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ASHRAE Technical Committee 1.12 - Moisture Management
in Buildings
NEWS
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(April 15, 2010)
ASHRAE Guideline Addresses Interactions Affecting Indoor
Environmental Quality
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| A proposed guideline, currently out for public comment, would
provide guidance on achieving good indoor environments by
considering the interactions of air quality and thermal
conditions as well as lighting and acoustics. ASHRAE Guideline
10P, Interactions Affecting the Achievement of Acceptable
Indoor Environments, calls attention to many interactions
that designers might not have previously recognized or
understood. The guideline opened for public comment on April
9 and remains open until May 24.
“The guideline summarizes what research and experience have
taught us about the complex interplay of the wide range of
factors that determine occupants’ reactions to the buildings
they inhabit,” Hal Levin, chair of the committee writing the
guideline, said. Levin explains that the guideline is intended
to help users understand and use existing documents that deal
with indoor environments, including the ASHRAE standards related
to ventilation and indoor air quality and thermal conditions
with a more complete understanding of the impacts of the indoor
environmental on occupants. "It can provide assistance to
building design professionals and building operators by making
them aware of the major interactions that have the potential to
impact the indoor environment,” he said. “We believe the
guideline will help draw attention to the narrowly-defined
scopes of the widely-used standards and the significance of
interactive effects in determining the acceptability of an
indoor environment.”
The draft of Guideline 10P is available for comment only
during its public review period. To read the guideline or to
comment, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews.
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(January 15, 2010)
New Guidance on Clearing the Indoor Air through Improved IAQ
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| Ensuring good indoor air quality (IAQ) means everyone breathes
a little easier: occupants who experience improved health,
comfort and productivity, and owners who see increased building
value and reduced risk. New guidance for achieving enhanced IAQ
is available from five leading building industry associations
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The book and CD
provide strategies needed to achieve good IAQ using proven
technologies and without significantly increasing costs.
“The health and comfort of buildings occupants is too
important to leave IAQ as an after-thought in design,
construction and operation,” said Andrew Persily, Ph.D., chair
of the committee that wrote the new guidance. “There is plenty
of experience out there to help avoid IAQ problems in buildings,
allowing all of us to breathe a little easier."
The Indoor Air Quality Guide: Best Practices for Design,
Construction and Commissioning is a collaboration between ASHRAE,
the American Institute of Architects, the Building Owners and
Managers Association International, U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning
Contractors’ National Association and the U.S. Green Building
Council.
The book describes 40 strategies for achieving critical IAQ
objectives related to moisture management, ventilation,
filtration and air cleaning and source control. It also
highlights how design and construction teams can work together
to ensure good IAQ strategies are incorporated from initial
design through project completion. A seminar on the new book is
part of the technical program at ASHRAE’s 2010 Winter
Conference. To learn more, go to www.ashrae.org/indoorair.
Here a few tips from the guide on improving IAQ in buildings:
- Bring IAQ into the very earliest design discussions. Don't
get stuck retrofitting the design for IAQ at the end of the
process
- Strictly limit liquid water penetration and condensation
in the envelope, and control indoor humidity.
- Where outdoor air quality is poor, use enhanced filtration
and air cleaning to provide high quality ventilation air.
Locate outdoor air intakes away from contaminant sources and
provide the means to measure and control minimum outdoor
airflows.
- Select building materials and furnishings that have low
contaminant emissions and don't require use of high-emitting
cleaning products.
- Exhaust contaminants from indoor activities as close to
their source as possible.
- Recognize that O&M is essential to long term IAQ, and
provide the access, training and documentation needed to
facilitate O&M.
- Commission from design through occupancy to ensure that
IAQ objectives are met.
A summary document of the Indoor Air Quality Guide, ideal for a
general understanding of the importance of major IAQ issues, can
be downloaded for free at www.ashrae.org/iaq.
The full publication complete with a CD that contains detailed
guidance essential for practioners to design and achieve good
IAQ is available in hard copy or electronically for $29.
