American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) News

Johnson Controls, the provider of smart and sustainable buildings, announces the KOCH™ DuraMAX line of air filters. With a range of efficiency ratings from MERV 11 to MERV 16, DuraMAX filters are a smart and safe upgrade from bag filters and other box-style rigid filters and effectively help lower the spread of COVID-19 indoors. The DuraMAX line of filters works alongside other Johnson Controls HVAC products and solutions to help make buildings more safe, secure and sustainable. Indoor a...

As the school year progresses in various formats, Trane® – by Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator – introduces expanded services to help schools evaluate, implement and fund indoor air quality improvements in their buildings. Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) play a critical role in creating proper indoor air quality. ASHRAE® guidelines to address COVID-19 in the reopening of schools indicate that making changes to the operation of HVAC syst...

As schools work to reopen safely in the midst of a global pandemic, HVAC is at the center of the mission. Adequate ventilation and effective air filtration are critical elements to ensure safe indoor air quality for educational institutions. Many schools are housed in older buildings that may not have been adequately maintained. Transforming them to address the new challenges of minimizing exposure to the novel coronavirus is that much more difficult. In fact, a recent study by the U.S. Governm...

The International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) announces that Carrier, a provider of heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, and its subsidiary EMSI are the first organizations in China to achieve the WELL Health-Safety Rating for Facility Operations and Management. Properties in multiple cities including offices and a factory add to the list of over 500 facilities across the world taking proactive measures focused on prevention and preparedness, resilience and recovery in the...

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), the power provider in the United States, is offering incentives to businesses and schools to install UV-C germicidal lights to fight germs in indoor air. Customers that buy from TVA’s Preferred Partners Network can receive a $30-per-ton incentive toward adoption of approved UV-C technologies, which remove viruses and bacteria from indoor air. “Schools and businesses realize they need solutions to purify indoor air, and we want to help them insta...

enVerid Systems, a renowned provider of indoor air quality solutions, fully supports the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force's (ETF) updated guidance on HVAC strategies for mitigating the airborne transmission of COVID-19 in commercial buildings. ASHRAE's ETF refined its recommendations in its Commercial Guide, acknowledging the significant energy impact of pursuing a strategy of maximum outside air (OA) ventilation. enVerid and other experts have highlighted this as an area of concern. Research has sho...

A University of Oregon study has found viral RNA from SARS-CoV-2 in the air handling units (AHUs) of a healthcare facility, thus raising new questions about the possible role of HVAC systems in spreading the novel coronavirus. The study collected 56 samples from three different air handling units at the Oregon Health and Science University hospital in Portland, Ore., on four days in May and June 2020. Three areas along the path of airflow were sampled, including pre-filters, finals filters, and...

Daikin Applied introduced the Daikin SmartSource® Dedicated Outdoor Air System (DOAS), its next generation of heat pump heating technology that enables efficient and cost-effective heating and cooling in all conditions using 100 percent of fresh, outside air. The new unit features exclusive SmartBoost Heat Technology™, which allows for air as cold as 0 degrees Fahrenheit to enter without any pre-heating, all while achieving 49 percent higher than ASHRAE 90.1-2016 minimum efficiency. H...

The current Coronavirus pandemic and the corresponding socioeconomic crisis has dealt a brutal blow to public and residential facilities alike, as businesses and management bodies worldwide are challenged to constantly ensure that their spaces are safe and healthy for occupants. As the entire world has been forced to adapt to what’s been commonly referred to as “the new normal,” one broad-ranging area has come into critical focus as a priority with a heightened sense of fear a...

The company continues to help installers manage ongoing refrigerant change. The valves are just two of an extended well-known refrigeration portfolio of Danfoss products to be qualified for the A2L-classified refrigerants, in response to demand from customers who want to use ultra-low GWP alternatives to R404A and R134a. Danfoss has created new, dedicated versions of the popular design, an industry staple since the T2’s launch in 1966. As with all mechanical valves, each model is optimize...

Reliable Controls announced that Michael Osborne, the company’s Firmware Manager, accepted the appointment of BACnet Chair. Developed under the auspices of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), BACnet is an American national standard, a European standard, a national standard in more than 30 countries, and an ISO global standard. BACnet has been an international standard since 2003, and has 877 listed products from 180 manufacturers, with o...

A renowned ventilation specialist has urged businesses to consider the role that ventilation can play in maximizing the health and safety of employees as they return to work. Alan Macklin, Technical Director at Elta Group and Chairman of the Fan Manufacturer’s Association (FMA), has drawn attention to the critical role that ventilation will play as the UK begins transitioning out of lockdown. With many workspaces having been unoccupied for a prolonged period of time, guidance has been iss...

Honeywell launched an integrated set of solutions to help building owners improve the health of their building environments, operate more cleanly and safely, comply with social distancing policies, and help reassure occupants that it is safe to return to the workplace. By integrating air quality, safety and security technologies along with advanced analytics, Honeywell's Healthy Buildings solutions are designed to help building owners minimize potential risks of contamination and ensure busines...

Which measures can lessen the spread of the novel coronavirus, and which can make it worse? As the pandemic continues to unfold, there is an overabundance of advice on the subject as it relates to HVAC systems. For example, one theory goes that air conditioning, by removing humidity from the air, may enable infectious droplets to linger longer than they would outdoors or in another space where humidity is higher. More humidity can weigh down viral droplets as they float through the air. Does i...

