ASHRAE Insights

Registration is open for ASHRAE’s high-performance building design professional certification.

The new certification program provides the necessary training and tools for the design of high-performance buildings that live up to their performance capability.

The first exam will take place June 25 at the 2008 ASHRAE Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City. Exams at testing centers around the world will become available in the fall.

For more information or to register, visit www.ashrae.org/certification.
“This new certification program will allow practioners to demonstrate a well-rounded understanding and knowledge of how HVAC&R design is integrated into high-performing buildings to achieve the overall goal of sustainable practice used in green buildings,” said ASHRAE President Kent Peterson, P.E. “The program combines the criteria of ASHRAE Standards 90.1, 62.1 and 55 with the innovative approaches included in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series in an integrated design approach.”

The content of the exam includes sustainability concepts, HVAC and sustainable processes and environmental improvement programs and rating systems; energy analysis; indoor environment; controls and monitoring; benchmarking with performance metrics; water conservation; commissioning in sustainable construction; and operation and maintenance of high-performance buildings.

The high-performance design professional certification is renewable every three years, and those certified must earn 45 professional development hours during that time.

“This program has been designed so that it is inclusive of global design approaches and tools,” said Peterson.

ASHRAE’s certification programs are developed by industry practitioners who understand the knowledge and experience that are expected for superior building design and system operation.
 
Earning an ASHRAE certification assures employers and clients that the certificant has mastered the body of knowledge associated with the respective field. An ASHRAE certification also serves as a springboard for continued professional development.