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Shaping Tomorrow's Built Environment Today
January 30, 2025
TerraPower, a nuclear energy startup founded by Bill Gates, struck a deal this week with one of the largest data center developers in the U.S. to deploy advanced nuclear reactors. TerraPower and Sabey Data Centers are working together on a plan to run existing and future facilities on nuclear energy from small reactors. Read more
California wildfires have burned tens of thousands of acres, displacing even greater numbers of people and resulting in poor air quality. Particles in wildfire smoke that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers across, known as PM2.5, can lead to cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases when inhaled. A study published in Environmental Research: Health used data from more than 50 million emergency department visits during California wildfire seasons from 2012 to 2019 to determine risk factors for wildfire-related health conditions, such as access to air-conditioning. Read more
Heat pumps just keep getting hotter. The uber-efficient, emissions-free appliance looks almost certain to have outsold gas furnaces in 2024 — and by a bigger margin than ever. According to shipment data from the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), Americans bought 37% more air-source heat pumps than the next-most-popular heating appliance, gas furnaces, during the first 11 months of 2024, smashing 2023’s record-setting lead of 21%. Read more
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Amid rising demand for energy nationwide, both the public and private sectors have appeared to do a 180 on nuclear. Projects like the Palisades Nuclear Plant have even secured massive federal loans backing the efforts to deploy more energy onto the grid. In September 2024, the Biden administration finalized a whopping $1.52 billion loan for the Palisades Nuclear Plant, which has a chance to make history. If reopened, it would be the first decommissioned facility to come back online in the United States, possibly paving the way for further investments in the nuclear industry's revival—but the process won't be simple.  Read more
Building graphics are the windows into system performance. Join Journal Technical Editor Rebecca Matyasovski and Brian Clark as they discuss what makes a good building graphic and tips to improve them. This technical feature appears in the February 2025 issue of ASHRAE Journal.
 
 
Hot Air Podcast: How Particle Filters Work with Kathleen Owen
ASHRAE Journal
By David Claridge, Ph.D., P.E.; Jiajun Liao, Ph.D., P.E.; Linyan Wang, P.E.
This article defines a new measure to quantify the complete HVAC system energy efficiency called the building system load/energy ratio, or LER, as a comprehensive measure of heating and cooling system
efficiencies. Download here
ASHRAE News
ASHRAE is offering a new benefit to enhance the value of its online instructor-led courses through the ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI). Starting with its 2025 online course schedule, ALI is offering a free recommended ASHRAE publication with each online course registration. The goal of the free bonus publication is to reinforce the course material and support deeper understanding of the subject matter. Read more
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In Case You Missed It
Hours after taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the United States to withdraw from the landmark Paris climate agreement. Trump also signed a letter to the United Nations indicating his intention to withdraw from the 2015 agreement, which allows nations to provide targets to cut their emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of coal, oil and natural gas. Those targets will become more stringent over time, with countries facing a February 2025 deadline for new individual plans. Read more
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Ideas for future ASHRAE HVAC&R Industry News content are welcome.  Email us.





 

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