ATLANTA - To encourage membership outside of North America, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) launched a program that provides a decreased dues structure option for individuals residing in countries categorized as developing countries by the World Bank List of Economies statistics. The program opens June 1 for new members qualifying for full Member or Associate Member grades.

Existing members who are eligible can apply on their membership renewal date for 2009 memberships effective July 1. The program is applicable to more than 100 countries defined by the World Bank as low-income or lower-middle-income.

“By offering more affordable dues to members in developing countries, ASHRAE is expanding its reach into countries that can contribute to and benefit from the technology and information sharing in the society,” said Kent Peterson, ASHRAE president. “This will help in creating a worldwide best practices databank of innovative and successful technologies that can serve the HVACR community.”

The program is part of ASHRAE’s strategic plan, which calls for reaching global goals through increased membership. According to the association, this reduced fee structure ensures that ASHRAE membership is fiscally feasible for potential members worldwide. A shift in membership benefits for this dues structure enables ASHRAE to offer this program while allowing the society to remain financially healthy, ensuring many years of continued service to its diverse membership worldwide, according to Peterson.

For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/membership.

Publication date: 05/12/2008