tulsa, OK.
• Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng., assistant vice president (Facility Management and Planning), Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
• Presidential Member H.E. “Barney” Burroughs, Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, CEO and president, Building Wellness Consultancy, Alpharetta, GA.
• Kenneth W. Cooper, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, director, special projects, PoolPak International, York, PA.
• Presidential Member Harley W. “Bill” Goodman Jr., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, president, Goodman Engineers, Little Rock, AR.
• Maureen Grasso, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE, dean, the Graduate School, University of Georgia, Athens, GA.
• Birol I. Kilkis, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE, Scientific Committee member, European Union HEGEL Poly-Generation Project, Ankara, Turkey, and Torino, Italy.
• Stanley L. Leitsch, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, Audubon, PA
• Michael Woodford assistant vice president, Standards, Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute, Arlington, VA.

The Distinguished Service Award salutes members of any grade for giving freely of their time and talent to the Society. The following 31 members were selected:

• Gaylen V. Atkinson, president, Atkinson Electronics, Salt Lake City, UT.
• Michael R. Brambley, Ph.D., a staff scientist, Energy and Efficiency Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA.
• Arden V. Davis, retired, Idaho Power Co., Boise, ID.
• Douglas W. Dunford, Gresham, OR.
• Mark W. Fly, P.E., director of engineering, AAON, Tulsa, OK
• Kenneth L. Fulk, P.E., principal and chief mechanical engineer, Reed, Wells, Benson and Co., Dallas, TX.
• Arthur L. Giesler, director of sales, PermAlert, a subsidiary of Perma-Pipe, Hurst, TX.
• Leon R. Glicksman, Ph.D., professor of building technology and mechanical engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA.
• Charles E. Gulledge III, P.E., design engineer, AC Corp., Greensboro, NC.
• John L. Harrod, P.E., senior mechanical engineer, The Benham Companies, Oklahoma City, OK.
• Adam W. Hinge, P.E., managing director, Sustainable Energy Partnerships, Tarrytown, NY.
• Pamela M. Immekus, president, Sunbelt Engineering Group, Kennesaw, GA.
• L. Lane Jackins, owner and president, Applied Mechanical Equipment, Jacksonville, FL.
• Gerald J. Kettler, P.E., president/owner, Air Engineering and Testing, Dallas.
• Birol I. Kilkis, Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE, Scientific Committee member, European Union HEGEL Poly-Generation Project, Ankara, Turkey, and Torino, Italy.
• Ben A. Leppard Jr., P.E., principal, Leppard, Johnson and Associates, Tucker, GA.
• Dennis A. Littwin, P.E., vice president of engineering, Fujikoki America, Dallas.
• William M. Malphus, branch manager, G.L. Spies Co., Cape Coral, FL.
• Florentino J. Mendez, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, director, energy engineering, The Benham Companies, Oklahoma City, OK.
• Ramon Pons, Ph.D., P.E., partner and business consultant, CMTR, S.A.-International Services, Barcelona, Spain.
• T. Agami Reddy, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, professor, Drexel University, Philadelphia.
• Michael CA Schwedler, P.E., manager, applications engineering, Trane, La Crosse, WI.
• Frank Spevak, marketing and sales manager, Energy Conservatory, Minneapolis.
• William E. “Ed” Tinsley, P.E., managing principal, TME, Little Rock, AK.
• Samir R. Traboulsi, Ph.D., P.Eng., general manager, Thermotrade Sal-Heating and Air Conditioning, and senior lecturer, American University of Beirut, Lebanon.
• Iain S. Walker, Ph.D., scientist, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA.
• William F. Walter, manager, Industry Relations, Carrier Corp., Syracuse, NY.
• James K. Willson, P.E., solution development leader, Honeywell International, Indianapolis.
• Gary L. Wingfield, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, group lead mechanical engineer, Haskell Co., Jacksonville, FL.
• Xudong Yang, Ph.D., Chang-Jiang professor, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
• Jianshun S. Zhang, Ph.D., a professor and director of Energy and Indoor Environmental Systems, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Syracuse University, NY.

The Distinguished 50 Year Member Award is given to persons who have been a member of the Society for 50 years and have performed outstanding service to the Society. The following 15
members received this award:

• Peter J. Basso, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, chairman, Peter Basso Associates, Troy, MI
• Richard E. Batherman, Life Member, president, Vico, New York.
• Warren E. Blazier Jr., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, a consultant on building acoustics, structural dynamics, mechanical noise and vibration control, San Francisco.
• Robert H. Braun, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, principal, Robert H. Braun and Associates, San Mateo, CA.
• Francis A. Govan, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, Cary, NC.
• Hem C. Gupta, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, Chicago.
• Guy W. Gupton Jr., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, Livingston, MT.
• Donald C. Hardin, Life Member, retired from Enviromatic Systems, Grand Prairie, TX.
• Eoin Kenny, Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, Dublin, Ireland.
• Milton Meckler, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, president/CEO, Design Build Systems, St. Petersburg, FL.
• Frank J. Powell, Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, Jacksonville, FL.
• Walter R. Ratai, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, a consulting engineer in Sarasota, FL.
• Ernest W. Schumacher, Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, retired vice president, Fujikoki American, Yantis, TX.
• Michael F. Sisti, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member, formerly of East Brunswick, NJ, was honored posthumously.
• Harold B. Swygert Jr., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, Life Member,West Columbia, SC.

The Journal Paper Award honors the best paper or article published in ASHRAE Journal. Frederick H. Rohles Jr., Ph.D., Fellow ASHRAE, is the recipient for his article, "Temperature & Temperament: A Psychologist Looks at Comfort." He resides in Manhattan, KS.

The Crosby Field Award honors the best paper presented at an ASHRAE meeting. Francis Farrell, Thomas Fitch, and Michael Morgan receive the award for Development and Performance of a Retrofittable, High-Efficiency Grease Filter System for Kitchen Hoods, which also receives an ASHRAE Poster Presentation Award. Farrell is with Phillips Plastics Corp., Prescott, WI. Fitch is a research engineer, Phillips Plastics Corp., Prescott, WI. Morgan is sales development manager, Captive Aire Systems, Allentown, PA.

The following papers were selected to receive ASHRAE Transactions Paper Awards, which recognize the authors of the best papers presented at Society meetings:

• James Braun, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, for "Impact of Control on Operating Costs for Cool Storage Systems with Dynamic Electric Rates." He is a professor, Purdue University, Ray W. Herrick Laboratories, West Lafayette, IN.
• Vladimir Vukovic and Jelena Srebric, Ph.D., for "Application of Neural Networks Trained with Multizone Models for Fast Detection of Contaminant Source Position in Buildings." Vukovic is a doctoral candidate and Srebric is an associate professor, Department of Architectural Engineering, Penn State University, University Park, PA.
• William Tschudi, P.E., and Stephen Fok, P.E. for Best Practices for "Energy-Efficient Data Centers Identified through Case Studies and Demonstration Projects." Tschudi is program manager, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA; Fok is senior program engineer, Pacific Gas and Electric Co., San Francisco.

The ASHRAE Poster Presentation Award is given to peer reviewed technical papers with the best visual and technical information presented at Society meetings. The recipients are Sherwood Talbert, P.E., Stephen Ricci, Ph.D., Matthew Goshe, Laura Aume and Rodney Osborne, Ph.D., P.E., for "Reentrainment of Building Exhaust Air by Packaged HVAC Economizers." Talbert and Ricci are senior research engineers; Goshe and Aume are research scientists, and Osborne is associate manager of energy systems, Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH.

The Willis H. Carrier Award is given to an ASHRAE member 32 years of age or younger for presenting an outstanding paper at a Society meeting. Joseph Firrantello, mechanical engineer, James Posey Associates, Baltimore, MD, is the recipient for "Use of Factorial Sensitivity Analysis in Multizone Airflow Model Tuning," which also received an ASHRAE Transactions Paper Award. Co-authors also receiving the Transactions Paper Award are William Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, professor of architectural engineering and director of the Indoor Environment Center, Penn State University; Amy Musser, Ph.D., P.E., principal, Vandemusser Design, Asheville, NC; James Freihaut, Ph.D., associate professor, Penn State Universit.; and Jae-Weon Jeong, Ph.D., assistant professor, Department of Architectural Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, South Korea.

The Lincoln Bouillon Award recognizes a member who performs the most outstanding work in increasing the membership of the Society during the course of the year. The recipient is Alan Neely, regional manager, Pittsburgh Corning-Foamglass Insulation, The Woodlands, TX.

The Dan Mills Technical Award recognizes a Chapter Technology Transfer Committee (CTTC) chair who excels in meeting CTTC goals in technical, energy and government activities. The recipient is Thomas Kroeschell, P.E., Northbrook, IL.

The Chapter Program Star Award recognizes excellence in chapter program endeavors. The recipient is Don Hay, general director, TECSIR Sa De CV, Monterrey, Mexico.

The William J. Collins Jr. Research Promotion Award is given to the chapter research promotion chair who raises the most money for ASHRAE research. The recipient is John K. Sealy, a mechanical engineer, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN.

