HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) is the technology of indoor and vehicular

environmental comfort. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality.
HVAC system design is a subdiscipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of
thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. Refrigeration is sometimes added to the
field's abbreviation as HVAC&R or HVACR, or ventilating is dropped as in HACR (such as the
designation of HACR-rated circuit breakers).
HVAC is important in the design of medium to large industrial and office buildings such as
skyscrapers and in marine environments such as aquariums, where safe and healthy building
conditions are regulated with respect to temperature and humidity, using fresh air from outdoors.
Ventilating (the V in HVAC) is the process of "changing" or replacing air in any space to
provide high indoor air quality (i.e. to control temperature, replenish oxygen, or remove
moisture, odors, smoke, heat, dust, airborne bacteria, and carbon dioxide). Ventilation is used to
remove unpleasant smells and excessive moisture, introduce outside air, to keep interior building
air circulating, and to prevent stagnation of the interior air.
Ventilation includes both the exchange of air to the outside as well as circulation of air within the
building. It is one of the most important factors for maintaining acceptable indoor air quality in

buildings. Methods for ventilating a building may be divided into mechanical/forced and natural
types.[1]

Contents
[hide]

1 Overview
o 1.1 Individual systems
o 1.2 District networks
2 History
3 Heating
o 3.1 Generation
o 3.2 Distribution
3.2.1 Water / steam
3.2.2 Air
o 3.3 Dangers
4 Ventilation
o 4.1 Mechanical or forced ventilation
o 4.2 Natural ventilation
4.2.1 Airborne diseases
5 Air conditioning
o 5.1 Refrigeration cycle
o 5.2 Free cooling
o 5.3 Central vs. split system
o 5.4 Dehumidification
o 5.5 Maintenance
6 Energy efficiency
o 6.1 Heating energy
o 6.2 Geothermal heat pump
o 6.3 Ventilation energy recovery
o 6.4 Air conditioning energy
7 Air filtration and cleaning
o 7.1 Clean air delivery rate and filter performance
8 HVAC industry and standards
o 8.1 International
o 8.2 North America
8.2.1 United States
o 8.3 Europe
8.3.1 United Kingdom
o 8.4 Australia
o 8.5 Asia
8.5.1 Philippines
8.5.2 India
9 See also
10 References

11 Further reading

Overview[edit]
The three central functions of heating, ventilating, and air-conditioning are interrelated,
especially with the need to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality within
reasonable installation, operation, and maintenance costs. HVAC systems can provide
ventilation, reduce air infiltration, and maintain pressure relationships between spaces. The
means of air delivery and removal from spaces is known as room air distribution.[2]

Individual systems[edit]
In modern buildings the design, installation, and control systems of these functions are integrated
into one or more HVAC systems. For very small buildings, contractors normally estimate the
capacity, engineer, and select HVAC systems and equipment. For larger buildings, building
service designers, mechanical engineers, or building services engineers analyze, design, and
specify the HVAC systems. Specialty mechanical contractors then fabricate and commission the
systems. Building permits and code-compliance inspections of the installations are normally
required for all sizes of buildings.[citation needed]

District networks[edit]
Although HVAC is executed in individual buildings or other enclosed spaces (e.g. think
NORAD's underground headquarters), the equipment involved is in some cases an extension of a
larger district heating (DH) or district cooling (DC) network, or a combined DHC network. In
such cases, the operating and maintenance aspects are simplified and metering becomes
necessary to bill for the energy that is consumed, and in some cases energy that is returned to the
larger system. For example, at a given time one building may be utilizing chilled water for air
conditioning and the warm water it returns may be used in another building for heating, or for the
overall heating-portion of the DHC network (likely with energy added to boost the
temperature).[3][4][5]
Basing HVAC on a larger network helps to provide an economy of scale that is often not
possible for individual buildings, for utilizing renewable energy sources such as solar heat,[6][7][8]
winter's cold,[9] the cooling potential in some places of lakes or seawater for free cooling, and the
enabling function of seasonal thermal energy storage.