To
order, visit the online bookstore at www.ashrae.org.
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(May 14, 2009) New ASHRAE Standard
Guides Designers in Moisture Control Measures
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| Moisture and mold don’t make the headlines the way they once
did, but they are still problems in some structures.
Guidance on how to best design buildings with adequate moisture
control features is contained in a new standard from ASHRAE.
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 160, Criteria for Moisture Design
Analysis in Buildings, formulates design assumptions for
moisture design analysis and criteria for acceptable
performance.
“If the designer elects to perform a design moisture
analysis, the standard requires he or she to think about the
interior conditions that will be maintained in the building and
the effect that may have on building envelopes,” Anton
TenWolde, chair of the committee that wrote the standard, said.
“The standard provides a methodology for the first time
to make consistent design recommendations, such as the need,
type and placement of vapor barriers in any climate.’
The standard introduces criteria to handle rain, wind and other
exterior moisture weather loads.
The
cost of Standard 160-2009 is $39 ($33, ASHRAE members). To
order, visit the online bookstore at www.ashrae.org.
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(October 7, 2008) ASHRAE Publishes Residential IAQ Guideline
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A new residential ventilation and indoor air quality (IAQ)
guideline is now available from ASHRAE.
ASHRAE Guideline 24-2008, Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality
in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is the companion
guideline to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007, Ventilation and
Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings,
the only nationally recognized ventilation and IAQ standard
developed solely for residences. Guideline 24 provides
information on achieving good IAQ that goes beyond the
requirements contained in Standard 62.2 by providing explanatory
and educational material not included in the code-intended
standard.
The guideline, which was written by the committee responsible
for maintaining Standard 62.2, includes information on envelope
and system design, material selection, commissioning and
installation, and operation and maintenance.
Committee chair Steven Emmerich said, “While Standard 62.2
contains the essential minimum requirements that all low-rise
residential buildings should meet to achieve acceptable IAQ,
Guideline 24 is an essential resource for designers, builders
and others looking for reliable information on topics not
covered in the standard or seeking to go beyond minimum for high
performance construction. Topics covered range from fundamentals
of building airflow to humidity control to verification of
equipment performance.”
The cost of Guideline 24-2008 is $54 ($43 for ASHRAE members).
To order, visit the online bookstore at www.ashrae.org.
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(January 16, 2008) ASHRAE Publishes Book on Hot, Humid Climate
Building Design Guidance
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Building operators and designers around the world face common issues
related to thermal comfort, ventilation and energy. But these measures
take on greater concern for buildings in hot and humid climates. In
addition, areas with these climates, such as
South Asia
, are experiencing rapid construction growth.
Design guidance on critical issues for achieving excellence and
long-term sustainability in these climates is contained in a new book
from ASHRAE. The ASHRAE Guide for Buildings in Hot and Humid Climates
identifies and explains key issues for owners, architects, HVAC
designers, contractors and building owners as they plan, build and
operate air-conditioned buildings – in a sustainable way – in hot
and humid climates. “All countries want to achieve high standards of
energy efficiency,” author Lew Harriman said. “But recent history
warns that mold and mildew problems in hot and humid climates can
overshadow any gains made through energy reduction. On the other hand,
the practical experience of ASHRAE’s members shows that by focusing on
several critical building enclosure design details and by keeping the
indoor air dry, owners and designers can avoid mold problems and have
high indoor air quality, while their buildings use much less energy than
outdated designs."
Topics covered in the book include improving thermal comfort,
managing ventilation air, reducing energy consumption and avoiding bugs,
mold and rot. The book explains ASHRAE’s standards in these
areas. It also highlights common problems seen in hot and humid
climates, along with practical alternatives for avoiding such problems.
"The guide was created in part because of requests from
designers and owners in
North America
, but also because of requests from government agencies in developing
countries that are working to establish robust building codes to guide
energy use and indoor environmental quality,” Harriman said. “When
balancing the equally important concerns of low energy consumption, high
thermal comfort and healthy indoor air, ASHRAE’s experience and
internally-informed consensus standards can be very helpful.”
