ASHRAE Journal - June 2013 - 4

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Publisher W. Stephen Comstock
EDITORIAL

Editor
Fred Turner
fturner@ashrae.org
Managing Editor
Sarah Foster
sfoster@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Rebecca Matyasovski
rmatyasovski@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Christopher Weems
cweems@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Jeri Eader
jeader@ashrae.org
Editorial Assistant
Tani Palefski
tpalefski@ashrae.org

PUBLISHING SERVICES

Publishing Services Manager
David Soltis
Production
Jayne Jackson
Tracy Becker

ADVERTISING

Associate Publisher,
ASHRAE Media Advertising
Greg Martin
gmartin@ashrae.org
Advertising Production Coordinator
Vanessa Johnson
vjohnson@ashrae.org

CIRCULATION

Circulation Specialist
David Soltis
dsoltis@ashrae.org

ASHRAE OFFICERS
President
Thomas E. Watson, P
.E.

President-Elect
William P Bahnfleth, Ph.D., P
.
.E.
Treasurer
Thomas H. Phoenix, P
.E.
Vice Presidents
Constantinos A. Balaras, Ph.D., P
.E.
Daniel C. Pettway
Timothy G. Wentz, P
.E.
Thomas E. Werkema
Secretary & Executive Vice President
Jeff H. Littleton

POLICY GROUP

2012 – 13 Chair
Publications Committee
Francis A. Mills

COMMENTARY
Building for People
Is the push to save energy affecting the well-being of occupants?
ASHRAE members Dan Int-Hout and Steve Wiggins both believe the answer is yes,
but it’s not like the 1970s and 80s when people shut off air intakes. Both recently attended
the National Environmental Balancing Bureau’s (NEBB) annual meeting,
Wiggins as a member and Int-Hout as a speaker. I asked both about this
question at the meeting and later by phone.
Wiggins said part of the problem is energy auditors. They have a “top
25” checklist and look at different buildings the same way.
This can lead to a mold problem like he saw recently in Key West, Fla.
An energy auditor had raised the discharge air on air handlers to 68°F
Fred Turner
(20°C), which did not dehumidify the air.
“This wouldn’t have happened in Phoenix,” he said. “The question should always be
how to make buildings work best for the least amount of energy. When we put that hat
on, good things happen.”
Other problems, he said, include raising temperatures, improper resets and “good
recommendations misapplied.”
INT-HOUT CHAIRED ASHRAE Technical Committee 2.1 on indoor environments
in 1979 when President Jimmy Carter ordered that thermostats in government buildings
not be raised above 65°F (18°C) in winter or lowered below 78°F (26°C) in summer.
People, he said, just brought personal heaters to the office and reports showed that energy
use actually went up.
The personal heaters, he said, are back in some buildings because loads can be so low
that the minimum ventilation exceeds the load and the space gets cold.
“It (ignoring comfort) was a bad idea then, and it’s a bad idea now,” said Int-Hout.
Another issue is that USGBC’s previous LEED rating systems were weighted more
towards energy than ventilation. He said the weighting problem has been corrected, but
there are still a lot of high-performing buildings built using previous versions of LEED.
“All you really need to understand is that energy costs are $2 per ft2 each year and
salaries are $200 per ft2,” said Int-Hout. “You can save a buck on energy but the salary
cost is still $200.”
THIS EDITION includes what we hope will be the first of many columns from IntHout.
He’s been in the HVAC industry since 1974, and has “seen a lot of ideas come and
go.” He’s also chaired several ASHRAE technical and standards committees, and assisted
in the development of a number of ASHRAE and AHRI standards on air distribution.
This month’s column covers linear slot diffusers. Many engineers and air balancers
are not aware that they are adjustable from horizontal to vertical.
“Failure to adjust linear slots will almost always result in stratification of the space,
poor thermostat response and likely occupant dissatisfaction,” he says. “The ball is in
the court of the design engineers who must specify the proper adjustment, and have
responsibility for that adjustment.”
WE HOPE you enjoy the edition. Let us know what you think.
We’d also like to hear from you on the topic: Is the push to save energy affecting
occupant well-being?

Washington Office
washdc@ashrae.org
ASHRAE Journal reviews current HVAC&R technology of broad interest through publication
of applications-oriented articles. Content ranges from back-to-basics features to reviews of
emerging technologies.

ASHRAE Journal - June 2013

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