History[edit]
See also: Air conditioning History
Heating, ventilating, and air conditioning is based on inventions and discoveries made by
Nikolay Lvov, Michael Faraday, Willis Carrier, Reuben Trane, James Joule, William Rankine,
Sadi Carnot, and many others.[10]

The invention of the components of HVAC systems went hand-in-hand with the industrial
revolution, and new methods of modernization, higher efficiency, and system control are
constantly being introduced by companies and inventors worldwide.

Heating[edit]
"Heaters" redirects here. For the community in the United States, see Heaters, West Virginia.
"Heater" redirects here. For other uses, see Heater (disambiguation).
Heaters are appliances whose purpose is to generate heat (i.e. warmth) for the building. This can
be done via central heating. Such a system contains a boiler, furnace, or heat pump to heat water,
steam, or air in a central location such as a furnace room in a home, or a mechanical room in a
large building. The heat can be transferred by convection, conduction, or radiation.

Generation[edit]

Central heating unit

Heaters exist for various types of fuel, including solid fuels, liquids, and gases. Another type of
heat source is electricity, typically heating ribbons made of high resistance wire. This principle is
also used for baseboard heaters and portable heaters. Electrical heaters are often used as backup
or supplemental heat for heat pump systems.

The heat pump gained popularity in the 1950s.[where?] Heat pumps can extract heat from various
sources, such as environmental air, exhaust air from a building, or from the ground. Initially, heat
pump HVAC systems were used in moderate climates, but with improvements in low
temperature operation and reduced loads due to more efficient homes, they are increasing in
popularity in other climates.

Distribution[edit]
Water / steam[edit]
In the case of heated water or steam, piping is used to transport the heat to the rooms. Most
modern hot water boiler heating systems have a circulator, which is a pump, to move hot water
through the distribution system (as opposed to older gravity-fed systems). The heat can be
transferred to the surrounding air using radiators, hot water coils (hydro-air), or other heat
exchangers. The radiators may be mounted on walls or installed within the floor to give floor
heat.
The use of water as the heat transfer medium is known as hydronics. The heated water can also
supply an auxiliary heat exchanger to supply hot water for bathing and washing.
Air[edit]
Warm air systems distribute heated air through duct work systems of supply and return air
through metal or fiberglass ducts. Many systems use the same ducts to distribute air cooled by an
evaporator coil for air conditioning. The air supply is typically filtered through air cleaners to
remove dust and pollen particles.

Dangers[edit]
The use of furnaces, space heaters, and boilers as means of indoor heating may result in
incomplete combustion and the emission of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, formaldehyde,
volatile organic compounds, and other combustion byproducts. Incomplete combustion occurs
when there is insufficient oxygen; the inputs are fuels containing various contaminants and the
outputs are harmful byproducts, most dangerously carbon monoxide which is a tasteless and
odorless gas with serious adverse health effects.[11]
Without proper ventilation, carbon monoxide can be lethal at concentrations of 1000 ppm
(0.1%). However, at several hundred ppm, carbon monoxide exposure induces headaches,
fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. Carbon monoxide binds with hemoglobin in the blood, forming
carboxyhemoglobin, reducing the blood's ability to transport oxygen. The primary health
concerns associated with carbon monoxide exposure are its cardiovascular and neurobehavioral
effects. Carbon monoxide can cause atherosclerosis (the hardening of arteries) and can also
trigger heart attacks. Neurologically, carbon monoxide exposure reduces hand to eye
coordination, vigilance, and continuous performance. It can also affect time discrimination.[12]

Ventilation[edit]

Main article: Ventilation (architecture)

Ventilation is the process of changing or replacing air in any space to control temperature or
remove any combination of moisture, odors, smoke, heat, dust, airborne bacteria, or carbon
dioxide, and to replenish oxygen. Ventilation includes both the exchange of air with the outside
as well as circulation of air within the building. It is one of the most important factors for
maintaining acceptable indoor air quality in buildings. Methods for ventilating a building may be
divided into mechanical/forced and natural types.[13]

Mechanical or forced ventilation[edit]

HVAC ventilation exhaust for a 12-story building

"Mechanical" or "forced" ventilation is provided by an air handler and used to control indoor air
quality. Excess humidity, odors, and contaminants can often be controlled via dilution or
replacement with outside air. However, in humid climates much energy is required to remove
excess moisture from ventilation air.
Kitchens and bathrooms typically have mechanical exhausts to control odors and sometimes
humidity. Factors in the design of such systems include the flow rate (which is a function of the
fan speed and exhaust vent size) and noise level. Direct drive fans are available for many
applications, and can reduce maintenance needs.
Ceiling fans and table/floor fans circulate air within a room for the purpose of reducing the
perceived temperature by increasing evaporation of perspiration on the skin of the occupants.
Because hot air rises, ceiling fans may be used to keep a room warmer in the winter by
circulating the warm stratified air from the ceiling to the floor.

Natural ventilation[edit]

Ventilation on the downdraught system, by impulsion, or the 'plenum' principle, applied to

schoolrooms (1899)
Natural ventilation is the ventilation of a building with outside air without using fans or other
mechanical systems. It can be via operable windows, louvers, or trickle vents when spaces are
small and the architecture permits. In more complex schemes, warm air is allowed to rise and
flow out high building openings to the outside (stack effect), causing cool outside air to be drawn
into low building openings. Natural ventilation schemes can use very little energy, but care must
be taken to ensure comfort. In warm or humid climates, maintaining thermal comfort solely via
natural ventilation may not be possible. Air conditioning systems are used, either as backups or
supplements. Air-side economizers also use outside air to condition spaces, but do so using fans,
ducts, dampers, and control systems to introduce and distribute cool outdoor air when
appropriate.
An important component of natural ventilation is air change rate or air changes per hour: the
hourly rate of ventilation divided by the volume of the space. For example, six air changes per
hour means an amount of new air, equal to the volume of the space, is added every ten minutes
(see air changes per hour for more detail). For human comfort, a minimum of four air changes
per hour is typical, though warehouses might have only two. Too high of an air change rate may
be uncomfortable, akin to a wind tunnel which have thousands of changes per hour. The highest
air change rates are for crowded spaces, bars, night clubs, commercial kitchens at around 30 to
50 air changes per hour.[14]
Room pressure can be either positive or negative with respect to outside the room. Positive
pressure occurs when there is more air being supplied than exhausted, and is common to reduce
the infiltration of outside contaminants.[15]
Airborne diseases[edit]
Natural ventilation is a key factor in reducing the spread of airborne illnesses such as
tuberculosis, the common cold, influenza and meningitis. Opening doors, windows, and using
ceiling fans are all ways to maximize natural ventilation and reduce the risk of airborne
contagion. Natural ventilation requires little maintenance and is inexpensive.[16]

Air conditioning[edit]

Main article: Air conditioning

An air conditioning system, or a standalone air conditioner, provides cooling and humidity
control for all or part of a building. Air conditioned buildings often have sealed windows,
because open windows would work against the system intended to maintain constant indoor air
conditions. Outside, fresh air is generally drawn into the system by a vent into the indoor heat
exchanger section, creating positive air pressure. The percentage of return air made up of fresh
air can usually be manipulated by adjusting the opening of this vent. Typical fresh air intake is
about 10%
Air conditioning and refrigeration are provided through the removal of heat. Heat can be
removed through radiation, convection, or conduction. Refrigeration conduction media such as
water, air, ice, and chemicals are referred to as refrigerants. A refrigerant is employed either in a
heat pump system in which a compressor is used to drive thermodynamic refrigeration cycle, or
in a free cooling system which uses pumps to circulate a cool refrigerant (typically water or a
glycol mix).

Refrigeration cycle[edit]
Main article: Refrigeration cycle

A simple stylized diagram of the refrigeration cycle: 1) condensing coil, 2) expansion valve,
3) evaporator coil, 4) compressor
The refrigeration cycle uses four essential elements to cool.

