I.

About ASHRAE
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is an international
membership society committed to the advancement of the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning
and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world. The Certified HVAC Designer (CHD) certification
program supports this Mission by validating job competency as understood in internationally recognized technical
information, reflecting the best practices that lead our industry.

ASHRAE does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, or national or ethnic origin in its
policies, procedures, or eligibility requirements for its programs.

Purpose of the CHD Certification

The CHD certification program validates competency of the HVAC Designer, working under the responsible charge of
an engineer, to do the following:

Design HVAC systems to meet building/project requirements, including load calculations, equipment selection and
sizing, mechanical equipment room design, duct and piping design and layout for the development of HVAC plans for
permit and construction.

Value
Why is earning the ASHRAE Certified HVAC Designer (CHD) credential the best way to gain a
competitive edge?

In an “Industry Need” survey, ASHRAE Member respondents who influence the HVAC Designer hiring decision had this
to say:

• HVAC Designer certification is a tool to identify competent new hire prospects (74%)
• It is a worthwhile professional development goal (82%)

HVAC Designers themselves agree that earning an HVAC Designer certification would be a “worthwhile professional
development goal” (75%) and “help differentiate practitioners from their peers” (70%).

Earning the Certified HVAC Designer (CHD) certification lets your employer, peers and customers know that you
have the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to get the job done, and positions you for continued recognition and
success.

CHD Exam Development

The blueprint (Appendix A) for the Certified HVAC Designer (CHD) certification exam was developed by the ASHRAE
CHD Exam Subcommittee following an industry-wide, 2018 job task analysis study conducted to determine the
frequency and importance of HVAC designer job tasks. Data was gathered from more than 1,200 respondents from
over 60 countries. The CHD Exam Blueprint was approved by the ASHRAE Certification Committee on December 5,
2018.

About the Candidate Guidebook

The purpose of this guidebook is to provide information about the ASHRAE CHD certification program. No
information or material in this guide creates a contract between ASHRAE and an individual customer or organization.
ASHRAE will do its best to apply the principles and provisions contained within this guidebook as written, but reserves
the right to change those principles and provisions without actual notice. Nevertheless, ASHRAE will make reasonable
efforts to notify customers of any changes.
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