Building Environmental Impacts and Sustainability
ASHRAE Technical Committee 2.8

 

Meetings Information

Technical sessions sponsored/cosponsored by this TC at the Winter Meeting are listed below (all times are listed in Eastern Local Time). See you in Orlando! In the meantime, check out our past programs here!

Seminar 6: Applying Trusted Fundamentals to Address Our Changing Climate through New Technology and Vernacular Architecture Applications

Sunday, February 9 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM EST

ASHRAE’s position document on Climate Change states that “Climate change is the most formidable environmental challenge ever faced by society.”  Global temperatures are rising to dangerous levels. Our HVAC&R industry must step up by applying HVAC&R fundamentals and applications, but with a new paradigm for increasing sustainability and good Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) while providing safety, comfort and resiliency. This seminar looks at new technology as well as borrowing strategies traditionally used in very hot climates to provide acceptable IEQ in an increasingly hotter world.
Chair: Carol Lomonaco
Presentation 1: Isothermal Compression for Hotter Climate
Presenting Author: Yunho Hwang, PhD, University of Maryland/Department of Mechanical Eng, College Park, MD, USA
We are expecting a three-fold increased cooling demand for the next three decades, which would accelerate global warming challenging thermal comfort under a hotter climate. A hotter climate means a heat rejection at the elevated temperature, which results in lower cooling capacity, higher energy consumption, and higher compressor discharge temperature. We proposed a near-isothermal compression concept as a promising technology to lower the compression work and discharge temperature by releasing compression heat simultaneously during the compression process. This presentation will highlight the main concept and benefits of using near-isothermal compression technology for high ambient conditions.
Presentation 2: Designing Building Comfort Systems for Unprecedented High Temperatures Using Passive Principles of Vernacular Architecture in Historically Extremely Hot Climates
Presenting Author: Janice Means, PE, Retired from Lawrence Technological University, Southfield, MI, USA
Some regions of the world have historically experienced temperatures exceeding 100oF (38oC) on a regular basis, e.g., the Middle East, Egypt, India. For centuries, the buildings and some adjacent exterior spaces in these areas were successfully designed for comfort and safety without the benefit of mechanical cooling equipment. Regions of the world where such high temperatures have not previously been experienced can benefit by applying passive principles and using the vernacular architecture in these hotter climate zones as models for addressing climate change-induced high temperatures with accompanying heat waves.
Presentation 3: The Effects of Elevated Temperatures on Humans and the Potential Solutions to Mitigate the Negative Effects
Presenting Author: Pawel Wargocki, Dr., DTU Environ and resource Eng-Tech Univ of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
The increasing temperatures due to climate change impose challenges for the built environment. What are the temperature limits for optimal performance, learning and sleep? Can we allow temperatures to drift assuming that building occupants will adapt and tolerate temperatures that are higher than those just 10 or 20 years ago? The present talk will summarize the current knowledge on the effects of temperature on humans and propose the energy-efficient solutions to mitigate their impacts.

Seminar 53: Building Decarbonization: Policy Goals, Performance Standards and Pathways for Optimizing Both Climate and Health

Wednesday, February 12 9:45 AM – 10:45 AM EST

Climate policies in the building sector, such as building performance standards, typically focus on greenhouse gas emission reduction goals, while not directly including air pollutants that cause adverse health impacts in their design. While these policies have the potential to improve air quality and public health, a holistic approach is needed to account for all aspects, such as public health savings opportunities and minimizing unintended negative health impacts. This seminar aims to cover these aspects and provide recommendations for our decarbonization efforts.
Chair: Janice Means, PE
Presentation 1: How Difficult Will It be to Meet BPS Targets? Results of a Large-Scale Analysis
Presenting Author: Amanda Webb, PhD, University of Cincinnati, CINCINNATI, OH, USA
Building performance standards (BPS) have the potential to transform the existing building stock, and are being adopted by an increasing number of jurisdictions worldwide. It is critical for jurisdictions, building owners, and building professionals to understand the level of effort that will be required by BPS. This presentation describes recent work analyzing the feasibility of achieving BPS targets using data from 10 U.S. cities. Through both energy and economic analysis, the results show that BPS is a high-effort, high-reward policy tool.
Presentation 2: Developing a Framework to Evaluate Building Decarbonization Pathways
Presenting Author: Mohammad Heidarinejad, Ph.D., P.E., Illinois institute of Technology, CHICAGO, IL, USA
This presentation will elaborate on critical considerations needed to develop a framework that accounts for different decarbonization pathways. The presentation will highlight the need to account for the life cycle of energy, environmental, and economic outcomes as well as externalities of retrofit pathways over time for phasing in electric appliances, renewables, and other energy systems. An overview of the necessity of accounting for variance in building stock characteristics and uncertainty of the prospective technologies will also be presented. The presentation will be concluded with opportunities to utilize the decarbonization efforts in order to retrofit our building stock.
Presentation 3: Quantifying Projected Health and Climate Co-benefits of Energy Conservation in the Built Environment
Presenting Author: Parichehr Salimifard, Assistant Professor, Oregon State, Corvallis, OR, USA
Buildings can follow various pathways to meet GHG emission reduction goals set by climate policies. However, decarbonization pathways are not created equal in terms of health. While building energy and GHG emissions footprint are usually quantified, their air pollutant emissions and health impacts are rarely quantified. This presentation will demonstrate a novel method for quantifying projected climate and health impacts of building energy use to help (1) assess current building performance in terms of GHGs and air pollutants emissions, health, and climate footprint, and (2) prioritize different energy conservation pathways based on their projected health and climate co-benefits.

 

Attend a Committee Meeting

ALL ASHRAE committee meetings, including this TC’s meetings at the Winter and Annual Society conferences, are open to the public at no cost nor is conference registration required. Interested visitors, local chapter members, and potential new TC members are always welcome. However to attend technical program sessions sponsored by the TC will require registration and payment of any applicable fee.

Participation in an ASHRAE TC provides the opportunity to grow professionally and to contribute to the advancement of HVAC&R within an international organization recognized for shaping the future of the built environment through research, standards writing, publishing, and education.