The system refrigerant starts its cycle in a gaseous state. The compressor pumps the
refrigerant gas up to a high pressure and temperature.
From there it enters a heat exchanger (sometimes called a condensing coil or condenser)
where it loses energy (heat) to the outside, cools, and condenses into its liquid phase.
An expansion valve (also called metering device) regulates the refrigerant liquid to flow
at the proper rate.
The liquid refrigerant is returned to another heat exchanger where it is allowed to
evaporate, hence the heat exchanger is often called an evaporating coil or evaporator. As
the liquid refrigerant evaporates it absorbs energy (heat) from the inside air, returns to the
compressor, and repeats the cycle. In the process, heat is absorbed from indoors and
transferred outdoors, resulting in cooling of the building.

In variable climates, the system may include a reversing valve that switches from heating in
winter to cooling in summer. By reversing the flow of refrigerant, the heat pump refrigeration

cycle is changed from cooling to heating or vice versa. This allows a facility to be heated and
cooled by a single piece of equipment by the same means, and with the same hardware.

Free cooling[edit]
Main article: Free cooling
Free cooling systems can have very high efficiencies, and are sometimes combined with seasonal
thermal energy storage so the cold of winter can be used for summer air conditioning. Common
storage mediums are deep aquifers or a natural underground rock mass accessed via a cluster of
small-diameter, heat exchanger equipped boreholes. Some systems with small storages are
hybrids, using free cooling early in the cooling season, and later employing a heat pump to chill
the circulation coming from the storage. The heat pump is added-in because the storage acts as a
heat sink when the system is in cooling (as opposed to charging) mode, causing the temperature
to gradually increase during the cooling season.
Some systems include an "economizer mode", which is sometimes called a "free cooling mode".
When economizing, the control system will open (fully or partially) the outside air damper and
close (fully or partially) the return air damper. This will cause fresh, outside air to be supplied to
the system. When the outside air is cooler than the demanded cool air, this will allow the demand
to be met without using the mechanical supply of cooling (typically chilled water or a direct
expansion "DX" unit), thus saving energy. The control system can compare the temperature of
the outside air vs. return air, or it can compare the enthalpy of the air, as is frequently done in
climates where humidity is more of an issue. In both cases, the outside air must be less energetic
than the return air for the system to enter the economizer mode.

Central vs. split system[edit]

Central, 'all-air' air conditioning systems (or package systems) with a combined outdoor
condenser/evaporator unit are often installed in modern residences, offices, and public buildings,
but are difficult to retrofit (install in a building that was not designed to receive it) because of the
bulky air ducts required.
An alternative to central systems is the use of separate indoor and outdoor coils in split systems.
These systems, although most often seen in residential applications, are gaining popularity in
small commercial buildings. The evaporator coil is connected to a remote condenser unit using
refrigerant piping between an indoor and outdoor unit instead of ducting air directly from the
outdoor unit. Indoor units with directional vents mount onto walls, suspended from ceilings, or
fit into the ceiling. Other indoor units mount inside the ceiling cavity, so that short lengths of
duct handle air from the indoor unit to vents or diffusers around the rooms.

Dehumidification[edit]
Dehumidification (air drying) in an air conditioning system is provided by the evaporator. Since
the evaporator operates at a temperature below the dew point, moisture in the air condenses on

the evaporator coil tubes. This moisture is collected at the bottom of the evaporator in a pan and
removed by piping to a central drain or onto the ground outside.
A dehumidifier is an air-conditioner-like device that controls the humidity of a room or building.
It is often employed in basements which have a higher relative humidity because of their lower
temperature (and propensity for damp floors and walls). In food retailing establishments, large
open chiller cabinets are highly effective at dehumidifying the internal air. Conversely, a
humidifier increases the humidity of a building.

Maintenance[edit]
All modern air conditioning systems, even small window package units, are equipped with
internal air filters. These are generally of a lightweight gauzy material, and must be replaced or
washed as conditions warrant. For example, a building in a high dust environment, or a home
with furry pets, will need to have the filters changed more often than buildings without these dirt
loads. Failure to replace these filters as needed will contribute to a lower heat exchange rate,
resulting in wasted energy, shortened equipment life, and higher energy bills; low air flow can
result in "iced-up" or "iced-over" evaporator coils, which can completely stop air flow.
Additionally, very dirty or plugged filters can cause overheating during a heating cycle, and can
result in damage to the system or even fire.
Because an air conditioner moves heat between the indoor coil and the outdoor coil, both must
be kept clean. This means that, in addition to replacing the air filter at the evaporator coil, it is
also necessary to regularly clean the condenser coil. Failure to keep the condenser clean will
eventually result in harm to the compressor, because the condenser coil is responsible for
discharging both the indoor heat (as picked up by the evaporator) and the heat generated by the
electric motor driving the compressor.

