Energy Efficiency Is Focus of ASHRAE Meeting
One of the top tourist destinations in Dallas is the Sixth Floor Museum, where visitors can view the window from where Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy on Nov. 22, 1963. Photo courtesy of the Sixth Floor Museum.
For the first time, 16 technical sessions will be held at the AHR Expo during the 2007 ASHRAE Winter Meeting in Dallas. Designed to share ASHRAE’s technical guidance with expo attendees, the sessions include topics such as vibration control, energy-efficient ventilation systems, using ground-source heat pumps in schools, and new BACnet capabilities.
“Offering attendees an opportunity to learn about the latest advancements in technology via the technical program complements the expo which features those advancements being incorporated into products and equipment,” says Ginger Scoggins, chair of the program committee. “These sessions make ASHRAE’s meeting and top-rate technical program more visible while at the same time drawing more meeting attendees to the expo.”
In addition, ASHRAE will present a comprehensive technical program at the Adam’s Mark Hotel. The overall six-track technical program centers around energy efficiency in buildings and includes such seminars as “Achieving a 50 Percent Approach to Net Zero Energy Use in Buildings” and “Risk Management of Infectious Airborne Diseases.”
New for this year is the technical plenary speaker, National Geographic Magazine Executive Editor Dennis Dimick. Dimick, a picture editor specializing in environmental stories for more than 15 years, will address technical program attendees between sessions on Sunday, Jan. 28 at 9:30 a.m. at the Adam’s Mark Hotel about a 2004 project he oversaw on global climate change. Meeting registration is required to attend.
PUBLIC SESSION
As in past years, ASHRAE will present a free public session at the AHR Expo. This year’s session will discuss energy use in buildings. It is estimated that up to 40 percent of a building’s energy use is consumed by HVACR and lighting, so examples will be given concerning engineers’ abilities to significantly reduce a building’s energy consumption and footprint on the environment. “Strategies for Low Energy Efficient Buildings” will be held Monday, Jan. 29 from 3-5 p.m. at the Dallas Convention Center.“With the support of building owners, engineers can create green buildings that use energy wisely, provide a productive indoor environment for occupants, and have a minimal impact on the environment,” said Brian Wandling, the session organizer on the program committee.
“ASHRAE is a leader in the sustainability movement, and this public session highlights what ASHRAE and the HVACR industry is doing to make buildings more energy efficient.”
The session, moderated by Brian Wandling of Control Specialists Inc., will consist of several case study presentations that examine various energy-efficiency strategies and obstacles. Speakers for the session are:
• Ken Fulk, principal, Reed Wells Benson & Co., who will present a case study about Dallas-based Highland Oaks Church of Christ replacing its aging ice storage system and air-chilled coolers after deregulation.
• David Hale, associate member, HDR Architecture, talks about a McKinney, Texas, office building that, when completed, will achieve a 67 percent decrease in energy usage based on cost as compared to ASHRAE’s 90.1-1999.
• Daniel Nall, Flack & Kurtz, who will present a case study about the New York Times headquarters building and its various green design features, including its underfloor air distribution system and its fully programmable digitally addressable lighting interface (DALI) system.
• Paul A. Torcellini, senior engineer, NREL, who will present six low-energy buildings to discuss their strategies for energy efficiency and implications for reaching the Department of Energy’s research goal of achieving net zero-energy buildings by 2025.
OTHER NOTABLE SESSIONS
ASHRAE’s technical program at the Adam’s Mark Hotel will consist of 67 seminars plus the 16 seminars at the convention center, 12 open-discussion forums, one public session, one poster session with 21 papers presented, and 18 transaction sessions with a total of 48 papers presented. A number of sessions should be of interest to contractors, including the following:
• “What System Components Are Used Today in Unitary Air Conditioners, and What Changes Will Get Us to the Next Efficiency Level?” Sunday, Jan. 28, 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. Summary: With the ever-increasing demand for more energy-efficient products, the unitary HVAC industry continues to look for improved strategies for equipment efficiency. This seminar addresses opportunities for possible efficiency improvements in unitary equipment.
• “Estate Planning Fundamentals,” Sunday, Jan. 28, 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Summary: Sponsored by the ASHRAE Foundation, this seminar introduces you to the basics of estate planning and helps you understand how the latest tax law (HR4) changes will impact your financial future. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions during the session.
