The standards define the technical minimum agreed by the industry. AHRI maintains a constantly evolving portfolio of more than 100 performance rating standards and guidelines for the HVACR and water heating industry. They promote consistency in manufacturer specifications, which increases consumer confidence and provide a means for manufacturers, external laboratories, regulators and certification bodies to evaluate products in an objective and consistent manner. ASHRAE — The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is the leading authority on sustainable construction practices.
Through extensive and up-to-date reports, courses, training and conferences, ASHRAE dominates the sustainable construction industry. Any professional in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning industry should familiarize themselves with ASHRAE's main manuals, guidelines and toolkits to ensure that their personal knowledge remains at the cutting edge of healthy building technologies. HVAC system designers must be familiar with a number of federal, state and local regulations, along with industry standards maintained by various organizations. As a member of the United States National Standards Institute (ANSI), this organization is a recognized standard bearer in the HVAC industry.
Having access to such a wide range of learning opportunities directly from the source of commercial standards in the HVAC industry makes ASHRAE an important resource for manufacturers. Technical standards provide calculation procedures for many aspects of the design of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, which are considered the best practices in the industry. The IECC and ASHRAE 90.1 standards address building systems, such as the building envelope, lighting (outdoor and indoor), the minimum efficiency of HVAC equipment, HVAC systems, service water heating and system controls. While much of their information is more applicable to air conditioning systems and not to HVAC in general, they are still a crucial resource for any HVAC professional.
One of the most important organizations is the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), which has existed for more than 120 years and continues to have a major influence on the modern HVAC industry. There are many organizations in the HVAC industry and they have published standards to ensure the correct design and installation of these important building systems.