Energy efficiency[edit]
Since the 1980s, manufacturers of HVAC equipment have been making an effort to make the
systems they manufacture more efficient. This was originally driven by rising energy costs, and
has more recently been driven by increased awareness of environmental issues. Additionally,
improvements to the HVAC system efficiency can also help increase occupant health and
productivity.[17] In the US, the EPA has imposed tighter restrictions over the years. There are
several methods for making HVAC systems more efficient.

Heating energy[edit]
In the past, water heating was more efficient for heating buildings and was the standard in the
United States. Today, forced air systems can double for air conditioning and are more popular.
Some benefits of forced air systems, which are now widely used in churches, schools and highend residences, are

Better air conditioning effects

Energy savings of up to 15-20%

Even conditioning[citation needed]

A drawback is the installation cost, which can be slightly higher than traditional HVAC systems.
Energy efficiency can be improved even more in central heating systems by introducing zoned
heating. This allows a more granular application of heat, similar to non-central heating systems.
Zones are controlled by multiple thermostats. In water heating systems the thermostats control
zone valves, and in forced air systems they control zone dampers inside the vents which
selectively block the flow of air. In this case, the control system is very critical to maintaining a
proper temperature.
Forecasting is another method of controlling building heating by calculating demand for heating
energy that should be supplied to the building in each time unit.

Geothermal heat pump[edit]

Main article: Geothermal heat pump
This section may be confusing or unclear to readers. In particular, it confuses ground
source heat pumps with geothermal heat.. (July 2014)
Geothermal heat pumps are similar to ordinary heat pumps, but instead of using heat found in
outside air, they rely on the stable, even heat of the earth to provide heating, air conditioning and,
in most cases, hot water. The heat extracted through a geothermal heat pump can come from any
source, despite the temperature. However, the warmer the source of heat, the more energy
efficient it will be.[18] From Montana's 70 F (57 C) temperature to the highest temperature
ever recorded in the US134 F (57 C) in Death Valley, California, in 1913many parts of
the country experience seasonal temperature extremes. A few feet below the earth's surface,
however, the ground remains at a relatively constant temperature. Although the temperatures
vary according to latitude, at 6 feet (1.8 m) underground, temperatures only range from 45 to
75 F (7 to 24 C).
While they may be more costly to install than regular heat pumps, they can produce markedly
lower energy bills30 to 40 percent lower, according to estimates from the US Environmental
Protection Agency.

Ventilation energy recovery[edit]

Energy recovery systems sometimes utilize heat recovery ventilation or energy recovery
ventilation systems that employ heat exchangers or enthalpy wheels to recover sensible or latent
heat from exhausted air. This is done by transfer of energy to the incoming outside fresh air.

Air conditioning energy[edit]

The performance of vapor compression refrigeration cycles is limited by thermodynamics. These

air conditioning and heat pump devices move heat rather than convert it from one form to
another, so thermal efficiencies do not appropriately describe the performance of these devices.
The Coefficient-of-Performance (COP) measures performance, but this dimensionless measure
has not been adopted, but rather the Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER). EER is the Energy
Efficiency Ratio based on a 35 C (95 F) outdoor temperature. To more accurately describe the
performance of air conditioning equipment over a typical cooling season a modified version of
the EER is used, the Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio (SEER), or in Europe the ESEER. SEER
ratings are based on seasonal temperature averages instead of a constant 35 C outdoor
temperature. The current industry minimum SEER rating is 13 SEER.
Engineers have pointed out some areas where efficiency of the existing hardware could be
improved. For example, the fan blades used to move the air are usually stamped from sheet
metal, an economical method of manufacture, but as a result they are not aerodynamically
efficient. A well-designed blade could reduce electrical power required to move the air by a
third.[19]

