ATLANTA – ASHRAE wrapped up its Annual Conference with record breaking attendance and some major announcements, including the launch of a new online discussion platform, a milestone related to the Advanced Energy Design Guides (AEDGs) and a free download of its IAQ Guide.
The Conference, held June 22-26, in Denver, Colo., saw the highest attendance numbers for an Annual Conference in over a decade, with close to 1,900 attendees.
During the Opening Plenary, ASHRAE kicked off the Conference by launching the ASHRAExCHANGE, an online discussion platform that allows users to post and generate discussion on either a general or specific topic. With thousands of ASHRAE members and non-members, the hope is the online discussions will generate plenty of thoughts and comments from many knowledgeable people. More information can be found at www.ASHRAExCHANGE.org.
ASHRAE also announced that the half million mark was recently reached in AEDG downloads. The guides are a series of publications designed to provide recommendations for achieving energy savings when compared with the minimum code requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1. The guides can be downloaded at www.ashrae.org/freeaedg.
Additionally, the Society offered free download of “Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design, Construction and Commissioning,” designed for architects, design engineers, contractors, commissioning agents and all other professionals concerned with indoor air quality. The Guide supports the theme of ASHRAE’s newly appointed president’s theme which focuses on making buildings safe and healthy for occupants. Free downloads are available at www.ashrae.org/FreeIAQGuidance.
William P. “Bill” Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, ASME Fellow, took office as the Society’s 2013-2014 president. His theme for the year, Shaping the Next, focuses on embracing our responsibility to “Our World” – fellow humans and the earth, to make buildings safe, healthy, productive, comfortable environments in harmony with nature. To do this, he believes we must develop “Ourselves” – the human resource of the professional community, and transform “Our Work” – what we do, how we do it, and who we do it with, by becoming more global in outlook, broader in scope, and more collaborative in approach.
The Conference’s Technical Plenary and new track keynote addresses ranked high in attendance, addressing trends in data center design, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s research facility and program and the future of sustainable energy. Individual top-attended sessions in the technical program were Energy Modeling vs. Actual Building Energy Consumption; Benchmarking and Improving Commercial Building Energy Performance; Advancements in BIM Interoperability Solutions to Aid in Integrated Project Delivery; Chilled Water Systems; Real Operating Cost Savings from Retro-Commissioning; Sky High Efficient Case Studies; Water Side Economizers; Laboratory Retrofits Case Studies; and a panel discussion on “VRF Myth Busters.”
Also offered were two Professional Development Seminars and five Short Courses from the ASHRAE Learning Institute. The most popular courses were the new Short Course “Optimization of HVAC&R Systems and Their Components;” the “Advanced High-Performance Building Design” Short Course; and “The Commissioning Process in New and Existing Buildings” Professional Development Seminar.
Among the top selling publications were “Data Center Essentials: Guidance on Energy—Efficient Design and Energy;” “HVAC Design Manual for Hospitals and Clinics, 2nd edition;” “District Cooling Guide;” “UFAD Guide: Design, Construction and Operation of Underfloor Air Distribution Systems;” “Procedures for Commercial Building Energy Audits, 2nd edition;” and Standard 62.2-2013, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings.
ASHRAE’s 2014 Winter Conference takes place in New York, New York, Jan. 18-22. Held in conjunction with the 2014 Winter Conference is the AHR Exposition, Jan. 21-23, 2014.
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a building technology society with more than 50,000 members worldwide. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability. Through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today.
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Source: www.ashrae.org; July 3, 2013.
