ASHRAE and NIST have pledged to strengthen their partnership focusing on key issues in the HVAC market. A new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalizes the agreement and sets the stage for continued cooperation for the benefit of the HVAC marketplace.
ASHRAE, the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineers, is a global professional society committed to advancing the arts and sciences of heating ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and related fields. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce that promotes innovation and industrial competitiveness to enhance economic security and quality of life.
Scientific Knowledge Combines With HVAC Equipment
Promotes innovation and industrial competitiveness to enhance economic security and quality of life
NIST’s HVAC&R Equipment Performance Group seeks to expand scientific knowledge and improve the energy efficiency of HVAC equipment. Their research activities encompass analytical and experimental studies of new-generation refrigerants, experimental and simulation investigations of space-conditioning systems in current and net-zero energy buildings, and research of cooling/refrigeration technologies.
The agreement, signed Nov. 4, outlines how ASHRAE and NIST will work cooperatively to improve HVAC&R technologies and their applications. New cooperative efforts between ASHRAE and NIST will focus on several key areas:
- Improving building performance and cost effectiveness, including through increases in energy and water efficiency and storage technologies, and the health, wellbeing and productivity of building occupants;
- Improving interoperability of building systems as well as building integration with the electric grid;
- Supporting innovation and standards development;
- Strengthening resiliency of the built environment; and
- Bolstering cybersecurity of HVAC&R infrastructure.
The Memo of Understanding was signed by ASHRAE President Darryl K. Boyce and Dr. Walter G. Copan, Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director.
“The missions of ASHRAE and NIST reflect our collective efforts to advance building performance and support integrated solutions to improve health and productivity in buildings,” says Boyce. “NIST staff have long been involved with ASHRAE through participation in the development of standards, serving on numerous technical committees and sharing many of their research results in ASHRAE publications. We are excited to formalize our partnership with NIST as we strive to collectively build a more sustainable future and enhance the wellbeing of building occupants in the communities we serve.”
Mutual Interests
Improve the performance, resilience, sustainability and cybersecurity of the built environment
“This [understanding] confirms the many areas of mutual interest between NIST and ASHRAE as we work to advance energy-efficient technologies and improve indoor environments,” said Copan. “We look forward to working with our ASHRAE colleagues to promote public-private partnerships and technology transfer to improve the performance, resilience, sustainability and cybersecurity of the built environment.”
Current projects of the NIST HVAC&R Equipment Performance Group include characterization of the performance of potential novel refrigerants. The group is developing test and predictive methods for characterizing flammability of mildly flammable single-component refrigerants and blends. The best-known contributions of the group relate to the research of environmentally acceptable refrigerants, development of advanced simulation tools, and formulation of the SEER and HSPF performance descriptors for the test procedures of residential air conditioners and heat pumps.
