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ASHRAE Leads Briefing

June 19, 2008

A new assessment report to the U.S. Congress and a new Congressional caucus, both addressing high-performing buildings, were unveiled at a briefing with the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) as the lead sponsor.

Congress drafted Section 914 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to address not just more energy efficient buildings but rather high-performance buildings that combine the objectives of reducing resource energy consumption and improving the comfort and productivity of building occupants. Congress maintains that achieving both these goals would have a positive economic and societal impact.

Former ASHRAE president Bill Coad served as chair of the committee that wrote the assessment to the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Energy on high performance buildings. Overseen by the National Institute for Building Sciences, the report contains seven recommendations to assist in encouraging the creation and operation of high-performance buildings.

In addition, the recent formation of the High Performance Building Congressional Caucus was announced. The Caucus was formed in part to address the recommendations outlined in the assessment report. The caucus will work to heighten awareness and inform policymakers about the major impact buildings have on health, safety and welfare. ASHRAE is one of 14 organizations that form the Caucus.

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