As countries around the world work to contain the spread of COVID-19 and prepare to reopen, Trane Technologies is addressing critical needs for healthier air quality in buildings, hospitals and homes and safe transport for food and medicine. The global climate innovator has seen a growing focus on indoor air quality in buildings, including hospitals and other healthcare settings. At the same time, strain on the grocery supply chain and concerns about a pandemic-driven food supply crisis highlig...

Danfoss launches contractor-focused webinar series: Five Steps to Your Perfect Workday. Danfoss experts have created a series of five webinars that will provide tools to help contractors overcome typical jobsite challenges. The live webinars are free to attend and will be given in English and Spanish. webinar topics Topics include: Quick Steps to Ensure Compressor Health | May 20, 2020, 2pm EST (English); May 21, 2020, 2pm EST (Spanish) Focus on observations and measurements that identi...

It is unrealistic to place on building owners and operators the burden and risk for providing pathogen-free water throughout buildings when the water delivered to their buildings contains Legionella bacteria. Legionella is commonly found in source waters and in the soil, and thus, if untreated at the municipal water treatment plant and in the distribution systems, the Legionella bacteria will necessarily find its way into buildings. More needs to be done by the municipal water suppliers to min...

Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the ultraviolet irradiation industry has seen an unprecedented surge in demand for germicidal solutions. UV-C light is a short-wavelength, ultraviolet light that kills germs by inactivating a microorganism’s DNA. Germicidal UV-C energy is just one of three proven methods identified by ASHRAE of controlling airborne infection. The other two are ventilation and particle filtration. The pandemic has left no doubt that the 254 nm germicidal wavelength can...

Headquartered in West Sacramento, California, The Money Store’s existing facilities were inadequate for its growing staff. To help with its consolidation and expansion, The Money Store contracted with E.M. Kado and Associates to design a new facility to meet their needs. Wanting to complement and enhance the West Sacramento skyline, E.M. Kado and Associates designed the new building with a distinctive tiered appearance. The mechanical systems in this unique building were designed and inst...

At Stanford, they inspire sustainable building solutions and the people who work in them. The Environment and Energy Building (Y2E2) continues to perform and provide a sustainable learning environment. The four-story building contains classrooms, offices, and labs that are filled with experts and students who are motivated by the efficient building in which they work, research and advance a variety of sustainable solutions for future generations to come. Passive air management system The buil...

As people around the globe navigate the rapidly evolving novel COVID-19 pandemic, Johnson Controls continues to power the mission of hospitals around the world. According to the CDC and ASHRAE, hospital HVAC systems play a vital role in mitigating the spread of diseases like COVID-19, MERS, SARS and tuberculosis. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, respiratory droplets can travel through the air and be inhaled by people in close proximity, so it is critical to ensure airborne infection c...

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), the trade association representing manufacturers of heating, water heating, air conditioning, and commercial refrigeration products and equipment expressed its appreciation to the 23 states and the District of Columbia that thus far have heeded the industry's call for "essential business" status during this health crisis. "These governors deserve the thanks of the manufacturers, distributors, contractors, engineers, and technici...

HVAC industry employees are included among “Essential Critical Infrastructure Workers During the COVID-19 Response” as designated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The guidance memorandum states: “If you work in a critical infrastructure industry, as defined by the Department of Homeland Security … you have a special responsibility to maintain your normal work schedule.” The edict comes from the DHS Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agen...

Refrigerants used in cooling systems for homes and businesses are being replaced with alternatives that have less potential for global warming. But the transition comes at a risk: Some of the new refrigerants are flammable.  Although less flammable than gases such as propane, for example, new refrigerants can still ignite and burn with a high intensity under ideal circumstances. The new materials have low-flame velocity and are less easily ignited; however, one byproduct of combustion is t...

As the novel COVID-19 continues its global spread, the importance of ensuring healthy indoor air quality is paramount to helping lower the curve of infections. Studies have demonstrated higher ventilation rates have a direct impact on lowering the spread of microbials in workplaces and other occupied spaces. ASHRAE Standard 62.1, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, specifies minimum ventilation rates and other measures for new and existing buildings to provide acceptable indoor air qu...

Good news for building owners, engineers/architects, and HVAC contractors who can now save energy, construction costs, and space in commercial facilities with this latest approved code addition. Doorway air curtains were approved June 25, 2019 as alternatives to vestibules on most commercial building entries in the upcoming ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019 “Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low Rise Residential Buildings.” The professional association’s approved addition requires...

Trade associations and membership societies representing North America's Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration industry requested that federal, state, and local authorities grant "essential business" status to those technicians and engineers who are tasked with keeping the American people productive, healthy, and comfortable in these trying times. The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) joined with nine other organizations, representing the HVACR an...

Trade associations and membership societies representing North America's Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration industry requested that federal, state, and local authorities grant ‘essential business’ status to those technicians and engineers who are tasked with keeping the American people productive, healthy, and comfortable in these trying times. The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) joined with nine other organizations, representing...

Small airborne particles contribute to the spread of infectious diseases of all sorts, and current concerns about the novel coronavirus COVID-19 are highlighting the role of HVAC systems to minimize airborne disease transmission and to ensure better indoor air quality in general. Because small particles can remain airborne for some period of time, HVAC systems can play a positive role in minimizing disease transmission, specifically by: Supplying clean air to susceptible occupants. Containi...

According to the CDC and ASHRAE, hospital HVAC systems play a critical role in mitigating the spread of diseases like COVID-19, MERS, SARS, and tuberculosis. When an infected person coughs or sneezes, respiratory droplets can travel through the air and be inhaled by people nearby. Room pressurization, air change rates, humidity, and temperature all play an integral role in mitigating airborne contaminants to provide a healing space for patients while protecting healthcare providers. It is reco...