ATLANTA—How low can you go when it comes to energy reduction in buildings? Try net zero. Guidance on how to get there is featured in the technical program at ASHRAE’s 2008 Winter Meeting, January 19-23, at the New York Hilton, New York City. For complete meeting information, including abstracts on all technical program sessions, visit www.ashrae.org/newyork.
“This technical program is ASHRAE’s most ambitious ever,” promises Mo Hosni, chair of the ASHRAE Program Committee. “First, the technical program is filled with sessions that focus on the hottest issues facing the industry—sustainability and net-zero energy buildings. Second, the program is structured to offer the greatest options for attendees with an extended day of sessions on Wednesday, January 23, as well as the scheduling of 16 seminars at the AHR Expo. Third, for the first time, New York professional development hours will be awarded for several sessions in the technical program, providing excellent value for meeting attendees.”
The technical program covers a full range of presentations from basic to advanced, offering more than 130 sessions and 60 papers covering some 100 different technical areas. Programs are separated by tracks: applications, business management, commissioning, data center cooling, dehumidification, energy, fundamentals, operational topics, refrigeration, sustainability, systems and equipment, and underfloor air distribution.
Net-Zero Building Concept Explained
More than 30 sessions related to sustainability are included in the program, with its theme of “Reaching New Heights in Net-Zero Energy Design.” What is a net-zero energy building? The official ASHRAE definition is “buildings which, on an annual basis, use no more energy than is provided by on-site renewable energy sources.” A forum on January 23 will explore other definitions and the impact of such buildings on the environment.
A Transactions session on January 22 will examine case studies of low-energy buildings, focusing on evaluation of individual technologies, design processes, lessons learned and long-term measured performance. A January 23 seminar will examine low- and zero-carbon cities of the future, with focus on plans by London, Barcelona and Manchester to lower their carbon emissions. A January 20 forum will look at the role of energy storage in net-zero buildings, with discussion of grid impacts, system sizing and costs.
Held in conjunction with the ASHRAE meeting is the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo, taking place January 22-24, at the Javits Convention Center.
Go to ASHRAE.
