ASHRAE Journal - August 2013 - 24

Presidential address

by making those who use those systems safe, healthy,
productive, and comfortable. ASHRAE has contributed
significantly to this mission in the past and continues to do so today; however, our focus for some time
has shifted strongly toward energy conservation and
protection of the atmosphere. Thirty years ago, when
ASHRAE’s Environmental Health Committee was
formed and we initiated our IAQ conference series, we
were the leader, but that is not how ASHRAE is perceived today.
We must restore a proper emphasis on indoor environmental quality and become leaders again for the
good of humanity. We can be a leader again by doing
what ASHRAE does best: connecting science to practice. We can take the results of research and use them
to create real change applications. We can educate
and equip the industry in the principles and practice
of indoor environmental quality as we have done in
others.
This year, ASHRAE will hold its 17th IAQ conference
in Vancouver. The theme is Environmental Health in Low
Energy Buildings. The theme of the first conference was
Managing Indoor Air for Health and Energy Conservation.
After three decades we have come back to the point
where we began, recognizing the need to deal with
indoor environmental impacts and energy in an
integrated way. It’s an important step in the right
direction.
Another next step is the free distribution by download of ASHRAE’s Indoor Air Quality Guide. It is a practical guide now available as a resource to anyone who
wants to put into practice what we’ve learned about
IAQ.
Let us also not forget the “R” in ASHRAE in our
efforts to shape our world for the better. For some
time, it’s been my impression that our focus has been
skewed toward lessening the environmental impact of
refrigeration rather than increasing its effectiveness.
We should also keep in mind the essential role refrigeration plays in our world by preventing food borne
disease and waste, as 2004 – 05 ASHRAE President
Ron Vallort pointed out in his theme. Enhancing the
capabilities of refrigeration and making it possible for
them to be as widely available as possible should be
as important to us as controlling the adverse effects of
refrigerant use.
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ASHRAE JouRnAl

ashrae.org

Au g ust 2013

Environmental Stewardship
ASHRAE is most recognized for its contributions to
environmental stewardship. ASHRAE/IES Standard
90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise
Residential Buildings; ASHRAE/USGBC/IES Standard
189.1, Standard for the Design of High-Performance, Green
Buildings; ASHRAE/USGBC/ASPE/AWWA Standard 191P,
Standard for the Efficient Use of Water in Building, Site, and
Mechanical Systems; and ASHRAE Standard 15, Safety
Standard for Refrigeration Systems, promote conservation
of natural resources and protection of the environment. Our commitment here must not lag as a result of
making efforts to grow stronger in other areas.

Serving All Communities
ASHRAE’s governing documents set no boundaries
on the extent of the general public whose good we are
to promote. We are not charged with serving only the
commercial/institutional markets of developed economies. However, if we honestly evaluate where ASHRAE
has been most active and effective, it is in precisely
those areas and much less so in others. If we put residential construction outside our scope, that’s half of
the energy use and environmental impact of buildings
that we are not addressing. If we don’t support the
developing world, we’re ignoring the place where most
of the growth in the building stock will occur in the
foreseeable future. As an organization with members
around the world who all return at the end of the work
day to someplace they call home, this is not the right
path for us to follow.
ASHRAE has not been inactive in addressing residential construction. We have invested much effort
in Standard 90.2, Energy Efficient Design of Low-Rise
Residential Buildings, which today is working toward very
ambitious goals, and also Standard 62.2, Ventilation
and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential
Buildings, but we have a long way to go before we have
the same level of effectiveness that we do where nonresidential construction is concerned. In order to find
the path to better support of residential buildings,
we will be seeking engagement with other organizations that already are leaders in the residential field to
understand how we can contribute more effectively.
We are in a similar status where developing economies are concerned—involved, but not nearly as

ASHRAE Journal - August 2013

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