May Chapter Meeting

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Topic: Building Energy Quotient Labeling Program

The ASHRAE Building Energy Labeling Program
Whether voluntary or mandatory, the rating of the energy use and indoor environmental quality of buildings is a growing trend worldwide. In 2009, ASHRAE introduced its own "Building Energy Quotient" (BEQ) labeling program for new and existing buildings and is now in the process of piloting it in a number of  locations around the U.S. It is an ambitious program comprising not only the development of an energy use performance scale, but also tools and procedures for performing ratings and certification of the qualified energy modelers and building assessors needed to implement it. This presentation will provide an overview of the BEQ program, describe its relationship to other building certification programs in the US and elsewhere, identify the potential benefits of certification, and summarize the current state of implementation of the program and plans for the future.


Speaker: Dr. William P. Bahnfleth, PhD, PE

William Bahnfleth is Professor and Director of the Indoor Environment Center in the Department of Architectural Engineering at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) in University Park, PA, where he has been employed since 1994. Previously, he was a Senior Consultant for ZBA, Inc. in Cincinnati, OH and a Principal Investigator at the U.S. Army Construction Engineering Research Laboratory in Champaign, IL. He holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois, where he also earned an undergraduate degree in music (pipe organ performance), and is a registered professional engineer. 

At Penn State, Dr. Bahnfleth teaches undergraduate courses in HVAC fundamentals and controls and graduate courses in chilled water systems, hot water and steam systems, and indoor air quality. His research interests cover a wide variety of indoor environmental control topics, including chilled water pumping systems, stratified thermal energy storage, protection of building occupants from indoor bioaerosol releases, ultraviolet germicidal irradiation systems, and others. He is the author or co-author of more than 100 technical papers and 11 books and book chapters. He consults regularly on the design of chilled water thermal energy storage systems and has been involved in more than 20 projects worldwide. Dr. Bahnfleth is member of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Sigma Xi, American Society for
Engineering Education (ASEE), Society of Building Science Educators (SBSE), and a Fellow of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). He has served ASHRAE in a variety of capacities, including Student Branch Advisor, Chapter Governor, Technical Committee and Standing Committee Chair, and as a Director-at-Large and is currently Society Vice President. He is the recipient of a 1st place ASHRAE Technology Award, Transactions Paper Award, and Distinguished Service and Exceptional Service Awards.