ATLANTA, Georgia, United States, 1 July 2022: From changes to buildings, as a result of the pandemic, to decarbonisation, the 2022 ASHRAE Annual Conference, from June 25 to 29, in Toronto, Canada, offered an exchange of knowledge to direct the future of the global built-environment, ASHRAE said through a Press release.

According to ASHRAE, the conference included eight conference tracks, tours, social events and committee meetings. More than 1,800 HVACR industry professionals, building systems engineers, architects, contractors and students attended the conference and committee meetings, in-person and virtually, ASHRAE said.

Farooq Mehboob, Fellow Life Member ASHRAE, took office as the 2022-23 ASHRAE President, ASHRAE said. In his inaugural address, Mehboob introduced ASHRAE’s theme for the Society Year, “Securing Our Future”. He focused on how the crucial personal and professional events of the past can help leverage relationships, knowledge and change as the formula for making an impact and embracing our diverse world, ASHRAE said.

“The future does not belong to those who sit and watch,” Mehboob said. “A meaningful and powerful future will not come to us… we must collectively seek it… create it… SECURE it. And that’s what we’ll do, because that’s who we are. It’s in our ASHRAE DNA. Success stems from seeing an opportunity for improvement based on new knowledge and technology. This has made ASHRAE what it is today – the world’s leading global HVACR Society.”

Mehboob’s presidential address manuscript and presentation can be found at ashrae.org/president, ASHRAE said. According to ASHRAE, the Annual Conference featured over 80 technical sessions and live-streamed sessions for virtual attendees.

ASHRAE said top in-person sessions included:

• Designing for Air Source Heat Pumps in Cold Climates
• Designing Control Systems for Net-Zero-Energy Buildings and Communities
• Smart Buildings as a Transactive Energy Hub: Decarbonising by Enhancing Building-to-Grid Interactions

According to ASHRAE, top livestreamed sessions included:

• Climate Change Issues for Decarbonisation, IAQ and Sustainable Buildings
• Update on the Progress of the Task Force for Building Decarbonisation
• COVID-19 and Indoor Air Filtration

During the plenary session, Jeff Littleton, ASHRAE Executive Vice President and Secretary, reported on the Society’s current initiatives; and in his farewell address, Mick Schwedler, outgoing 2021-22 ASHRAE President, reflected on his presidential year and the accomplishments realised through the 2021-22 Society theme, “Personal Growth. Global Impact. Feed the Roots”. 

“Our deep technical roots continue to deliver the knowledge we all need to grow personally,” Schwedler said. “These all help us to deliver extraordinary value to our more than 51,000 global members, who in turn use that knowledge to serve humanity.”

According to ASHRAE, the plenary session also featured a presentation of awards and honors, recognising the outstanding achievements and contributions of members to the Society and the industry at large. Fredi Lajvardi, nationally recognised STEM Educator, gave an exciting presentation on maximizing personal potential and working together to solve complex problems. A recording of the plenary session can be accessed on the ASHRAE YouTube channel, ASHRAE said.

The ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) offered eight courses, ASHRAE said, adding that new courses were as follows: Introduction to Building Decarbonisation, Energy Management Best Practices, and Smart HVAC Solutions for Climate Design.

All registered attendees, in-person and virtual, will have access to the virtual conference environment on-demand for 12 months, post-conference, ASHRAE said.

ASHRAE said the 2023 ASHRAE Winter Conference will take place from February 4 to 8, and the AHR Expo will take place from February 6 to 8, in Atlanta.