Air filtration and cleaning[edit]

Air handling unit, used for the heating, cooling, and filtering the air.
Air cleaning and filtration is an important factor of our indoor environment because cleaning the
air filters out what the lungs cannot by removing particles, contaminants, vapors and gases from
the air. The filtered and cleaned air then is used in heating, ventilation and air conditioning. Air
cleaning and filtration should be taken in account when protecting our building environments.[20]

Clean air delivery rate and filter performance[edit]

Clean air delivery rate is the amount of clean air an air cleaner provides to a room or space.
When determining CADR, the amount of airflow in a space is taken into account. For example,
an air cleaner with a flow rate of 100 cfm (cubic feet per minute) and an efficiency of 50% has a
CADR of 50 cfm. Along with CADR, filtration performance is very important when it comes to
the air in our indoor environment. Filter performance depends on the size of the particle or fiber,
the filter packing density and depth and also the air flow rate.[20]

HVAC industry and standards[edit]

The HVAC industry is a worldwide enterprise, with roles including operation and maintenance,
system design and construction, equipment manufacturing and sales, and in education and
research. The HVAC industry was historically regulated by the manufacturers of HVAC
equipment, but regulating and standards organizations such as HARDI, ASHRAE, SMACNA,
ACCA, Uniform Mechanical Code, International Mechanical Code, and AMCA have been
established to support the industry and encourage high standards and achievement.
The starting point in carrying out an estimate both for cooling and heating depends on the
exterior climate and interior specified conditions. However before taking up the heat load
calculation, it is necessary to find fresh air requirements for each area in detail, as pressurization
is an important consideration.

International[edit]
ISO 16813:2006 is one of the ISO building environment standards.[21] It establishes the general
principles of building environment design. It takes into account the need to provide a healthy
indoor environment for the occupants as well as the need to protect the environment for future
generations and promote collaboration among the various parties involved in building
environmental design for sustainability. ISO16813 is applicable to new construction and the
retrofit of existing buildings.[22]
The building environmental design standard aims to:[22]

provide the constraints concerning sustainability issues from the initial stage of the design
process, with building and plant life cycle to be considered together with owning and
operating costs from the beginning of the design process;
assess the proposed design with rational criteria for indoor air quality, thermal comfort,
acoustical comfort, visual comfort, energy efficiency and HVAC system controls at every
stage of the design process;
iterate decisions and evaluations of the design throughout the design process.

North America[edit]
United States[edit]
Main article: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers
In the United States, HVAC engineers generally are members of the American Society of
Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), EPA Universal CFC
certified, or locally engineer certified such as a Special to Chief Boilers License issued by the
state or, in some jurisdictions, the city. ASHRAE is an international technical society for all
individuals and organizations interested in HVAC. The Society, organized into regions, chapters,
and student branches, allows exchange of HVAC knowledge and experiences for the benefit of
the field's practitioners and the public. ASHRAE provides many opportunities to participate in
the development of new knowledge via, for example, research and its many technical
committees. These committees typically meet twice per year at the ASHRAE Annual and Winter

