ATLANTA, Georgia, United States, 10 February 2023: The ASHRAE 2023 Winter Conference concluded in Atlanta, with a strong focus on building decarbonisation strategies, ASHRAE said through a Press release. The conference took place from February 4 to 8, with more than 3,000 HVACR industry professionals in attendance, ASHRAE said. The AHR Expo occupied 487,000 net square feet of exhibit space at the Georgia World Congress Center and showcased the latest technologies and services in the HVACR industry, ASHRAE said.

According to ASHRAE, the five-day conference featured more than 100 technical sessions, updates from Society leaders, tours and social events. The top three attended sessions, ASHRAE said, were…

• Seminar 15: The Evolution of Thermal Energy Storage for Cooling Applications: The Past, Current and Future
• Seminar 11: Optimising Thermal Energy Storage Integrated with HVAC
• Seminar 25: Decarbonising Campuses Utilizing Heat Pumps and Thermal Energy Storage

According to ASHRAE, the AHR Expo featured a total of 1,779 exhibitors, including 425 international exhibitors. An estimated 40,000-45,000 people attended the Expo over the course of three days, ASHRAE said.

During the Winter Conference, 2022-23 ASHRAE President Farooq Mehboob provided updates related to the Society’s current theme, Securing Our Future. “The challenge doesn’t stop here,” Mehboob said. “As an industry, we must remain focused and maintain our position of leadership and preparedness. Our success continues to be based on problem solving, creativity, innovation, flexibility and a willingness to adapt. Our success stems from seeing an opportunity for improvement based on new knowledge and technology.”

ASHRAE said it recognised the outstanding achievements of ASHRAE members during an honours and awards programme in the Conference. Jeff Littleton, ASHRAE Executive Vice President and Secretary, reported on the Society’s current initiatives, including the recent release of building decarbonisation resources. “There is a growing demand for ASHRAE’s technical guidance,” Littleton said. “The ASHRAE Task Force for Building Decarbonization has been working tirelessly on a wide spectrum of decarb resources. We launched ASHRAE’s new decarbonization online resource hub that will feature a wide spectrum of decarb tools and guidance. You can now download the new, free publication Building Performance Standards: A Technical Resource Guide produced in partnership with the Department of Energy and Pacific Northwest National Labs. We are building upon our 129-year legacy in today’s perfect storm of demand, to make buildings better.”

Closing the plenary session, Peter Leyden, leading expert on future trends, focused on technological revolutions in infotech, biotech and energy tech, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), genetic engineering and electric transportation, ASHRAE said.

ASHRAE said that its ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) offered 20 courses during the Conferences; new courses among them were…

• Introduction to Building Decarbonisation
• Energy Management Best Practices
• V in HVAC – What, Why, Where, How, and How Much (Includes Basic Requirements of Standard 62.1-2019)
• Fundamentals of Decarbonisation Design Systems and Equipment Applications
• Best Practices for Installing DDC Systems
• V in HVAC – Efficiently Improving IAQ using the Ventilation Rate Procedures (Using Advanced Options for Standard 62.1-2022)
• Smart HVAC Solutions for Climate Design

ASHRAE said its 2023 ASHRAE Annual Conference will take place from June 24 to 28 in Tampa, Florida, in the United States. The 2024 Winter Conference will take place from January 20 to 24, and the 2024 AHR Expo from January 22 to 24, in Chicago, in the United States.