ASHRAE, along with 24 of the world’s leading building industry organizations issued a statement to government representatives attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP 27) pledging to assume a leadership role in decarbonization efforts in the built environment.

The report recognizes the significant impact of buildings on the environment and the need for a coordinated set of solutions to support the achievement of energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction goals set by governments.

Last month, Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act, representing the largest investment in clean energy sources in U.S. history. Though the bill is entitled “Inflation Reduction Act,” it's really a “climate change bill with a side helping of health reform,” as New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman describes.

The seven-year contract for Midea calls for the development and delivery of 20,000 cold climate packaged window heat pump units – devices that support the city’s move away from natural gas and towards more efficient energy sources.

According to the experts, there is opportunity and demand in many segments of the boiler market with multi-family and single-family projects driving both the new construction and remodel segments.

The following remarks were made regarding the article “Decarbonization and electrification — are we there yet?” written by Julius Ballanco, P.E., CPD, F-ASPE, president of J.B. Engineering and Code Consulting, published in the May 2022 issue of PM Engineer:

The ASHRAE Task Force for Building Decarbonization (TFBD) is seeking working group members for the development of six decarbonization guides and corresponding training courses.

While it may feel like the other side of the world, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have lasting effects — including sparking the European Union’s hasty transition to energy independence. Last month, the EU announced a $300 billion roadmap to ditch Russian energy — mainly oil and gas. The EU said it would slash consumption of Russian gas by 66% by the end of the year, and break its dependence completely by 2027 by saving energy, finding alternate sources and speeding up the transition to renewables, according to ABC News.

New technical assistance capacity will help the federal government lead by example in demonstrating benefits and potential of decarbonizing buildings with geothermal energy.