Stimulus deal
The optimistic mood that followed
President Obama’s inauguration
inspired those attending this
fi res up engineers
year’s meeting of the American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating
and Air-conditioning Engineers,
writes Ewen Rose
T
he huge $787bn infrastructure spending unprecedented programme, and its president, Bill
and stimulus package planned by the new Harrison, hurried into high-level discussions with
Washington administration was voted through a number of major public-sector clients during
the US Senate on the final day of the 2009 the Chicago meeting on the back of the Obama
winter meeting of ASHRAE in Chicago. Conference initiative.
delegates were heartened by President Obama’s The society writes technical standards that are
repeated references to energy conservation in buildings adopted as building codes to address ventilation
as part of his strategy for tackling America’s creaking comfort and energy in buildings. The US Department
infrastructure. of Energy has now made it mandatory for states to
Under the Obama plan, all federal buildings are certify that their building codes comply with ASHRAE
to increase their effi ciency by 40 per cent within the Standard 90.1 for energy conservation in buildings.
next fi ve years and are to be zero carbon by 2025. The This central role prompted AHSRAE executive
president also aims to make all new buildings carbon vice-president Jeff Littleton to comment that 2009
neutral by 2030. would be a “pivotal year” for the industry. “We face
Obama wants the country to double its capacity for daunting challenges and great opportunities in equal
green energy generation, from sources such as wind, measure,” he told the meeting. “The way we respond
sun and biofuels, over the next three years. The plan is will set the future of this society. We are all affected by
to install more than 3,000 miles of transmission lines the fi nancial crisis and it’s going to get worse before
to transmit the energy. it gets better.
ASHRAE members will play a central role in this “However, the new US administration is creating
38 CIBSE Journal March 2009 www.cibsejournal.com
CIBSEmar09 pp38-41 ashrae.indd 38 4/3/09 14:40:47
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