The 10 winners of the 2011 AHR Expo Innovation Awards represent some of the most innovative new products in the HVACR industry, according to the judges, members of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), who evaluated submissions based on innovation, application, value to the user, and market impact.

Congratulations to Bernard Nagengast, an engineering consultant and industry historian who found the oldest NEWS issue among our readers. His oldest issue was dated Nov. 30, 1926. The very first issue of the magazine was published in September of that same year.

Building on a long-established working relationship, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) signed an updated memorandum of understanding, committing to further improve the efficient use of energy.

While the importance of building energy performance metrics to reduce energy use is accepted worldwide, there is no single generally accepted definition of that metric. Under a new initiative, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is working to define an energy use metric to move the building industry toward producing net zero energy buildings by 2030.

Commercial and high-rise residential buildings, including federal buildings, must now meet requirements in ASHRAE/IESNA’s 2007 energy-efficiency standard, under recent rulings issued by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) that finds the standard saves more energy than the 2004 version.

Designing a new high school to be 40 percent more efficient than ASHRAE 90.1 – 2001 energy requirements is a feat in itself. To achieve this degree of efficiency on a very limited capital budget while designing a state-of-the-art, energy-demanding technical high school is an even greater feat.