The American Society of Plumbing Engineers and ASHRAE signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to formalize the organizations’ relationship Oct. 1 during the 2018 ASPE Convention and Expo in Atlanta, Georgia.

The agreement was signed by 2016-18 ASPE President Mitch Clemente, ASPE Executive Director and CEO Billy Smith, ASHRAE President-Elect Darryl Boyce and ASHRAE Executive Vice President Jeff Littleton. According to ASPE, this agreement “defines parameters on how the two societies will collaborate more closely to continue furthering and promoting the advancements of a more sustainable built environment.”

The parameters include but are not limited to general advocacy, research, technical committee coordination, joint conferences and meetings, training and education programs, publication distribution and chapter collaboration.

"Working with other professional societies in the broader engineering community is critical in today's fast-paced world of evolving technologies and engineering methods," Smith said. "We look forward to working together with ASHRAE to promote ongoing education, best practices, networking, and new technologies for a more sophisticated and sustainable indoor environment."

Sheila Hayter, the 2018-19 ASHRAE president, added: "We are excited about exploring collaborative ventures with ASPE. Many ASHRAE members work in firms that provide a full spectrum of mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services. The water/energy nexus in buildings is becoming more pronounced as we push buildings to perform using integrated building design tools and techniques."