A second edition is planned for January 2009 that will add more
information arranged into sections aimed at each different member of the
construction and delivery team. The cost of The ASHRAE Guide for
Buildings in Hot and Humid Climates is $59 ($49 for ASHRAE members).
To order, visit the online bookstore at www.ashrae.org.
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(October 9, 2007) ASHRAE Provides Guidance on Achieving Good
IAQ
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| Providing design guidance on how to achieve good indoor air
quality is the aim of a proposed guideline from ASHRAE now open
for public comment. Guideline 24P, Ventilation and Indoor
Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is the
companion guideline to ASHRAE Standard 62.2, Ventilation and
Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings.
The guideline is open for public comment until Oct. 29, 2007.
The proposed guideline would provide information on envelope
and system design, material selection, commissioning and
installation, and operation and maintenance. The guideline goes
beyond the requirements contained in Standard 62.2 by providing
explanatory and educational material that would be inappropriate
in the code-intended standard. Topics addressed in the guideline
but not covered in the standard include carbon monoxide alarms,
air distribution, better air filtration and unvented combustion
appliances.
“While both Standard 62.2 and Guideline 24P seek to provide
acceptable indoor air quality, the guideline goes beyond by
providing additional information for achieving good indoor air
quality,” Steve Emmerich, chair of the committee writing the
guideline, said. “The guideline also provides information on
topics such as verification of ventilation equipment performance
and operations and maintenance, which, though important, are not
easily addressed in a code-intended standard.”
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(June 7, 2007) ASHRAE Publishes 2007 Residential IAQ Standard
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| The 2007 version of the ASHRAE residential indoor air quality
standard is now available. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007, Ventilation
and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential
Buildings, is the only nationally recognized indoor air
quality standard developed solely for residences. It
defines the roles of and minimum requirements for mechanical and
natural ventilation systems and the building envelope intended
to provide acceptable indoor air quality in low-rise residential
buildings.
Changes to the standard from the 2004 version include
application of exceptions based on climate map zones vs.
degree-day based, making it easier to apply the standard;
inclusion of a new technology of condensing dryers that do not
have an exhaust flow like traditional dryers; and a change in
requirements for testing and rating ventilation fans.
The cost of Standard 62.2-2007 is $39 ($32 to ASHRAE
members). To order, visit the online bookstore at www.ashrae.org.
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(May 31, 2007) International Code Council Adopts 62.1 Ventilation
Rate Procedure
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| Approval of ASHRAE’s Standard 62.1 ventilation rate
calculation procedure for the International Mechanical Code (IMC)
marks a milestone for the high-profile mandatory-language
standard after years of development aimed at code adoption. This
week, the International Code Council approved an ASHRAE proposal
to incorporate the prescriptive ventilation rate procedure from
ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2004, Ventilation for Acceptable
Indoor Air Quality, in the IMC. The code establishes
minimum regulations adopted and implemented by federal, state
and local government agencies for mechanical systems in new
buildings.
“With adoption of the new ventilation rates into building
codes, we can expect to see reduced air intake flow in
many previously over-ventilated buildings,” Dennis Stanke,
chair of the 62.1 committee. “With adoption of the new
calculation procedures, we can expect to see improved indoor air
quality in many previously under-ventilated multiple-zone
systems. Ventilation systems with lower outdoor rates compared
to the current code reduce both first costs and energy costs,
while system designs that account properly for air distribution
within buildings result in better indoor air quality than
designs based on over-simplified air distribution
assumptions.”
The current ventilation criteria in the IMC are based on
ASHRAE Standard 62-1989. Based on 20 years of IAQ research and
experience with ventilation system design, ASHRAE introduced an
improved version of the standard in 2004 to include the new
rates and calculation procedures. This code change makes both
the IMC and the 2006 Uniform Mechanical Code consistent with the
ASHRAE standard.
