From press releases
ATLANTA (February 10, 2023) – The ASHRAE 2023 Winter Conference concluded in Atlanta this week with a strong focus on building decarbonization strategies. The conference took place February 4-8, with more than 3,000 HVAC&R industry professionals in attendance. The AHR Expo occupied 487,000 net sq ft. of exhibit space at the Georgia World Congress Center and showcased the latest technologies and services in the HVAC&R industry.
The five-day conference featured more than 100 technical sessions, updates from Society leaders, tours and social events. The top three attended sessions were as follows:
- Seminar 15: The Evolution of Thermal Energy Storage for Cooling Applications: The Past, Current and Future;
- Seminar 11: Optimizing Thermal Energy Storage Integrated with HVAC;
- Seminar 25: Decarbonizing Campuses Utilizing Heat Pumps and Thermal Energy Storage.
The AHR Expo featured a total of 1,779 exhibitors, including 425 international exhibitors. Overall, 42,794 people attended the Expo over the course of three days. Of note, the show's last pre-pandemic attendance, at AHR Expo 2019, also in Atlanta, was 45,078. That event featured 1,824 exhibitors, including 497 from outside the U.S. Attendance last year in Las Vegas was 30,678.
So, AHR Expo's 39% rebound from 2022 was most welcome. "We are thrilled to see such a strong showing in Atlanta!" said AHR Expo's Nicole Bush.
Meanwhile, at the concurrent engineering conference, 2022-23 ASHRAE President Farooq Mehboob (pictured above) 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.”
- To read Mr. Mehboob’s State of Society address manuscript and see his presentation, go to ashrae.org/president.
The outstanding achievements of ASHRAE members were recognized during an honors and awards program. ASHRAE Executive Vice President and Secretary Jeff Littleton reported on the Society’s current initiatives, including the recent release of building decarbonization resources.
“There is a growing demand for ASHRAE’s technical guidance,” said Littleton. “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.”
- Building decarbonization resources and the BPS guide can be found at ashrae.org/decarb.
Closing the plenary session, leading expert on future trends, Peter Leyden, focused on technological revolutions in infotech, biotech and energy tech such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), genetic engineering and electric transportation.
ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) offered 20 courses. New courses were as follows:
- Introduction to Building Decarbonization;
- Energy Management Best Practices;
- V in HVAC – What, Why, Where, How, and How Much (Includes Basic Requirements of Standard 62.1-2019);
- Fundamentals of Decarbonization 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.
All registered attendees, both in-person and virtual, will have access to the virtual conference platform during the conference and for 12 months post-conference.
The 2023 ASHRAE Annual Conference will take place June 24–28 in Tampa, FL. The 2024 Winter Conference will be held Jan. 20–24, and the AHR Expo, Jan. 22–24, in Chicago.
About ASHRAE
Founded in 1894, ASHRAE is a global professional society committed to serve humanity by advancing the arts and sciences of heating ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration and their allied fields. As an industry leader in research, standards writing, publishing, certification and continuing education, ASHRAE and its members are dedicated to promoting a healthy and sustainable built environment for all, through strategic partnerships with organizations in the HVAC&R community and across related industries.
Media Contact:
Karen Buckley Washington, Senior Public Relations Specialist, [email protected].