Guidance on Sustainability Added to ASHRAE Handbook

A new chapter on sustainability has been added to the 2009 ASHRAE Handbook – Fundamentals, defining the concept for HVAC&R and describing the principles, design considerations, and detailed evaluations needed in designing sustainable HVAC&R systems. Its aim is to assist the building environment industry in meeting the challenge of new regulation and demand as economies move from carbon-based to other forms of more sustainable energy.

“HVAC&R engineering design on projects concerned with performance and sustainability requires understanding of more than just HVAC&R,” says Dave Grumman, who oversaw the writing of the chapter on behalf of ASHRAE’s technical committee on building environmental impacts and sustainability. “Engineers must consider projected energy and water demands, storm water runoff generation, waste generation, and air quality impacts. The guidance in this new chapter will assist engineers as they strive for overall sustainability in buildings.”

The new chapter, which is just one of 39 chapters on a variety of HVAC&R topics, covers characteristics of sustainability, factors impacting sustainability, primary HVAC&R considerations in sustainable design, factors driving sustainability into design practice, and designing for effective energy resource use.

The new edition of the ASHRAE Handbook also includes new climate data for 5,564 stations on the CD accompanying the book, an increase of 1,142 stations compared to the 2005 Handbook’s accompanying CD. A subset of data for selected stations is included in the printed chapter, “Climatic Design Information.” New information is also included in 15 other chapters.

The 2009 ASHRAE Handbook is published in two editions: One contains inch-pound (I-P) units of measurement; the other contains the International System of Units (SI).

For more information or to order the Handbook, visit www.ashrae.org.