William P “Bill” Bahnfleth, the new ASHRAE President, in an exclusive interview with Climate Control Middle East, touched on a wide range of topics. While he emphasized the need to make buildings healthy, productive, safe and comfortable places, his gaze is trained towards energy conservation and protection of the environment.
What is your mission and vision as the new President of ASHRAE?
My Presidential Theme, “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, 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. This vision is being implemented through efforts to form an alliance of organisations focused on indoor environmental quality, exploration of ASHRAE’s role in serving developing economies and the residential construction market, and formation of an industry partnership to collaborate on building performance.
ASHRAE has been constantly publishing new standards or updating/modifying existing ones. What, in your opinion, would be the impact of these new standards and of the updates towards raising the bar on energy efficiency, IAQ and other socio-economic and environmental ideals?
The most important ASHRAE standards define minimum criteria for acceptable performance within the built environment industry that are frequently adopted into building regulations. As they are updated, ASHRAE standards generally raise these minimum levels, particularly with respect to energy efficiency, and incorporate new technical developments.
For example, excluding plug and process loads, a typical building complying with energy efficiency standard, Standard 90.1-2007, which is widely referenced in codes, should consume 35% less energy than one built in compliance with the earliest version, Standard 90-75. ASHRAE Standard 62.1 for ventilation to achieve acceptable Indoor Air Quality has been updated in recent years to include separate ventilation requirements for controlling occupant- and building-generated pollutants and to include improved criteria for natural ventilation.
ASHRAE is currently developing a guide on Sustainable Refrigerated Facilities and Systems. The Guide will address the entire range of facility and equipment design and efficiency alternatives for refrigerated processing.
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Source: www.climatecontrolme.com; December 4, 2013.
