ASHRAE Handbook

The ASHRAE Handbook is the four-volume

flagship publication of the nonprofit
technical organization ASHRAE (American
Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers[a]). This Handbook
is considered the most comprehensive
and authoritative repository of practical
knowledge on the various topics that form
the field of heating, ventilation, air-
conditioning, and refrigeration
(HVAC&R).[b]

The four volumes are Fundamentals,

Refrigeration, HVAC Applications
("Applications"), and HVAC Systems and
Equipment ("Systems and Equipment").
Members of ASHRAE receive the current
volume, in both print and CD-ROM form,
each year as a basic membership benefit.
An enhanced electronic version, known as
ASHRAE Handbook Online is a web-based
version updated annually that contains the
four latest volumes as well as extra
content such as calculations,
demonstration videos, and spreadsheets.
The various versions of the Handbook are
typically available to the public via
technical, and other, libraries and
bookstores.

History
The ASHRAE Handbook has had a variety
of titles.[5] It began in 1922 as the ASH&VE
Guide. In 1973 it became the ASHRAE
Handbook, and in 1985 separate
publication of inch-pound (I-P) and
international system (SI) units versions of
the volumes began. The current publisher
of record is W. Stephen Comstock, and the
Editor is Mark S. Owen. The Handbook is
published by ASHRAE from its
headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

Review and Revision

The Handbook's content is created and
modified by volunteers via ASHRAE's many
Technical Committees (TCs), and then
edited and formatted by professional staff
at ASHRAE. For example, three chapters,
in three different volumes, are maintained
by TC 5.3, Room Air Distribution. Each
chapter within a particular volume is
reviewed and revised in a repeating four-
year cycle; one volume is printed each
year.[6] In the summer of 2017 the new
Fundamentals volume was released.
ASHRAE's Handbook Committee
maintains an Authors and Revisers Guide
which can be obtained freely via the
Handbook portion of the ASHRAE Web
site.

While each new or revised chapter

manuscript is to be reviewed for technical
content by each TC voting and
corresponding member before publication,
there are often many other pre- and post-
publication reviewers. For example,
members of the Society's Handbook
Committee and the College of Fellows[7]
review chapters each year. Reviews, from
basic comments to detailed new content,
are encouraged from all users of the
Handbook and may be submitted through
an on-line commenting system.

Notes
a. About its name, ASHRAE says the
following: 'In 2012, as part of a
rebranding, ASHRAE began doing
business as “ASHRAE” vs. using its full
legal name of the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers. Use of
ASHRAE reflects the Society’s
worldwide membership and that
 services will continue evolving
globally.'[1]
b. Here is how some other sources have
characterized the Handbook:
'The four-volume ASHRAE Handbook…
provides the most comprehensive and
authoritative reference on HVAC
systems for buildings.'[2]
'ASHRAE HANDBOOK & Product
Directory… has been known as the
“Bible" of the industry for over fifty
years.' [3]
'The standard method for determining
heat losses from a structure, at least
in the United States, is to consult the
bible for heat flow calculations — the
ASHRAE Fundamentals.' [4]:91
'It is rare to use the analysis just
presented to determine the heat loss
through glass. Instead, the empirically
based tables and formulae given in the
ASHRAE Fundamentals are most often
consulted.'[4]:95
'The definitive works on the thermal
resistance of air spaces can be found
in ASHRAE Fundamentals.'[4]:96
'The heat loss through a window is
commonly determined from the
conductance of that window, and the
authority for this, at least in the United
States, is ASHRAE
Fundamentals.'[4]:103
 'ASHRAE is a leading authority on heat
and moisture transfer, and air
infiltration in a structure. Its Handbook
of Fundamentals is considered by
many to be the best source of
technical information.'[4]:156

References
1. "About ASHRAE" . Retrieved
2020-03-04.
2. Turner, Wayne C.; Doty, Steve (2007).
Energy Management Handbook (Sixth
ed.). Lilburn, GA: The Fairmont Press,
Inc. ISBN 0-88173-542-6.
3. United States Congress, House
Committee on Interstate and Foreign
Commerce, Subcommittee on
Oversight and Investigations
(September 21, 1978). Consumer
protection issues in the development
of solar energy . Washington, DC:
United States Government Printing
Office.
4. Parkin, Robert E. (2017). Building-
Integrated Solar Energy Systems .
Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. ISBN 978-
1-4987-2776-1.
5. "The ASHRAE Centennial: 100 Years of
Progress", ASHRAE Historical
 Committee, 1994
. "ASHRAE Handbook Authors and
Revisers Guide", ASHRAE Inc., August
2007
7. "Archived copy" . Archived from the
original on 2008-07-04. Retrieved
2008-05-21. , accessed May 21, 2008

External links
ASHRAE's Web site

Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
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 Last edited 3 months ago by Reuqr

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