“The new ventilation rate procedure requires designers to
account for pollutant sources from both the building and its
occupants, and to account for the efficiency of different
ventilation systems when delivering outdoor air to the breathing
zone,” Stanke said.
The new requirements will be included in the 2007 IMC
Supplement.
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(May 30, 2007)
Organizations Collaborate to Provide IAQ Guidance
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Six organizations related to the built environment are
collaborating to provide advanced indoor air quality (IAQ)
design guidance for the industry. The collaboration will develop
a book and professional development course that will describe an
integrated process for achieving improved IAQ in all elements of
a building.
Participating organizations are the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE),
the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Building Owners
and Managers Association (BOMA), the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA), the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning
Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), and the U.S. Green
Building Council (USGBC). The groups recently formalized the
collaboration through a memorandum of understanding.
“The book and course will give guidance to designers and
builders so that buildings may be constructed, operated and
maintained to improve IAQ without constraining the building
function or the comfort and productivity of the occupants,”
said Andrew Persily, chair of the steering committee overseeing
the project.
Last year, ASHRAE was awarded a $510,000 three-year
cooperative agreement with the EPA to develop the Advanced
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Design Guide for Non-Residential
Buildings. The book will assist building professionals in
implementing high-performance designs and improving building IAQ
performance in a broad range of buildings. The book is expected
to be published in April 2009 and followed later in the year by
the course.
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(May 22, 2007)
ASHRAE Publishes New Standard 62.1
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ASHRAE’s new 2007 ventilation standard contains key changes impacting
ventilation system designers and their designs. ANSI/ASHRAE Standard
62.1-2007, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, sets
minimum ventilation rates and other requirements for commercial and
institutional buildings.
The new standard includes requirements for the separation of areas
with environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) from areas without ETS in the
same building. Although some local building and health codes prohibit
smoking indoors in many buildings and locations, other codes allow
smoking in designated areas. In buildings that allow smoking in
designated areas, effective separation of ETS areas ensures
“ETS-free” areas contain little or no ETS-related contaminants. The
new separation requirements help designers ensure effective separation,
according to Dennis Stanke, committee chair.
Another change clarifies of how designers must analyze mechanical
cooling systems to help limit space relative humidity. Many buildings
suffer from air quality problems related to dampness, including mold and
other microbial growth. In the past, the standard required a design
analysis at specified load conditions, in an effort to demonstrate that
a given design approach in a given climate could successfully limit
space RH to 65 percent or less.
“Those load conditions could be confusing and difficult to
establish,” Stanke said. “The new requirements include a specific
easy-to-establish load condition. Each system must be analyzed to check
its dehumidification performance at this challenging condition to help
designers make system configuration and control choices that reduce the
likelihood of high-humidity problems in buildings.”
Other changes include:
- Additions to Table 6-1 of minimum outdoor air requirements for
dwelling units in high-rise residential buildings. These
requirements apply to residences in buildings over three stories.
Low-rise residential buildings are covered by ASHRAE Standard 62.2, Ventilation
and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings.
- New or previously overlooked occupancy categories. In response to
proposed changes from users of the standard, ASHRAE added several
occupancy categories to Table 6-1 with associated minimum outdoor
air rates. These include, for example, daycare sickrooms,
university/college laboratories, break rooms and coffee stations,
and laundry rooms.
The cost of ASHRAE Standard 62.1-2007 is $65 ($52 for ASHRAE members).
To order, visit the online bookstore at www.ashrae.org.
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(January 16, 2007) Indoor Environmental Design Focus
of ASHRAE Satellite Broadcast
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Specific solutions to the everyday challenges of
achieving indoor environmental quality within real-world budget
constraints will be presented by ASHRAE in an upcoming satellite
broadcast/Webcast.
Indoor Environmental Design: Practical Solutions
to Everyday Problems, sponsored by ASHRAE’s Chapter Technology
Transfer Committee, will take place from 1-4 p.m. EDT, April 18, 2007.
