Best Practices for Underfloor Air Systems

By Mike Filler
Although UFAD has increased in popularity, knowledge of how to apply the technology is not widespread. This article addresses the design, construction and commissioning phases of UFAD building projects.
This article was originally published in ASHRAE Journal in October 2004. It will be available here through March 8. Click here to download the article.

After March 8, access to the article from this eNewsletter will no longer be available. It will remain available for free download by Members and for purchase by nonmembers in the ASHRAE Journal section of the ashrae.org bookstore.

DuPont Developing New Sustainable Refrigerants

WILMINGTON, Del.—DuPont Fluorochemicals is testing new proprietary refrigerants that will meet European Union requirements to reduce the global warming potential of refrigerants in future automotive air-conditioning systems. The company also will investigate whether the refrigerants can be used for other air-conditioning and refrigeration applications. Unlike CO2, the refrigerants are expected to offer similar performance to HFC-134a and will not require a redesign of current air-conditioning systems.

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Lessons From Commissioning Green Buildings

Not that again! Five problems frequently occurring with LEED projects could be solved with a little commissioning guidance.

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New standard to drive high performance building practices to the mainstream

February 15, 2006 - (Washington, DC) - The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC); the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) announced today that the three organizations have agreed to co-sponsor the development of a new ASHRAE/USGBC/IESNA minimum standard for high performance green building.

Proposed Standard 189, Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, will provide minimum requirements for the design of sustainable buildings to balance environmental responsibility, resource efficiency, occupant comfort and well-being, and community sensitivity. Using USGBC's LEED(R)Green Building Rating System, which addresses the top 25% of building practice, as a key resource, Standard 189P will provide a baseline that will drive green building into mainstream building practices.

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U.S. Government Agencies Adopt Sustainable Building Guidelines

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Several U.S. federal government agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Defense and the General Services Administration, have agreed to a set of guiding principles for designing, building, and operating federal facilities. The "Federal Leadership Memorandum of Understanding to Adopt Guiding Principles for High Performance and Sustainable Buildings" calls for building components to exceed the energy code. It also states that the actual energy performance of a building should be verified against its design target using EPA's Energy Star performance rating system for buildings.

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