Meetings. A popular product show, the AHR Expo, is held in conjunction with each winter
meeting. The Society has approximately 50,000 members and has headquarters in Atlanta,
Georgia.
The most recognized standards for HVAC design are based on ASHRAE data. The most general
of four volumes of the ASHRAE Handbook is Fundamentals; it includes heating and cooling
calculations. Each volume of the ASHRAE Handbook is updated every four years. The design
professional must consult ASHRAE data for the standards of design and care as the typical
building codes provide little to no information on HVAC design practices; codes such as the
UMC and IMC do include much detail on installation requirements, however. Other useful
reference materials include items from SMACNA, ACGIH, and technical trade journals.
American design standards are legislated in the Uniform Mechanical Code or International
Mechanical Code. In certain states, counties, or cities, either of these codes may be adopted and
amended via various legislative processes. These codes are updated and published by the
International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) or the International
Code Council (ICC) respectively, on a 3-year code development cycle. Typically, local building
permit departments are charged with enforcement of these standards on private and certain
public properties.
In the United States and Canada, as well as throughout the world, HVAC contractors and Air
Duct Cleaning companies are members of NADCA, the National Air Duct Cleaners Association.
NADCA was formed in 1989 as a non-profit association of companies engaged in the cleaning of
HVAC air duct systems. Its mission was to promote source removal as the only acceptable
method of cleaning and to establish industry standards for the association. NADCA has
expanded its mission to include the representation of qualified member companies engaged in
the assessment, cleaning, and restoration of HVAC systems, and to assist its members in
providing high quality service to their customers. The goal of the association is to be the number
one source for the HVAC air duct cleaning and restoration services. NADCA has experienced
large membership growth in the United States, Canada and overseas and has been extremely
successful with the training and certification of Air Systems Cleaning Specialists (ASCS)and
Certified Ventilation Inspectors (CVI). The association has also published important standards
and guidelines, educational materials, and other useful information for the consumers and
members of NADCA. Standards include the Assessment, Cleaning and Restoration (ACR),
Certified Ventilation Inspector (CVI) and other important guidelines.
HVAC professionals in the US can receive training through formal training institutions, where
most earn associate's degrees. Training for HVAC technicians includes classroom lectures and
hands-on tasks, and can be followed by an apprenticeship wherein the recent graduate works
alongside a professional HVAC technician for a temporary period.[23] HVAC techs who have
been trained can also be certified in areas such as air conditioning, heat pumps, gas heating, and
commercial refrigeration.[24]

Europe[edit]
United Kingdom[edit]

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers is a body that covers the essential
Service (systems architecture) that allow buildings to operate. It includes the electrotechnical,
heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration and plumbing industries. To train as a
building services engineer, the academic requirements are GCSEs (A-C) / Standard Grades (1-3)
in Maths and Science, which are important in measurements, planning and theory. Employers
will often want a degree in a branch of engineering, such as building environment engineering,
electrical engineering or mechanical engineering. To become a full member of CIBSE, and so
also to be registered by the Engineering Council UK as a chartered engineer, engineers must also
attain an Honours Degree and a Masters Degree in a relevant engineering subject.
CIBSE publishes several guides to HVAC design relevant to the UK market, and also the
Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. These guides include various
recommended design criteria and standards, some of which are cited within the UK building
regulations, and therefore form a legislative requirement for major building services works. The
main guides are:

Guide A: Environmental Design

Guide B: Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration
Guide C: Reference Data
Guide D: Transportation systems in Buildings
Guide E: Fire Safety Engineering
Guide F: Energy Efficiency in Buildings
Guide G: Public Health Engineering
Guide H: Building Control Systems
Guide J: Weather, Solar and Illuminance Data
Guide K: Electricity in Buildings
Guide L: Sustainability
Guide M: Maintenance Engineering and Management

Within the construction sector, it is the job of the building services engineer to design and
oversee the installation and maintenance of the essential services such as gas, electricity, water,
heating and lighting, as well as many others. These all help to make buildings comfortable and
healthy places to live and work in. Building Services is part of a sector that has over 51,000
businesses and employs represents 2%-3% of the GDP.

Australia[edit]
The Air Conditioning and Mechanical Contractors Association of Australia (AMCA), Australian
Institute of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning and Heating (AIRAH), and CIBSE are responsible.

Asia[edit]
Asian architectural temperature-control have different priorities than European methods. For
example, Asian heating traditionally focuses on maintaining temperatures of objects such as the
floor or furnishings such as Kotatsu tables and directly warming people, as opposed to the
Western focus, in modern periods, on designing air systems.

Philippines[edit]
The Philippine Society of Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigerating Engineers (PSVARE)
along with Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers (PSME) govern on the codes and
standards for HVAC / MVAC in the Philippines.
India[edit]
The Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE) was
established to promote the HVAC industry in India. ISHRAE is an associate of ASHRAE.
ISHRAE was started at Delhi in 1981 and a chapter was started in Bangalore in 1989. Between
1989 & 1993, ISHRAE chapters were formed in all major cities in India and also in the Middle
East.

See also[edit]

Glossary of HVAC terms

ASHRAE Handbook

References[edit]
1.
2.
3.

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8.
9.