"This program will benefit designers, building
owners, architects, contractors and facility managers who are faced with
the daily engineering challenge of specifying systems that maximize IAQ,
thermal comfort and noise control," said Bill Williams, chair of
the broadcast committee. "Viewers will be given guidance on how to
provide ventilation air that helps protect buildings instead of
increasing mold risk, how to avoid the three most common mistakes in
ventilation system design and operation, and how to provide
comprehensive filtration without breaking their budget."
Bill Coad, PE, president of Coad
Engineering Enterprises, St. Louis, Mo., and past ASHRAE president, will
present an overview perspective on indoor environmental quality and
introduce the following panel of experts:
• Hoy Bohanon Jr., PE, owner
and consultant, Bohanon Engineering Winston-Salem, N.C.,
"Ventilation System Design: Avoiding Three Common Mistakes"
• Lew Harriman, director of
research, Mason-Grant, Portsmouth, N.H., "Ventilation Air: First,
Do No Harm"
• Dan
Int-Hout, chief engineer, Krueger-HVAC, Richardson, Texas,
"Noise, IAQ and Thermal Comfort – Can You Have It All?"
• Chris
Muller, technical director, Purafil, Doraville, Ga.,
"Behind the Access Door – Advances in Affordable Filtration for
IAQ"
There is no
fee for registration. For more information, email ashrae-satellitebroadcast@ashrae.org
or call 678-539-1139.
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(September 22, 2006) 1st
Public Review of ASHRAE Standard 160P, Design Criteria for Moisture
Control in Buildings
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This
is the first public review of proposed new Standard 160P. It specifies
performance-based design criteria for predicting, mitigating, or
reducing moisture damage to buildings depending upon climate,
construction type, and HVAC system operation. It applies to all types of
buildings, building components and materials. The
45-day public review period runs from September 22, 2006 to November 6,
2006. This public review draft can be downloaded from http://www.ashrae.org/technology/page/331.
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(May 18, 2005) ASHRAE Position
Document on Mold
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Due to the proliferation of mold in buildings, sound
moisture management should take precedence over energy cost savings,
according to a new position document from the ASHRAE.
Energy conservation goals may conflict with moisture management
goals. In fact, traditional methods of dehumidification, such as reheat
systems, may increase energy use, Ron Vallort, ASHRAE president, said.
“Considering energy conservation and moisture
management goals in the design, construction, operation and maintenance
of HVAC systems can minimize energy use and cost,” he said. “However,
the impact of mold proliferation suggests that energy cost savings
should not be achieved at the expense of sound moisture management.”
Minimizing Indoor Mold Through Management of Moisture in Building
Systems outlines ASHRAE’s position on the management of moisture
in buildings by describing issues related to the topic and highlighting
resources available through the Society regarding the management of
moisture and mold in buildings. The document
recommends that for proper moisture management include:
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Building envelopes, penetrations and building systems be designed and
built to protect the indoor environment and the building materials from
water infiltration or accumulation.
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Building and system design consider internal or exterior moisture that
could cause condensation on surfaces or within materials.
•
Building and system design, operation and maintenance provide for drying
of surfaces and materials prone to moisture accumulation under normal
operating conditions.
•
Building and system design, operation and maintenance provide for water
management of surfaces and materials that are expected to have moisture
present.
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Mechanical system design should properly address ventilation air.
•
Building and system design, construction and operation take into account
occupant uses.
• Each
building have an operation and maintenance plan.
• The
sequence of operation for the HVAC system contain appropriate provisions
to manage humidity, control pressurization and monitor critical
conditions.
•
Moisture accumulation be investigated in a timely manner and steps be
taken to identify and control the course of water.
The position document, Minimizing Indoor Mold Through Management
of Moisture in Building Systems, can be viewed at http://www.ashrae.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/43903.
