COP26 Communiqué Signatory:
ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality and sustainability within the industry. Through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow’s built environment today.
ASHRAE is committed to a leadership role in reducing climate change contributed to by building systems. With the worldwide building sector accounting for about 40% of energy-related carbon emissions, ASHRAE recognizes that our long-standing initiatives in energy efficiency need to be expanded to building decarbonization, and we are delighted to join in this unified effort by the buildings industry to support a global 1.5o carbon budget, and to continue the transformation of the built environment into one that is sustainable and resilient.
ASHARE is engaged in the following efforts to support building decarbonization:
- Creating technical resources and educational tools for industry stakeholders to reduce operational and embodied carbon through ASHRAE’s newly formed Task Force for Building Decarbonization.
- Continuously improving ASHRAE’s Energy Efficiency Standard 90.1-2019 Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, which is the basis of the Zero Code.
- Publishing and improving other energy efficiency standards, including for residential buildings (ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.2-2018), data centers (ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 90.4-2019), and existing buildings (ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 100-2018).
- Conducting research and developing standards (Standard 15-2019 and Standard 34-2019) for the safe use of low-global warming potential refrigerants, which enable the reduction of some of the most potent greenhouse gas emissions in building systems.
- Developing Advanced Energy Design Guides with other organizations, which now include Zero Energy Guides.