ASHRAE WINTER MEETING
certain amount of pain, but businesses are getting on with generating revenue so we can all pay our bills.’ US economists
agree that businesses have been stockpiling cash to insulate themselves from the effects of any further shocks. Many attending the Chicago meeting reported some of that money was now being released for investment in building refurbishment and energy saving equipment. There was
also a noticeable improvement in the unemployment situation in the US at the turn of the year – 257,000
Angela Malynn, CIBSE/ASHRAE Graduate of the Year, says sustainable design is what good engineers have always striven for
new jobs appeared in the private sector in January – with the unemployment rate falling to 8.3%. Also, house prices have stabilised – a key indicator of better times ahead, according to Jarnagin. ‘ASHRAE has a role to play in job
creation by increasing excitement about the opportunities in improving buildings,’ he said. ‘People have a choice about what they invest in and our job is to persuade them of the value in saving energy and the improved productivity possible in a better building.’
CIBSE at work The broader role of CIBSE was also seen at work during the meeting, particularly during a ‘UK perspectives’ session chaired by CIBSE/ASHRAE group chairman, Tim Dwyer. The role in our market of European and domestic legislation, along with financial incentives, prompted several ASHRAE members to remark on the different emphasis on opposite sides of the Atlantic. They believe that practical implementation is more of a focus for North American engineers. This is largely explained by the fact
that individual US states follow their own legislative path, rather than one set by a single central authority, although many US engineers used the meeting to call for more legislation to help embed sustainability in construction projects. However, the meeting coincided
with a report from the Institute of Electric Efficiency, which revealed that US consumers reduced their energy consumption by 21% in 2010, and that figures for 2011 were expected to show another significant improvement. The report also showed that increasing
use of energy efficient appliances in buildings had produced a 112 million MWh saving. More than half of US states have
imposed mandatory energy saving targets on their power suppliers. California leads the way with an annual $1.5bn budget for energy efficiency measures, followed by New York with $1bn. This is clearly starting to show measurable results and is a contributor to the growing mood of optimism in the US building services sector. Angela Malynn, the current CIBSE/
ASHRAE Graduate of the Year who attended the Chicago conference, was struck by the American ‘can do’ attitude driving the upturn. ‘There was a real sense of optimism
ASHRAE What’s in a name?
During the meeting, ASHRAE launched its new identity with a revamped logo and the dropping of its full ‘legal’ name. It will no longer be referred to as the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, but simply ‘ASHRAE’. There was apparently
considerable debate about dropping the ‘A’ to emphasise the society’s international
28 CIBSE Journal March 2012
standing, but this was rejected by the overseas membership, according to president-elect Tom Watson. ‘The fact we’re even discussing this shows that the old geographical boundaries between engineers no longer apply,’ he said. ‘Our members now work across country borders and many of our standards are adopted worldwide.’
He also pointed out that the
society had long ago moved beyond its ‘traditional niche’ in HVACR into much broader areas, including subjects as diverse as smart grids, building information modelling and even the air quality inside the space shuttle. The original 1959 ice crystal logo was, therefore, considered too old-fashioned and a more forward-looking and dynamic identity was needed.
at the meeting and it is clear that the members of ASHRAE have a lot of influence over the direction of the industry and of the society itself,’ she said. ‘Sustainability continues to be a big
driver on both sides of the Atlantic, but I do wish people would stop trying to package it as something new,’ added Malynn. ‘Sustainable design is what good engineers have always striven for – this is not something we have just woken up to.’ CJ
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