ASHRAE studies noise annoyance of HVAC equipment

The American Society for Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers has decided to invest in further research to study how noise from mechanical equipment affects worker productivity.
Indoor background noise can dramatically impact occupants by causing annoyance, hindering speech communication and affecting sleep, suggested a news release. It added that heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems are commonly the primary source of that noise.
The research project, being done by a student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will take 15 months to assess indoor noise rating systems.