A new user’s manual for ASHRAE’s thermal comfort standard provides an overview for new users while also including more detailed information for those more familiar with its requirements.

ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55 User’s Manual is based on ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55-2013, Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy. It aims to provide detailed information on the requirements of the standard and includes tables, illustrations, and examples to aid users in the design, commissioning, and measuring and rating of thermal comfort in buildings.

The manual includes a free online thermal comfort tool that can be used as the official tool for showing compliance with Standard 55-2013 along with all of the published addenda. This online tool is available only to those who purchase the user’s manual and can be accessed from any internet connected device. The web-based CBE/ASHRAE Thermal Comfort Tool was developed by the Center for the Built Environment at the University of California Berkeley.

“For a new user of Standard 55, the manual provides a great overview of what it takes to make a space thermally comfortable for the occupants,” said Abhijeet Pande, chair of the Standard 55 committee. “This includes descriptions of how to account for the environmental, occupant, and local factors that impact comfort. For an experienced user of Standard 55, the manual provides insights into requirements that are sometimes hard to understand in the standard. The user’s manual provides examples of calculations that will help even the most experienced user who may struggle with figuring out where and how to get an input needed for thermal comfort calculations.”

The manual also includes:

• Information on the intent and application of Standard 55

• Guidance on applying the principles of acceptable thermal comfort and effective thermal control

• Useful reference material to assist designers, owners, and users in efficiently completing a successful and compliant design

• Guidance to building operation and maintenance personnel

• Descriptions of compliance options and tools

For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore.