ASHRAE’s 2010 Winter Conference (December 01, 2010)

The 2011 American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Winter Conference is being held at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada from Saturday, January 29 to Wednesday, February 2. Under the theme, “Zero Energy Design: a Safe Bet,” the event involves hundreds of technical sessions, public forums and a poster show for building HVAC engineers.

Specialist examinations offered

On the final day of the conference, ASHRAE will hold certification exams in five specialist programs: Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP), Commissioning Process Management Professional (CPMP), High-Performance Building Design Professional (HBDP), Healthcare Facility Design Professional (HFDP), and Operations & Performance Management Professional (OPMP).

ASHRAE is also introducing a new certification: Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP) at the conference. The program is targeted at energy auditors and is being developed in collaboration with ASHRAE’s Building Energy Quotient program, which labels the energy performance of buildings. The IES and National Institute of Building Sciences and other industry organizations are participating in this certification program.

Technical session highlights

The technical sessions of the ASHRAE Conference are in nine tracks, designated basic, intermediate and advanced. The nine tracks are: 1. Codes and Standards in the HVAC&R Industry, 2. Integrated Design, 3. Low Energy Design, 4. Refrigeration Update, 5. Industrial HVAC&R, 6. Net Zero Energy, 7. HVAC Systems and Equipment, 8. Professional Skills, and 9. HVAC Fundamentals and Applications.

Several technical sessions will address zero-net energy buildings and how we reach that panacea i.e. the state where a building produces as much energy on-site as it consumes. One is called “Cutting- Edge Japanese Technologies for Zero Energy Buildings,” and there will be several other presentations on zero-net energy buildings from Europe and around the world.

Bowing to the Las Vegas location, sessions will deal with HVAC systems and air quality for casinos. Other presentations cover a wide range of topics, for example: energy simulations and modelling, reducing air leakage in HVAC air systems, micro combined heat and power systems, ASHRAE’s commissioning standard, absorption and alternate refrigeration technologies, smoke control for tall buildings, right-sizing equipment, and HVAC for tunnels.

For full details and to register, visit www.ashrae.org/lasvegas.

AHR Expo

The accompanying AHR Expo will have 1,800 manufacturers exhibiting products, as well as awards for innovations. It is being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center from Monday, January 31 to Wednesday, February 1. Visit www.ahrexpo.com