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(February 14, 2005) Register For ASHRAE
Satellite Broadcast or Webcast on Mold
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Concerns about mold
in the building environment are no longer limited to just humid
environments or North America. Mold is now a global concern for designers, contractors, building
owners/operators and building occupants. Information on how to properly
control moisture and humidity conditions in order to minimize
mold will be presented in an April 13, 2005 (1:00 to 4:00 PM EDT), satellite broadcast and
Webcast, Mold in Our Building Environment, sponsored by
ASHRAE’s Chapter Technology Transfer Committee (CTTC).
If you have any questions, e-mail CTTC-SatelliteBroadcast@ashrae.org
or call 678-539-1139.
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(December 8, 2004) ASHRAE 2005 Public Session: Battling Humidity in Southern
Climates
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“Beat the heat” takes on special meaning in Florida
as the HVAC&R industry fights the battle between energy costs and
hot and humid climates. “Florida has a tropical
climate that affects all aspects of life in the area - at home, at work
and at leisure,” Fred Betz said. “As a result, a significant problem
and concern in Florida is energy usage and humidity control.” Guidance
on energy and humidity control techniques in building design and
construction, types of equipment that can be used, and how to commission
and maintain these systems will be provided by the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) at its
2005 Winter Meeting, Feb. 5-9, Orlando, Fla.
ASHRAE’s public session, Energy and Humidity Reduction Practices in
Southern Climates, will take place from 3-5 PM on Monday,
February 7, at the Orange County Convention Center. Admission is free,
and registration is not required. The session features five speakers
from the central Florida engineering and research community who will
focus on HVAC challenges in Florida, according to Betz, chair of the
session. Speakers and topics are:
• "Florida’s New Energy Code: What’s
Changing in July 2005," by Muthusamy Swami, Florida Solar Energy
Center, Cocoa, Fla. The new state code is slated to go into effect July
1, 2005. Swami will discuss the current status and upcoming changes to
the energy code for commercial buildings. Impact of changes, compliance
pathways and relationship to national codes and standards will be
discussed as well as tools and resources available to compliance users.
• "Whole Buildings: Why Everything
Interacts," by Neil Moyer, Florida Solar Energy Center.
• "Shell & Lighting Systems:
Reducing Sensible Gains," by Wayne Dunn, SunBelt Engineering,
Jacksonville, Fla.
• "HVAC: Strategies for Ventilation and
High Humidity Control," by Don Shirey, Florida Solar Energy Center.
• "Commissioning: Cradle to Grave
Building Design," by J. David Odom, Liberty Building Diagnostics
Group, (location). A few buildings begin life as catastrophic problems,
often requiring massive amounts of money and attention to correct their
defects. A much larger number of buildings begin life with nuisance
problems that require significant corrective attention soon after they
are occupied. Both of these problematic building types, and even the
pool of well performing buildings, often gradually degrade into poor
performance as they age. Odom will focus on risk factors that buildings
face from infancy to old age and what can be done to improve their
performance.
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
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(October 7, 2004) ASHRAE Sponsors Education Courses at 2005 Winter Meeting
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Fourteen
education courses, including a professional development seminar on
preventing moisture problems, will be offered by the ASHRAE Winter
Meeting, February 5-9 in Orlando, Florida.
Preventing
Moisture and Mold Problems: Design and Construction Guidelines
(instructors: David MacPhaul, P.E., CH2M Hill, and J. David Odom,
Liberty Building Diagnostics Group Inc.) will
be held from 8 AM to 3 PM on Saturday, February 5 at the Wyndham Palace
Resort.The cost of this
professional development seminar
is $460 ($360 for ASHRAE members), and attendees will earn continuing
education credits. To register, visit www.ashrae.org./orlando
or call ASHRAE’s Customer Service Department at 1-800-527-4723. After
December 10, attendees must register at the meeting.
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
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(October 7, 2004) Controlling Mold
Strong Focus of ASHRAE 2005 Winter Meeting
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The
warm and sunny weather that draws millions of tourists to Florida, site of ASHRAE’s 2005 Winter Meeting, translates into a hot and
humid climate that can lead to problems with mold and mildew.
