Associations
ASHRAE ’ S PUBLIC POLICY
PRIORITIES
By ASHRAE South Africa Chapter
ASHRAE aims to be the leading source of expertise in the built environment , and a resourse for policy-makers in the development of legislation and regulations regarding public health , the HVACR environment and engineering professionals .
In support of their objective , ASHRAE has developed certain priorities . These are addressed here :
SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE BUILDING PRACTICES TO MITIGATE CLIMATE CHANGE Buildings and their heating , ventilation , air conditioning and refrigeration ( HVAC & R ) systems directly and indirectly contribute to GHG emissions .
Buildings are responsible for more than 35 % of global final energy use and nearly 40 % of energy-related greenhouse gas emissions worldwide . ASHRAE supports energy efficient building design practices , including net zero energy buildings , and the use of sustainable technologies on a global basis to help reduce GHG emissions .
In addition to government adoption of robust energy standards such as ASHRAE Standard 90.1- 2019 , 90.2-2018 and 90.4-2019 and the 2018 IgCC for new construction , ASHRAE supports policies and programs to improve the energy performance of existing buildings , including through adoption of ASHRAE Standard 100-2018 and building benchmarking and labeling requirements .
PROMOTE HEALTHY BUILDINGS AND REDUCE INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS Supporting the health and well-being of building occupants is the most important element of the indoor environment . Indoor air quality and environmental health must extend beyond simple ‘ acceptable ’ conditions to the optimisation of air quality , thermal comfort , ventilation , filtration , lighting and acoustics , and the influence of these on productivity , learning and health .
ASHRAE has included indoor environmental quality as an initiative in its 2019-2024 strategic plan . Importantly , ASHRAE supports policies that reduce the risk of disease transmission
through building systems , including HVAC and water systems .
To reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in building systems , ASHRAE has assembled an extensive library of resources , including guidance documents , webinars , training sessions , and standards . ASHRAE is happy to share its technical expertise to policy makers and elected officials to help fight this pandemic .
ASHRAE has already supported several government entities in providing and disseminating technical resources , including the US Department of Energy , the Army Corps of Engineers , and the International Energy Administration .
ADVANCE DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF RESILIENT BUILDINGS AND COMMUNITIES Resiliency is an increasingly important societal , economic , and technical issue that will have major impact on how buildings are designed , renovated and operated .
ASHRAE has included resilient buildings and communities as an initiative in its 2019-2024 strategic plan . ASHRAE must establish a leadership role in advancing new practice paradigms and raising awareness about the importance of resilient buildings and communities .
ASHRAE is committed to developing , publishing and maintaining a resilient building / community standard , accompanying design guide ( s ) and design tools , and educational programmes . Additionally , it is critical that policy makers understand that building energy codes and standards are an essential element of resilient buildings .
ENSURE THE ORDERLY AND SAFE PHASE- DOWN OF HIGH-GWP HFC REFRIGERANTS ASHRAE supports the global phase-down of the production and consumption of Hydrofluorocarbons ( HFCs ) refrigerants that have high-Global Warming Potential ( GWP ), including through legislation , regulations , and policy .
As governments commit to using lower GWP refrigerants , ASHRAE wants to ensure the safe application of these refrigerants , including through the adoption of ASHRAE Standard 15-2019 , safety standard for refrigeration systems , and Standard 34-2019 , designation and classification of refrigerants , and continued support for the ASHRAE position document on refrigerants and their responsible use .
www . hvacronline . co . za RACA Journal I March 2021 17