June 30, 2003—The 2003 ASHRAE Handbook— HVAC Applications contains a chapter to help facilities managers make decisions about energy service contracts in light of current restructuring of the electrical power market in some areas of the country. ASHRAE says that FMs need “to understand the structure of electric rates, what the various clauses mean, and why you can contract for a ‘lower’ energy price but still wind up paying a higher electrical bill.”
Chapter 55, “Electrical Considerations,” includes information on electrical principles, codes, performance, safety, power quality, motor-starting effects, and rates. The chapter explains power quality issues that affect today’s sophisticated energy management and HVAC systems, as well as how electric rates are structured, providing a guide for negotiating service contracts. It also explains what reliability, availability, and service quality can be expected from energy providers—utility, non-utility generator, or third party aggregator.
It also explains how the latest generation of HVAC systems is characterized by sophisticated logic systems: controls that optimize heating, cooling and ventilation to individual zones in the buildings, and focus on energy management using adjustable speed drives. ASHRAE revisers noted that there was a general feeling that under ‘restructuring’ load management technologies such as thermal energy storage (TES) no longer were economically viable; in fact, “TES may be more valuable now than ever, offering building operators more bargaining power for electric service contracts and additional security and reliability in case of high spot prices or rolling blackouts, as in the California ‘energy crisis.'”
Most of the 55 chapters have been revised, including:
- Chapter 7, “Health Care Facilities” features a summary of all suggested design criteria—air flows, temperatures, humidity, and controls. A table addresses surgery and critical care, nursing, ancillary, administration, diagnostic and treatment, sterilizing, and supply and service areas. In designing hospital HVAC systems, engineers must restrict air movement in and between various departments while also working with specific requirements for ventilation and filtration as well as temperature and humidity.
- Information on filter efficiency is now shown using ASHRAE Standard 52.2-1999, Method of Testing General Ventilation Air Cleaning Devices for Removal Efficiency by Particle Size, minimum efficiency reporting value (MERV) ratings.
The 2003 ASHRAE Handbook is published in two editions. One contains inch-pound (I-P) units of measurement, and the other contains the International System of Units (SI). The print edition costs $144, in I-P or SI. It is also available in CD format, which contains both the I-P and SI editions, also for $144. To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 800/527-4723, or visit the ASHRAE Online Bookstore.