The Lou Flagg Historical Award recognizes a chapter Gold Ribbon award winner for compiling information on outstanding historical projects or persons related to HVAC&R. The recipient is Oswaldo Bueno, owner, Oswaldo Bueno Engenharia E Represetacoes, Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The Environmental Health Award recognizes excellence in volunteer service focused on environmental health issues. The recipient is Hal Levin, Fellow ASHRAE, president of and a research architect, Building Ecology Research Group, Santa Cruz, CA.

The Standards Achievement Award recognizes significant and exceptional service in the area of standards leadership and technical contribution. The recipient is Byron W. Jones, Ph.D., associate dean for research and director of the Engineering Experiment Station, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS.

The Ralph G. Nevins Physiology and Human Environment Award is given to a researcher under the age of 40 for significant accomplishment in the study of bioenvironmental engineering and its effect on human comfort and health. The recipient is Henry Willem, Ph.D., post-doctoral research fellow, National University of Singapore.

The ASHRAE Student Activities Achievement Award recognizes a Chapter Student Activities chair for service related to the goals and growth of student activities at all levels. The recipient is Manuel Belino, Ph.D., dean, School of Mechanical Engineering, Mapua Institute of Technology, Manila, Philippines.

The Homer Addams Award is presented to a graduate student involved in outstanding HVAC&R research. The recipient is Bereket Nigusse, Ph.D., a senior associate, ICF International, Fairfax, VA.

ASHRAE Leads Briefing on New High Performance Building Report to Congress, Caucus

A new assessment report to the US Congress and a new Congressional caucus, both addressing high-performing buildings, will be unveiled tomorrow at a briefing with ASHRAE as the lead sponsor.

The briefing for Congressional staff takes place from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Wednesday in room 2325 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Scheduled to take part are Rep. Judy Bigger (R-IL) and Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-MO), co-chairs of a newly formed High Performance Building Congressional Caucus.

“Rising energy costs and the increased global awareness of the potential impact of climate change continues to drive home the need for low energy; environmentally responsible, high performance buildings are the future,” Kent Peterson, P.E., ASHRAE president, said. “As such, we need to be more determined to deliver buildings that perform. I am encouraged by the efforts I am seeing in the recommendations contained in this report and formation of the caucus to encourage design, operation and maintenance of high-performance buildings.”

Congress drafted Section 914 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to address not just more energy efficient buildings but rather high performance buildings that combine the objectives of reducing resource energy consumption and improving the comfort and productivity of building occupants. Congress maintains that achieving both these goals would have a positive economic and societal impact.

Former ASHRAE president Bill Coad served as chair of the committee that wrote the soon to be released assessment to the US Congress and the US Department of Energy on high performance buildings. Overseen by the National Institute for Building Sciences, the report contains seven recommendations to assist in encouraging the creation and operation of high performance buildings. Coad is scheduled to speak at the briefing, along with Get Moy, current chair of the High Performance Building Council.

In addition, the recent formation of the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus will be announced. The Caucus was formed in part to address the recommendations outlined in the assessment report. The caucus will work to heighten awareness and inform policymakers about the major impact buildings have on health, safety, and welfare. ASHRAE is one of 14 organizations that form the Caucus.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.

UVC, Turbine Cooling Included in New ASHRAE Handbook

New chapters related to ultraviolet lamp systems and combustion turbine inlet cooling are featured in ASHRAE’s new 2008 Handbook volume.

HVAC Systems and Equipment discusses systems and the equipment that comprise them, including features and differences. It is designed to help system designers and building operators select and use equipment. It contains 48 chapters.

The chapter on ultraviolet lamp systems addresses the use of such systems to improve indoor air quality. “Use of ultraviolet germicidal irradiation has increased as concerns about the transmission via ductwork of pathogenic organisms, such as tuberculosis and even bioterrorism agents, have escalated among designers,” Walter Grondzik, chair of the subcommittee that coordinated publishing of the 2008 volume, said.

The new combustion turbine inlet cooling chapter provides discussion on how the cooling is used to help improve combustion turbine performance. It was added to address use of such cooling to improve the environmental and economic performance of combustion turbine installations, typically used for electric power generation.

“Inlet cooling can mitigate the negative effects of high inlet air temperature, a critical consideration in this era of rapidly increasing energy costs and depleting resources,” he said.

The cost of the 2008 ASHRAE Handbook, HVAC Systems and Equipment, print edition (either I-P or SI and includes a CD of all content in both I-P and SI units) is $195. The 2008 volume also is available in CD format for $155. The Handbook can be ordered from this link.

