Energy & Advocacy News

Updated Heat Gain, Weather Data Latest Additions to ASHRAE Handbook
Outdated internal equipment heat gain data can result in oversized systems and higher operating costs, yet it is one of the most difficult areas for engineers to define.

To assist the building environment industry in defining these loads and designing more cost-efficient systems, internal equipment heat gain and load density data have been updated in the newest edition of the ASHRAE Handbook.

The flagship of ASHRAEâ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢s Handbook series, the 2013 ASHRAE Handbookâ€"Fundamentalsâ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢ 39 chapters cover basic principles and data used in the HVAC&R industry, including updated information on building materials, load calculations, energy resources and analysis, refrigerants, indoor environmental quality (IEQ), sustainability, controls, duct and piping system design and more.

Chapters in the ASHRAE Handbook are updated through the experience of members of ASHRAE technical committees and through results of ASHRAE Research reported at ASHRAE conferences and published in ASHRAE special publications and in ASHRAE Transactions.

To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 800-527-4723 or click here.

Alliance Announces SEEA's 'Graduation' Into Standalone Entity
Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan announced that the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance (SEEA), the Allianceâ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢s wholly-owned subsidiary created to advance energy efficiency in the Southeast, will become a standalone entity on January 1, 2014. 

"When the Alliance started SEEA in 2006, the Southeast lagged behind the rest of the country in advancing energy efficiency policy and actions," said Callahan. "Today, SEEA is a best-in-class organization that is making a difference home by home in more than a dozen communities across the region, driving policy in many state legislatures, and helping to cut energy use in businesses and industrial plants across the Southeast."

Building Energy Labeling Program Expanded
A building energy labeling program that allows the industry to zero in on opportunities to lower building operating cost and make informed decisions to increase value has been expanded to include an As Designed label. 

The program is now two labels in one: an As Designed label that rates the buildingâ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢s potential energy use under standardized conditionsâ€"independent of the buildingâ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢s occupancy and usage â€" and an In Operation label that rates the buildingâ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢s actual measured energy use as influenced by the buildingâ€Ã¢â€žÂ¢s occupancy and usage. To receive an As Designed rating, a standardized energy model must be performed by an ASHRAE-Certified Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP).

For more information, visit www.buildingenergyquotient.org.

Building Codes Assistant Project: Annual Report 2012
BCAP is a team of the Alliance to Save Energy and -- by working in collaboration and partnership with stakeholders across the country and around the world -- is making enormous strides by driving energy efficiency through creation, adoption and effective implementation of building energy codes. One of the most important accomplishments of 2012 was the creation of the National Energy Codes Collaborative, which will ensure future success by maintaining strong lines of communication and coordination among the many important groups and organizations working to advance dynamic building energy codes. 

Alliance to Save Energy's Efficiency News
Updates from ASE include:
-Energy Efficiency Driving Tips for Summer
-Support Grows for Energy Efficiency Policy Adoption
-EEB Hub Gets New HQ
-DOE Publishes Methods for Estimating Energy Efficiency Savings  
-Energy 2030 in Action: Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Taking the Lead on Energy Efficiency 

For complete list of ASE's Efficiency News articles, click here.