ATLANTA - The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has been recognized by a national energy alliance for its "exemplary illustration of and commitment to energy-efficient policy and practice." The Alliance to Save Energy has recognized development of the Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings with an honorable mention award as part of its annual Stars of Energy Efficiency Awards program.

The guide was developed by a committee representing a diverse group of energy professionals drawn from ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the New Buildings Institute (NBI), and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA).

"Since the 1970 energy crisis, ASHRAE's commitment to developing economic energy-efficiency standards for buildings has led to increasingly improved performance," said Lee Burgett, P.E., ASHRAE president. "We seek to eclipse those gains by providing advanced energy-efficiency guidance. Our efforts are focused on the long-term goal of creating net-zero energy buildings. We are appreciative of the Alliance's recognition of our work."

"The Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Office Buildings is significant for a number of reasons," said Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy. "The guide is unique in that it provides specific, prescriptive means of achieving a 30 percent savings goal with off-the-shelf technology - an enormous technical challenge that was met with innovation and creativity. The guide also exemplifies the cooperation between design disciplines that is necessary to design and build energy efficient buildings. The collaboration between ASHRAE, AIA, IESNA, and NBI to create this design guide demonstrates strong industry leadership among professional societies."

Publication date: 08/29/2005