ATLANTA - The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE's) Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings provides a sensible, hands-on approach to design through use of products that are practical and commercially available as "off-the-shelf" technology from major manufacturers, according to Ron Jarnagin, chair of the committee that wrote the guide.

"Opportunities exist for owners of small buildings to lower operating costs through use of off-the-shelf technology," Jarnagin said. "The guide will help designers, contractors, architects, and building owners create a truly energy efficient small building. It presents a clear methodology with adequate technical support. While every building is unique, and there are numerous ways to make each one more energy efficient, the guide presents specific approaches that can be applied directly or modified to a particular situation."

The guide focuses on office buildings of up to 20,000 square feet, which make up the bulk of the office space in the United States, says ASHRAE.

The guide includes energy-savings recommendations for each climate zone in the U.S. It provides specific recommendations for energy-efficient improvements in the areas of building envelope, lighting, HVAC equipment and systems, and service water heating.

A first look at the guide will be presented at ASHRAE's 2005 Winter Meeting, Feb. 5-9, 2005. The seminar, "First Look at ASHRAE's Advanced Energy Design Guide: Small Office Buildings," will be held from 8-10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 7.

The cost of the Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings is $59 ($47 for ASHRAE member). To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 404-321-5478, by mail at 1791 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, GA 30329, or visit ASHRAE's online bookstore at www.ashrae.org.

Publication date: 01/24/2005