ASHRAE Publishes Nation’s First Airplane Cabin Air Quality Standard

Proper air quality is essential for general health and well-being in indoor spaces. Recognizing this, most people will take steps to address air quality in their homes and workplaces, but what about when on board an airplane when passengers have no control in a very high-density environment?

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) addresses air cabin air quality in its new Standard 161-2007, Air Quality Within Commercial Aircraft. The standard, which covers issues such as temperature, cabin pressure, air contaminants, and ventilation rates, can be voluntarily adopted by individual airlines or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or advocated for by airline passenger and employee groups.

“Compliance with this standard will go a long ways toward ensuring good air quality for passengers and crews,” says Byron Jones, chair of the committee that wrote the standard. “Aircraft passengers and crew make up a wide cross section of the general population, ranging from the very young to the very old, from the healthy to infirm. And unlike many other indoor environments, occupants do not have the ability to remove themselves from the environment, which is at a lower pressure and relative humidity than that found in many other environments. Standard 161 will help create a healthier, more enjoyable ride for the great variety of passengers on board.”

The standard also addresses chemical, physical, and biological contaminants that could affect air quality as well. Methods of testing are provided for ensuring compliance with the standard’s requirements.

Standard 161 applies to commercial passenger air-carrier aircraft carrying 20 or more passengers. It is intended to apply to all phases of flight operations and to ground operations when the aircraft is occupied by passengers or crew members.

ASHRAE President to Provide Testimony on Green Buildings to U.S. House Committee

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) President Kent Peterson, P.E., is slated to speak today at a hearing, Building Green, Saving Green: Constructing Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Buildings, before the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming of the U.S. House of Representatives.

“As Congress examines all sources and causes of global warming emissions, it must consider how the buildings we work and live in can contribute to reduce the impact of climate change,” Rep. Edward Markey (Mass.), chair of the committee, said. “ASHRAE’s standards offer a foundation for energy-efficient buildings, and the Committee is interested in how building codes can be used to increase the number of green buildings throughout the nation.”

Peterson will talk about ASHRAE’s role in writing standards for adoption into building codes and its work in developing guidance that goes beyond minimum requirements in building codes.

“Today’s buildings mortgage our energy and environmental future,” Peterson said. “In the past, Standard 90.1 and other guidance fromASHRAE focused on minimum requirements to save energy. Recognizing that we must do more, ASHRAE
is looking ahead to producing advanced energy design guidance, with the goal of net-zero energy buildings. We welcome the opportunity to stress the need for a more energy efficient future before the House Committee.”

New Publication Provides Energy Saving Guidance for K-12 Schools

A full 16% of schools districts’ controllable costs is spent on energy. A new publication written specifically for K-12 school buildings will aid design teams in constructing energy-smart schools using off-the-shelf technology that can cut energy use 30% or more annually.

The Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings, published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, instructs architects, engineers, and others on building design teams how to use best design practices to create energy saving buildings. Written in partnership with the American Institute of Architects, the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America, the U.S. Green Building Council and the U.S. Department of Energy, the book is available for free in electronic form here: AEDG_K12.pdf

ASHRAE and its partners are sending more than 14,000 complimentary copies of the publication to school district officials nationwide to assist with the design of energy efficient schools that create safe and comfortable environments conducive to learning.

“Many schools throughout the country have increased energy efficiency, cut costs, and reduced their environmental footprints through energy efficiency measures,” says Paul Torcellini, chair of the committee that wrote the book. “Many others, however, still spend more money on energy than they do on educational supplies. It’s like money just goes out the single-pane windows or through the poorly insulated ceiling. Just think of all the things a school could do each year with the money it saves on energy: buy more books and computers, increase teachers’ salaries, upgrade the media center and gymnasium . . . the list goes on and on.”

The publication features easy-to-follow recommendations for various climate zones and how-to implementation tips via a series of real-life school construction case studies. Included are suggested steps for achieving LEED energy credits and supplemental strategies for achieving advanced energy savings beyond 30%.

Some of the design tips included in the guide are:
Provide daylighting to the classrooms and gym so that lights can be off most of the day, but design it carefully so additional cooling needs are not required.

Design lighting systems that use the most current energy-efficient lamps, ballasts and integrated controls.

• Control the HVAC system bas on actual occupancy of each space at a given time. This requires the school to be zoned so that a zone’s HVAC system can be shut down when that specific part of the school is unoccupied.
• Design a well-insulated “envelope”, including good wall and roof insulation and low-e windows.
• Use high-efficiency heating and cooling equipment.

The cost of the print version of Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 School Buildings, is $59 ($47 members).