ASHRAE/ACCA Inspection,
Maintenance Standard
A proposed standard to deal exclusively with
inspection and maintenance of HVAC systems in buildings where the
public is exposed to the indoor environment.
ASHRAE/ACCA Standard 180P, Standard
Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Commercial Building HVAC
Systems, would establish minimum HVAC inspection and maintenance
requirements that aid a system’s ability to achieve acceptable
thermal comfort, energy efficiency and indoor air quality in
commercial buildings.
The standard is being developed by
the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning
Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA).
“Inconsistent practices in
inspection and maintenance of HVAC systems is common in the building
industry,” Bob Baker, chair of the committee writing the standard,
said. “As a result, systems frequently operate outside optimum
performance, without providing the energy efficiency, thermal
comfort and indoor air quality they were designed to provide.”
Baker notes that a standard
practice would benefit occupants and also ensure that indoor
environmental conditions are maintained as energy efficiently and
cost effectively as possible.
Highlights of the proposed standard
include:
- Responsibility for compliance with
the standard is clearly on the building owner; a common reason given
for lack of maintenance is lack of sufficient resources available to
maintenance personnel.
- Each building must have a written plan that
addresses 57 inspection/maintenance items required if those
components are present in the building (for example, if a building
has cooling towers, items dealing with cooling towers are mandated
as part of the plan).
- An additional list of 563 optional inspection
and maintenance items that building owners/operators may wish to
consider when preparing their individual plans is included. “This
listing assembled by 24 of the most knowledgeable persons about HVAC
system maintenance in the industry is an incredible resource that
has never before been available to those planning and managing
maintenance activities,” Baker said.
- The standard especially
concentrates on those factors that impact thermal comfort, energy
efficiency and indoor air quality so as to promote sustainability.
Original article:
http://www.ashrae.org/pressroom/detail/15926
Commercial
Air Duct Cleaning in Texas
