ASHRAE Column
TACKLING SUSTAINABILITY
FOR TOMORROW
By Francois Retief, ASHRAE SA Chapter Sustainability Committee Chair
In 2019, the Oxford Dictionary named ‘Climate Emergency’ as their
word of the year.
T
he Oxford Word of the Year is a word or expression that is said
to show, through usage evidence, a reflection of the ethos,
mood, or preoccupations of that particular year and is likely to
have lasting potential as a word of cultural significance.
Like it or not, the air conditioning and refrigeration
community finds itself at the heart of this discussion, with
buildings said to be responsible for a third of the world’s global
carbon emissions, and a large portion of that attributed to
heating and cooling.
In South Africa, four major metros (Johannesburg, Cape
Town, eThekwini and Tshwane) have become signatories of
the Global Net Zero Carbon Buildings Declaration of 2018. This
declaration commits to ensuring that by 2030, all new buildings
will be developed as Net-Zero Carbon’ (NZC). The declaration
further commits to ensuring that by 2050 all existing buildings
are Net-Zero Carbon. The definition of NZC being offered by the
Green Building Council of SA (GBCSA) as “A building that is highly
energy-efficient, and the remaining energy use is from renewable
energy, preferably on-site but also off-site where absolutely
necessary, so that there are zero net carbon emissions on an
annual basis (Net Zero), or if the energy from renewable energy
results in more energy being produced than what is used on site
(Net Positive).”
Currently, the four metros above are supported by the C40
Cities Climate Leadership Group (C40) in a ‘C40 New Buildings
Programme’ to develop a policy and bylaw enabling the
achievement of Net Zero Carbon for all new buildings by 2030.
This work is set to have significant impact on the way we heat and
cool our buildings.
The South African ASHRAE Chapter has established two
committees (Sustainability and Simulations) focusing specifically
on engaging and supporting ASHRAE members on the topic of
sustainability issues.
This year, the ASHRAE Sustainability Committee has been
working with the C40 New Buildings Programme to develop
practical guidance for developers on how to approach the
journey to a Net-Zero Carbon building. These guidelines refer to
international ASHRAE standards such as the recently released
‘Advanced Energy Design Guide to Achieving Zero Energy’, and
‘ASHRAE Standard 55 – Thermal Environmental Conditions for
Human Occupancy’. The goal is to release this local guidance
document in the first half of 2020.
Designing highly efficient buildings requires accurate
energy, comfort and daylight simulation. It is here that the
ASHRAE Simulations Committee aims to advocate, educate
and encourage knowledge sharing in the field of building
simulations. Currently the committee is in the planning stages of
a ‘hackathon’ for collaborative discussion about how to meet the
challenges of highly efficient design. Keep an eye out for further
details to follow.
It is clear that we are entering a new age of thermal design.
One where both cutting-edge technology and first-principles
passive design will be required to serve our growing communities.
Our industries are set for rapid change and this is a fact we cannot
control. What we can control is how we respond to the huge
opportunities and indeed responsibilities that lie ahead. The
ASHRAE Sustainability and Simulations committees look forward
to playing an integral part in this response. RACA
Designing
highly efficient
buildings
requires
accurate
energy,
comfort and
daylight
simulation.
www.hvacronline.co.za
RACA Journal I February 2020
71