TABLE OF CONTENTS [1]
BECAUSE energy used in buildings and facilities comprises a significant amount of the total energy used for all purposes, and thus affects energy resources, ASHRAE recognizes the "effect of its technology on the environment and natural resources to protect the welfare of posterity" (ASHRAE 2003).
Many governmental agencies regulate energy conservation, often through the procedures to obtain building permits. Required efficiency values for building energy use strongly influence selection of HVAC&R systems and equipment and how they are applied.
More information on sustainable design is available in the ASHRAE GreenGuide (2003).
[1]The preparation of this chapter is assigned to TC 2.8, Building Environmental Impacts and Sustainability.
The HVAC&R industry deals with energy forms as they occur on or arrive at a building site. Generally, these forms are fossil fuels (natural gas, oil, and coal) and electricity. Solar and wind energy are also available at most sites, as is low-level geothermal energy (an energy source for heat pumps). Direct-use (high-temperature) geothermal energy is available at some locations.
Fossil fuels and electricity...
