ASHRAE Journal - September 2021 - 4

COMMEN COMMENCOMMENTARY
TARY
180 Technology Parkway
Peachtree Corners, GA 30092
Phone: 404-636-8400
Fax: 404-321-5478 | www.ashrae.org
DIRECTOR OF ASHRAE PUBLICATIONS & EDUCATION
Mark S. Owen
EDITORIAL
Editor
Sarah Foster
sfoster@ashrae.org
Managing Editor
Mary Kate McGowan
mmcgowan@ashrae.org
Assistant Managing Editor
Jeri Alger
jalger@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Rebecca Matyasovski
rmatyasovski@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Tani Palefski
tpalefski@ashrae.org
Associate Editor
Chadd Jones
cjones@ashrae.org
PUBLISHING SERVICES
Publishing Services Manager
David Soltis
Production
Jayne Jackson
ADVERTISING
Associate Publisher,
ASHRAE Media Advertising
Greg Martin
gmartin@ashrae.org
Senior Coordinator-Advertising
Production and Operations
Vanessa Johnson
vjohnson@ashrae.org
Coordinator-Circulation Development
Austin Brafford
abrafford@ashrae.org
ASHRAE OFFICERS
President
Mick Schwedler, P.E.
President-Elect
Farooq Mehboob, P.E.
Treasurer
Ginger Scoggins, P.E.
Vice Presidents
Donald L. Brandt
Dunstan L. Macauley, P.E.
Sarah E. Maston, P.E.
Tim McGinn, P.E.
Secretary & Executive Vice President
Jeff H. Littleton
POLICY GROUP
2021 - 22 Chair
Publications Committee
Adeeba Mehboob, P.Eng.
Washington Offi ce
washdc@ashrae.org
Future of Building Decarbonization
As with the COVID-19 pandemic, ASHRAE is once again
rising to a worldwide challenge: how to reduce the built
environment's carbon emissions and contribution to
global warming.
" Recognizing that operational carbon emissions are
a function of energy conversion and consumption, and
that energy conservation alone cannot adequately address the emissions
reductions necessary to slow climate change, ASHRAE is advancing strategies
toward direct reduction of carbon emissions in the built environment, "
according to a public policy issue brief from ASHRAE's new Task
Force for Building Decarbonization.
Led by Donald Colliver, Ph.D., P.E., Presidential/Fellow/Life Member
ASHRAE, and Thomas Phoenix, P.E., BEMP, Presidential/Fellow/Life
Member ASHRAE, the task force includes nine working groups with
more than 120 volunteers. The groups are working on everything from
writing a position document to creating a knowledge and research hub.
Some of the work also includes identifying issues in migrating to lesscarbon
intensive energy sources, providing guidance on how to measure
carbon in materials, products, services and processes from cradle to
grave and identifying standards and codes related to building decarbonization
and determining what technical guidance and resources are
needed to update them.
In this issue, " How Building Decarbonization Can Transform HVAC " on
page 14 discusses how advances in technology make it possible for heat
pumps to operate at all but the lowest temperatures, making them an
option for operation in most U.S. cities.
The authors used energy modeling software to compare the energy
consumption, energy cost and carbon emissions of all-electric versus
gas-based medium offi ce buildings in eight different climates. The
results of their study show that all-electric buildings use less energy than
gas-based buildings in all climates.
This month's Engineer's Notebook column also explores aspects of
decarbonization such as sustainable investment, carbon accounting and
the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, government initiatives on the local, state
and federal levels, as well as technology considerations.
There's so much to discuss about building decarbonization. Colliver
and Phoenix are guests on September's ASHRAE Journal Podcast, which
launches on September 28 (ashrae.org/podcast). More information
about the task force is at ashrae.org/decarb.
Let me know what questions you need answered to help us refi ne our
content on this topic (sfoster@ashrae.org).
Sarah Foster, ASHRAE Journal Editor
Mission Statement: ASHRAE Journal reviews current HVAC&R technology of broad interest through publication of application-oriented articles. ASHRAE
Journal's editorial content ranges from back-to-basics features to reviews of emerging technologies, covering the entire spectrum of professional interest
from design and construction practices to commissioning and the service life of HVAC&R environmental systems.
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ASHRAE Journal - September 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ASHRAE Journal - September 2021