ASHRAE Leads Briefing on High-Performance Building Report to Congress, Caucus
June 24, 2008 // Published as a news service by IHS
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An assessment report to the U.S. Congress and a Congressional caucus, both addressing high-performing buildings, were unveiled at a briefing with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) as the lead sponsor.
The briefing for Congressional staff took place June 18 with Rep. Judy Bigger (R-Ill.) and Rep. Russ Carnahan (D-Mo.), co-chairs of a newly formed High-Performance Building Congressional Caucus.
The caucus was formed in part to address the recommendations outlined in the assessment report.
According to ASHRAE, the caucus will work to heighten awareness and inform policy-makers about the impact buildings have on health, safety and welfare. ASHRAE is one of 14 organizations that form the caucus.
"Rising energy costs and the increased global awareness of the potential impact of climate change continues to drive home the need for low-energy, environmentally responsible, high-performance buildings…," Kent Peterson, ASHRAE president, said.
"As such, we need to be more determined to deliver buildings that perform. I am encouraged by the efforts I am seeing in the recommendations contained in this report and formation of the caucus to encourage design, operation and maintenance of high-performance buildings," Peterson said.
Congress drafted Section 914 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to address not just more energy-efficient buildings but rather high-performance buildings that combine the objectives of reducing resource energy consumption and improving the comfort and productivity of building occupants. Congress maintains that achieving both these goals would have a positive economic and societal impact.
Source: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers Inc. (ASHRAE).