The extravagant setting of Las Vegas will serve as a contrast to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers’ (ASHRAE’s) 2011 Winter Conference theme of “A Safe Bet: Zero-Energy Design.” The conference will be held Jan. 29 to Feb. 2 at the Las Vegas Hilton in conjunction with the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating (AHR) Expo, which will run Jan. 31 to Feb. 2 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The conference will offer more than 200 professional-development hours (PDHs), as well as continuing-education units, which can be applied toward a Professional Engineering license.

The technical program will feature more than 90 programs and 300 speakers addressing the efficient use of energy in new and existing buildings, refrigeration updates, and applications, such as data centers, laboratories, and health-care facilities, as well as the real cost of zero-energy design and other topics related to design, standards, codes, and professional skills. Nearly all of the technical program sessions will be approved for New York PDHs; the U.S. Green Building Council also will be approving Green Building Certification Institute continuing-education hours for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design professionals. The Las Vegas Virtual Conference, included with paid attendees’ registrations, will be available to non-attendees.

Additionally, ASHRAE will launch a sixth certification program in conjunction with the conference. The new program will target energy assessors/energy auditors and will be appropriate for individuals who perform energy assessments or audits for commercial, industrial, or residential buildings. More information can be found at www.ashrae.org/certification.

Technical tours of the central plant at Planet Hollywood, the MGM Center, and the Springs Preserve, will spotlight how technology developed by ASHRAE members is being practically applied to buildings.

Those who take part in the early-bird registration before Dec. 31 have the opportunity to save up to $195. Complete information is available at www.ashrae.org/lasvegas.