Construction Industry Trends
October 2005
 |
| Issue Table of Contents |
|
|
Andy Persily has been a member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) since 1982. As chairman of ASHRAE’s Standard 62.1 committee, he helped direct the development of the 2001 edition of the standard, which specifies minimum ventilation rates and indoor air quality (IAQ) requirements for commercial and industrial buildings.
Q: Why do you think IAQ has become such a big concern in the construction industry?
I’m not sure. I think as people have become more aware of environmental issues, you get more coverage by the press. Or maybe it’s vice versa. But ASHRAE’s goal has always been to develop good technology to help with the design and construction of buildings, and IAQ has always been an important consideration.
Q: What do you think ASHRAE believes are to be the biggest issues impacting IAQ?
There are a lot of factors that affect IAQ. Ventilation is obviously one of them, but there are also issues associated with filtration, air conditioning design, and systems inspections. All are important.
Q: Do you think the specifications offered by Standard 62.1 are stronger than those in the building code?
It depends on the code, since they are all different. In some places the requirements are stricter, but in other places they are the same. For a lot of the local building codes, it seems to be a matter of catching up with the newer standards.
Q: What was one of the bigger changes made in the latest release of Standard 62.1?
One of the changes had to do with the ventilation rate procedure, which was last changed in 1989. It discusses how much outdoor air should be brought in a building. I don’t think the rate went down too much; the change had more to do with making the procedure clearer, so that it was easier for people to understand. I think it was a little confusing in the past.
Q: Has the relationship between ventilation and energy efficiency changed in the latest edition?
Standard 62.1 is an IAQ standard, not an energy efficiency standard, so that isn’t necessarily addressed. At the same time, though, I do believe it is important for builders to think about the impact of ventilation on energy use. The Department of Energy has been involved with ASHRAE’s development of the standard, through its support of research on the impact of ventilation on energy efficiency. But that is not the major focus of Standard 62.1.
Q: What do you think ASHRAE plans on doing with future versions of the standard?
They made some significant changes in the 2004 edition, and I think the emphasis now will be more on maintenance. The future also might involve a more direct relationship with the building codes. I think ASHRAE is starting to focus more on getting its standards adopted by the local building codes. It is definitely a complicated issue, but I think they want to make sure that the standard becomes more widely adopted.
Subscribe to eNewsletter