USA ASHRAE
Standard bearer
New energy saving standards for buildings
president Gordon Holness developed his theme for his
are being developed in the US and could
year of office, ‘Sustaining our future by rebuilding our
past’. He said: “The vast majority of buildings that will
have a wider impact. Tim Dwyer reports
exist in the year 2030 exist today.”
from the summer meeting of the American
The way to influence future energy demand was
to ensure that we improve existing stock, he said.
Society of Heating, Refrigerating and
Holness, who is due to visit the UK in the second
Air-conditioning Engineers
week of October, added: “If the building industry is
looking to build a sustainable future, we can see the
foundations of that right now.”
A
new prototype ASHRAE energy label for ASHRAE is also rolling out an ambitious set of

buildings developed in the US was unveiled eLearning courses, as well as a worldwide certification
at the society’s summer 2009 meeting in programme that is already available in 20 countries.
Louisville, Kentucky. The Building Energy The certification scheme covers the design of
Quotient will include both asset and operational ratings healthcare facilities and high-performance buildings,
for all types of building excluding residential. Existing
buildings will also be eligible to receive both an asset
and operational rating.
If the building industry is looking
Looking to fully launch the programme in 2010,
Bill Harrison ASHRAE has applied the label to its newly refurbished
to build a sustainable future, we
headquarters in Atlanta, which received an A- (Very Good)
can see the foundations of that
on a scale of A+ (Net Zero Energy) to F (Unsatisfactory).
right now. – Gordon Holness
The label was created with the help of CIBSE, building
on European experience in implementing the European
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. the management of operations and performance, and
In an increasingly competitive building labelling the commissioning process.
market the ASHRAE label focuses solely on energy Harrison said he accepted that the US government is
use providing both an asset rating – similar to the UK’s now becoming more involved with addressing energy
Energy Performance Certificate – and, following a year in buildings, and stressed that ASHRAE’s government
of building occupation, an operational rating. Existing lobbying had led the development of a High-Performance
buildings will also be eligible to receive both an asset Building Congressional Caucus Coalition, a private
Gordon Holness
and operational rating. sector group of leading US building organisations
ASHRAE’s outgoing president, Bill Harrison, said he that is raising the US Representatives and Senate’s
believed that the label could provide a model for mandatory awareness of the role that buildings must play in energy
programmes in the US and possibly beyond. and environmental policy. A key example of this was the
Harrison also confirmed that ASHRAE’s key energy recently introduced Green Energy Education Act.
standard, 90.1, which aims to create market-viable, In her presentation at the opening plenary session,
net zero-energy buildings, would be 30 per cent more Professor Sue Roaf, of Heriot Watt University, UK, argued
stringent when it is revised next year compared with that environmental performance certification schemes
the 2004 edition. It is likely to be released at the next such as LEED had not necessarily promoted significant
summer ASHRAE meeting in Albuquerque. architectural change. She said that many buildings that
ASHRAE is also to release a standard next year that were modelled to have a high performance at design stage
Professor Sue Roaf
it believes will be as important 90.1. The Standard for were proving to be way off-target when in operation.
the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings, Roaf pointed to the Burj in Dubai and the glass
189.1, is being developed in partnership with the towers currently rising out of the ground in Las Vegas
Illuminating Engineers Society of North America and as examples of the lack of joined-up sustainable
the US Green Building Council. The standard aims to development. l
provide minimum criteria for green building practices
and take in siting, design, construction, and plans for
Professor Tim Dwyer works at London South Bank
operation of non-residential buildings.
University and is chairman of the CIBSE ASHRAE Group.
Details of Gordon Holness’s visit to the UK in October
As well as having thermal performance metrics, the
will be posted on ASHRAE’s website.
draft standard incorporates extensive requirements in
www.cibseashrae.org
terms of lighting and internal environmental quality.
http://buildingEQ.com
In his inaugural presentation, incoming ASHRAE
www.cibsejournal.com August 2009 CIBSE Journal 25
CIBSEaug09 pp25 Ashrae.indd 25 24/7/09 13:08:05
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