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11.
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13.
14.

Jump up ^ Ventilation and Infiltration chapter, Fundamentals volume of the ASHRAE Handbook,
ASHRAE, Inc., Atlanta, GA, 2005
Jump up ^ Designer's Guide to Ceiling-Based Air Diffusion, Rock and Zhu, ASHRAE, Inc., New York,
2002
Jump up ^ Rezaie B., Rosen M.A. (2012). District heating and cooling: Review of technology and
potential enhancements. Applied Energy (1) Green Energy; (2)Special Section from papers presented at the
2nd International Enery 2030 Conf. 93:0:pp.2-10.
Jump up ^ Werner S. (2006). ECOHEATCOOL (WP4) Possibilities with more district heating in Europe.
Euroheat & Power, Brussels.
Jump up ^ Dalin P., Rubenhag A. (2006). ECOHEATCOOL (WP5) Possibilities with more district
cooling in Europe, final report from the project. Final Rep. Brussels: Euroheat & Power.
Jump up ^ Holm L. (2012). Long Term Experiences with Solar District Heating in Denmark. European
Sustainable Energy Week, Brussels. 18 - 22 June 2012.
Jump up ^ Wong B., Thornton J. (2013). Integrating Solar & Heat Pumps. Renewable Heat Workshop.
Jump up ^ Pauschinger T. (2012). Solar District Heating with Seasonal Thermal Energy Storage in
Germany. European Sustainable Energy Week, Brussels. 1822 June 2012.
Jump up ^ Paksoy H., Snijders A., Stiles L. (2009). Aquifer Thermal Energy Cold Storage System at
Richard Stockton College. Effstock Conference -- Thermal Energy Storage for Efficiency and
Sustainability (11th International.
Jump up ^ Swenson, S. Don (1995). HVAC: heating, ventilating, and air conditioning. Homewood,
Illinois: American Technical Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8269-0675-5.
Jump up ^ Bearg, David W. (1993). Indoor Air Quality and HVAC Systems. New York: Lewis Publishers.
pp. 107112.
Jump up ^ Dianat, Nazari, I,I. "Characteristic of unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning in Northwest
Iran- Tabriz". International Journal of Injury Control and Promotion. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
Jump up ^ Ventilation and Infiltration chapter, Fundamentals volume of the ASHRAE Handbook,
ASHRAE, Inc., Atlanta, Georgia, 2005
Jump up ^ "Air Change Rates for typical Rooms and Buildings". The Engineering ToolBox. Retrieved
2012-12-12.

15. Jump up ^ Bell, Geoffrey. "Room Air Change Rate". A Design Guide for Energy-Efficient Research
Laboratories. Retrieved 2011-11-15.
16. Jump up ^ Escombe, A. R.; Oeser, C. C.; Gilman, R. H.; et al. (2007). "Natural ventilation for the
prevention of airborne contagion". PLoS Med 4 (68). doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0040068.
17. Jump up ^ "Sustainable Facilities Tool: HVAC System Overview". sftool.gov. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
18. Jump up ^ Egg, J (2011). Geothermal HVAC: Heating and Cooling. United States of America: McGrawHill Companies. pp. 4562.
19. Jump up ^ Keeping cool and green, The Economist 17 July 2010, p. 83
20. ^ Jump up to: a b Howard, J (2003), Guidance for Filtration and Air-Cleaning Systems to Protect Building
Environments from Airborne Chemical, Biological, or Radiological Attacks, National Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health, 2003-136
21. Jump up ^ ISO. "Building environment standards". www.iso.org. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
22. ^ Jump up to: a b ISO. "Building environment designIndoor environmentGeneral principles". Retrieved
14 May 2011.
23. Jump up ^ "HVAC Training". HVACTraining.net. Retrieved 2013-07-10.
24. Jump up ^ "Certification basics/101". NATE. Retrieved 2013-07-10.

Further reading[edit]

International Mechanical Code (March 6, 2006) by the International Code Council,

Thomson Delmar Learning; 1st edition
Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (August 2003) by Althouse, Turnquist, and
Bracciano, Goodheart-Wilcox Publisher; 18th edition

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