Several sessions related to hot and humid climates, including Florida, will be presented at the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating
and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ meeting, Feb. 5-9, Orlando, Fla., at the Wyndham Palace Resort. Ninety-five sessions will be presented
as part of the technical program.
“Designing,
constructing and operating buildings in locations such as Florida is difficult due to the hot and humid climate,” Kelley Cramm, chair of
the Society Program Committee, said. “Our goal is to make engineering
in these climates easier by providing guidance on humidity control
issues, techniques and equipment.”
A
seminar addresses design and construction in hot and humid climates,
focusing on design of walls, roofs, mechanical systems and interior
finishes as they relate to moisture control, durability and indoor air
quality. Another
seminar focuses on mold and mildew case studies in Florida, including a presentation on the effects of operation and control of
mechanical systems on mold growth in hotels.
Dehumidification
considerations are required in most applications today. A seminar
addresses the relationship of moisture and mold dehumidification, and
methods and solutions to improve dehumidifier efficiencies. Using air-to-air energy recovery to meet new humidity control
requirements in ASHRAE’s ventilation standard is addressed in a
seminar. Up-sizing of air-conditioning equipment usually does not
improve humidity control in hot and humid climates, but appropriate
application of air-to-air energy recovery systems and related
technologies can help designers meet the requirements.
The
technical program is comprised of 55 seminars (presentations on a
central or related topic with no published papers), 17 symposia
(presentations with papers on a central subject), 19 open-discussion
forums, two technical sessions (paper presentations), a poster session
and a public session. A total of 105 papers will be presented.
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
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(September 17, 2004) ASHRAE to Host
Satellite Broadcast on Mold
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Concerns about mold
in the building environment are no longer limited to just humid
environments or North America. Mold is now a global concern for designers, contractors, building
owners/operators and building occupants. Information on how to properly
control moisture and humidity conditions in order to minimize
mold will be presented in an April 13, 2005, satellite broadcast and
Webcast, Mold in Our Building Environment, sponsored by
ASHRAE’s Chapter Technology Transfer Committee (CTTC).
“Moisture management and humidity control require a team effort during
the design, construction, start-up and operation phases of a
facility,” Wilfred Laman, chair of CTTC, P.E. said. “If any part of
the team fails to perform their tasks in proven and prescribed methods,
the facility may promote mold formation and growth. This broadcast will
be beneficial to all team members by describing how each should perform
their tasks properly.” The level of interest in mold has also expanded to the legal
profession due to the claim that “mold is gold” based upon recent
jury awards in mold-related cases, according to Laman. For situations where mold is present, various proven assessment and
remediation processes will be addressed for different types of
facilities.
Speakers will
include biological, chemical, investigative and health experts, design
architects, engineers and contractors who specialize in mitigation.The broadcast will be similar to the 2004 ASHRAE broadcast on homeland
security, which as viewed by more than 20,000 viewers at more than 1,500
locations earlier this year.Program and site registration details will be announced soon. Questions
and requests for site registration materials may be emailed to CTTC-SatelliteBroadcast@ashrae.org
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
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(September 2, 2004) Humidity Control I and II
Professional Development Seminar Offered Online
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ASHRAE will present its
fall professional development seminars online. The professional
development seminars traditionally are held in cities across the nation.
Following the success of an online pilot course held earlier this year,
ASHRAE decided to host the seminars online.
Humidity Control I and II
will take place from 1-4 p.m. (EDT) Oct. 4-5.
The course, based on ASHRAE’s Humidity Control Design Guide for
Commercial and Institutional Buildings, will help designers achieve
true control of humidity rather than just its moderation. The first day
of the humidity course will focus on basic principles, loads and
equipment. The second day will focus on applications, control levels and
mold avoidance.
The
instructor is Lew Harriman, author of the design guide and director of
research and consulting at Mason-Grant in
Portsmouth, N.H.
Participants
will earn .6 continuing education units, six professional development
hours, or six American Institute of Architects learning units.The cost is
$690 ($590 for ASHRAE members). For
more information or to register, visit www.ashrae.org/onlinepds.
