ASHRAE

STANDARD
Performance rating method

SHIIBL BACKER
FEBIN DE LYSIS
ASHRAE STANDARDS
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is an
American professional association seeking to advance heating, ventilation, air conditioning and
refrigeration (HVAC&R) systems design and construction. ASHRAE has more than 57,000
members in more than 132 countries worldwide. Its members are composed of building
services engineers, architects, mechanical contractors, building owners, equipment
manufacturers' employees, and others concerned with the design and construction
of HVAC&R systems in buildings. The society funds research projects, offers continuing
education programs, and develops and publishes technical standards to improve building
services engineering, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and sustainable development.

ASHRAE was founded in 1894 at a meeting of engineers in New York City, formerly
headquartered at 345 East 47th Street, and has held an annual meeting since 1895. Until 1954
it was known as the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (ASHVE) in that year
it changed its name to the American Society of Heating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
(ASHAE). Its current name and organization came from the 1959 merger of ASHAE and the
American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE).

The ASHRAE Handbook is a four-volume resource for HVAC&R technology and is available in
both print and electronic versions. The volumes are Fundamentals, HVAC Applications, HVAC
Systems and Equipment, and Refrigeration. One of the four volumes is updated each year.

Examples of some ASHRAE Standards are:

 Standard 34 – Designation and Safety Classification of Refrigerants

 Standard 55 – Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy
 Standard 62.1 – Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality
 Standard 62.2 – Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential
Buildings
 Standard 90.1 – Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings –
The IESNA is a joint sponsor of this standard.
 Standard 135 – BACnet - A Data Communication Protocol for Building Automation and
Control Networks
 Standard 189.1 – Standard for the Design of High Performance, Green Buildings Except
Low-Rise Residential Buildings

Standard 55 – Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy

Thermal comfort is the condition of mind that expresses satisfaction with the thermal
environment and is assessed by subjective evaluation (ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55). The
human body can be viewed as a heat engine where food is the input energy. The human
body will generate excess heat into the environment, so the body can continue to operate.
The heat transfer is proportional to temperature difference. In cold environments, the
body loses more heat to the environment and in hot environments the body does not exert
enough heat. Both the hot and cold scenarios lead to discomfort. Maintaining this standard
of thermal comfort for occupants of buildings or other enclosures is one of the important
goals of HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) design engineers. Most people
will feel comfortable at room temperature, colloquially a range of temperatures around 20
to 22 °C (68 to 72 °F), but this may vary greatly between individuals and depending on
factors such as activity level, clothing, and humidity.
U value of typical wall

Opaque Elements Material U-value(W/m2.K)

Roofs Insulation entirely above deck 0.273
Metal Building 0.312
Attic and other 0.153
Walls. Above-grade Mass 0.453
Metal Building 0.391
Steel – framed 0.365
Wood – framed and other 0.291
Walls. Below-grade Below – grade wall 0.678
Floors Mass 0.363
Steel – joist 0.214
Wood – framed and other 0.188
Slab – on – grade Unheated 0.935
floors
Heated 1.489
Opaque doors Swinging 2.839
Non- swinging 2.839
Vertical Glazing Nonmetal framing (all) 1.99
Metal framing (curtain wall/store front) 2.56
Metal framing (Entrance door) 4.54
Metal framing (All other) 3.12
Skylight with 0 – 2.0 % 6.64
Curb.Glass
2.1 – 5 % 6.64
Skylight with Curb. 0 – 2.0 % 6.25
Plastic
2.1 – 5 % 6.25
Skylight without 0 – 2.0 % 3.92
Curb.All
2.1 – 5 % 3.92