ATLANTA - Among the many standards the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) proposes, ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 180P "Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Commercial Building HVAC Systems" will be the first to deal exclusively with inspection and maintenance of HVAC systems in buildings where the public is exposed to the indoor environment. This standard would establish minimum HVAC inspection and maintenance requirements that aid a system's ability to achieve acceptable thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and IAQ in commercial buildings.

"Inconsistent practices in inspection and maintenance of HVAC systems is common in the building industry," said Bob Baker, chair of the committee writing the standard. "As a result, systems frequently operate outside optimum performance, without providing the energy efficiency, thermal comfort, and IAQ they were designed to provide."

This proposed standard is open for public comment until Nov. 6.