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
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(May 25, 2004) Study Links Mold to Some
Ailments
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Scientific evidence links mold and other factors related to damp
conditions in homes and other buildings to asthma symptoms in some
asthmatics as well as to coughing, wheezing and other upper respiratory
tract symptoms in otherwise healthy people, says a new report by the
Institute of Medicine of the National
Academies. The available evidence does not support an association
between either interior dampness or mold and the wide range of other
health complaints that have been ascribed to them, but the possibility
of a link cannot be ruled out.
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
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(May 25, 2004) Mold, Other Environmental Concerns
Addressed in ASHRAE Seminar
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Environmental Health Issues: Mold and Other Indoor Environment
Concerns will take place from 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Monday, June
28. It is sponsored by ASHRAE’s Environmental Health Committee. It
will feature presentations on health effects associated with exposure to
indoor air. Indoor air chemistry and the topical issues related to mold
and ventilation systems including mold prevention in new construction
are presented, according to chair Sidney Parsons, P.E., Council of
Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa.
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
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(April 23, 2004) Indoor Environments Highlighted in ASHRAE Technical Program
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To help designers, engineers, contractors and others meet
those expectations, indoor air quality and comfort will be a strong
focus of the ASHRAE 2004 Annual Meeting technical program. Ninety-three
technical program sessions will be presented at the meeting, which takes
place June 26-30, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center,
Nashville, Tenn. Some 25 sessions will focus on indoor air quality and
comfort as well as ventilation and air distribution.
A seminar focuses on new means of controlling humidity through HVAC
equipment and energy recovery systems. The potential for fungal growth
is exacerbated by improper sizing of equipment. Another
seminar examines current engineering and legal issues that must be
considered in designing, constructing and operating buildings. Some
estimate that mold litigation and insurance claims may exceed asbestos
and Superfund claims combined.
Click
here for a complete list of technical program sessions
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(December 12, 2003) ASHRAE Offers Information on
Control of Mold, Moisture
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A new online technical resource, Mold
and Moisture Management in Buildings, contains 22 ASHRAE Journal
articles and papers presented at ASHRAE IAQ conferences and semi-annual
meetings. "This collection provides extensive
technical background along with specific suggestions for avoiding mold-
and moisture-related problems," Lew Harriman, a member of ASHRAE's
technical committee on moisture management in buildings, said. The
papers and articles address mold fundamentals, moisture movement in
building assemblies, dehumidification and HVAC systems, and also
discussions of typical problems and solutions for both commercial and
residential buildings.
"Problems associated with mold and moisture seldom fall neatly
into any single professional responsibility," according to
Harriman. "Biology, medicine, engineering, architecture,
construction and building operation all contribute to understanding and
managing moisture in buildings. When difficulties occur, they usually
expose gaps between these disciplines and often expose shortcomings of
our overall understanding of the behavior of moisture and its
consequences."
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
The collection can help the professional community as well as the
general public understand the technical issues surrounding mold and
mildew, according to Harriman. The cost of Mold
and Moisture Management in Buildings is $49 ($35 ASHRAE members).
Click
here for more information
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(March 7, 2003) Advice Dispensed at ASHRAE Public Session: Proper
Equipment Sizing, Good Maintenance Solves Mold Problems
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How do you prevent mold in small commercial and residential buildings? By
removing the water, according to a speaker at the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers' (ASHRAE) recent
public session. Simple steps to remove mold in small commercial and
residential buildings by decreasing humidity were presented at the
public session held in Chicago, IL during ASHRAE's 2003 Winter Meeting,
January 25-29.
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
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(December 27, 2001) ASHRAE Book Advises Cost-Effective Humidity
Control
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As concern grows over moisture damage in commercial buildings, members
of building teams need practical advice to minimize the costs and
maximize the benefits of controlling humidity. The Humidity Control
Design Guide for Commercial and Institutional Buildings, published
by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE), provides such guidance.
Click
here for the full ASHRAE press release
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