• “Moisture Management in Energy Efficient Homes,” Monday, Jan. 29, 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Summary: Modern residential construction practices have improved energy efficiency, but also resulted in conditions that may be conducive to rapid microbial growth. This session provides information and recommendations on mold risk reduction strategies for energy-efficient residential buildings.
• “Ventilation in Hot and Humid Climates,” Wednesday, Jan. 31, 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. Summary: Recent research on meeting ventilation needs in U.S. homes in hot and humid climates and in commercial buildings in the tropics of Singapore is presented. Topics include ventilation load characteristics, performance of current HVAC systems, advanced HVAC systems with enhanced latent capability, and ASHRAE 62.2 requirements and approaches.
• “Heat Pumps: Rags to Riches,” Wednesday, Jan. 31, 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Summary: Heat pump sales in 2005 surpassed 2.1 million units in the United States and more than 30 million worldwide. The presenters will look back at some of the research, product development, service strategies, and installation challenges experienced at their respective levels at the manufacturing, wholesale distributor, and installing and servicing contractor levels.
Technical tours of the UL Lab and Texas Instruments FAB-1 will also be offered. UL has opened a new testing facility dedicated to energy-efficiency testing of HVACR equipment, while Texas Instruments has opened a new semiconductor facility that features a dual temperature chilled water production plant.
Visit www.ashrae.org/publications/detail/15552 for more information on technical tours.
Registration for the 2007 ASHRAE Winter Meeting is $655 ($385, ASHRAE member). For more information or to register, visit www.ashrae.org/dallas. Registration also can be completed by contacting ASHRAE Customer Service by phone at 800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 404-321-5478, or by mail at 1791 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, GA 30329.
Publication date: 01/15/2007
• “What System Components Are Used Today in Unitary Air Conditioners, and What Changes Will Get Us to the Next Efficiency Level?” Sunday, Jan. 28, 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. Summary: With the ever-increasing demand for more energy-efficient products, the unitary HVAC industry continues to look for improved strategies for equipment efficiency. This seminar addresses opportunities for possible efficiency improvements in unitary equipment.
• “Estate Planning Fundamentals,” Sunday, Jan. 28, 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. Summary: Sponsored by the ASHRAE Foundation, this seminar introduces you to the basics of estate planning and helps you understand how the latest tax law (HR4) changes will impact your financial future. You’ll also have the opportunity to ask questions during the session.
• “Moisture Management in Energy Efficient Homes,” Monday, Jan. 29, 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Summary: Modern residential construction practices have improved energy efficiency, but also resulted in conditions that may be conducive to rapid microbial growth. This session provides information and recommendations on mold risk reduction strategies for energy-efficient residential buildings.
• “Ventilation in Hot and Humid Climates,” Wednesday, Jan. 31, 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. Summary: Recent research on meeting ventilation needs in U.S. homes in hot and humid climates and in commercial buildings in the tropics of Singapore is presented. Topics include ventilation load characteristics, performance of current HVAC systems, advanced HVAC systems with enhanced latent capability, and ASHRAE 62.2 requirements and approaches.
• “Heat Pumps: Rags to Riches,” Wednesday, Jan. 31, 10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Summary: Heat pump sales in 2005 surpassed 2.1 million units in the United States and more than 30 million worldwide. The presenters will look back at some of the research, product development, service strategies, and installation challenges experienced at their respective levels at the manufacturing, wholesale distributor, and installing and servicing contractor levels.
Technical tours of the UL Lab and Texas Instruments FAB-1 will also be offered. UL has opened a new testing facility dedicated to energy-efficiency testing of HVACR equipment, while Texas Instruments has opened a new semiconductor facility that features a dual temperature chilled water production plant.
Visit www.ashrae.org/publications/detail/15552 for more information on technical tours.
Registration for the 2007 ASHRAE Winter Meeting is $655 ($385, ASHRAE member). For more information or to register, visit www.ashrae.org/dallas. Registration also can be completed by contacting ASHRAE Customer Service by phone at 800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 404-321-5478, or by mail at 1791 Tullie Circle NE, Atlanta, GA 30329.
Publication date: 01/15/2007
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