ASHRAE Handbook

The ASHRAE Handbook is the four-volume flagship publication of the nonprofit technical organization ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers{{efn|About its name, ASHRAE says the following: 'In 2012, as part of a rebranding, ASHRAE began doing business as “ASHRAE” vs. using its full legal name of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers. Use of ASHRAE reflects the Society’s worldwide membership and that services will continue evolving globally.'{{cite web|url=https://www.ashrae.org/about |title=About ASHRAE |access-date=2020-03-04}}}}). This Handbook is considered the most comprehensive and authoritative repository of practical knowledge on the various topics that form the field of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC&R).{{efn|Here is how some other sources have characterized the Handbook:

'The four-volume ASHRAE Handbook… provides the most comprehensive and

authoritative reference on HVAC systems for buildings.'{{cite book

| last1 = Turner | first1 = Wayne C.

| last2 = Doty | first2 = Steve

| title = Energy Management Handbook

| location = Lilburn, GA

| publisher = The Fairmont Press, Inc.

| edition = Sixth

| date = 2007

| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1_QOOxZBf3QC&q=%22ASHRAE+Handbook%2C+published+sequentially+in+a+four-year+cycle+by+the+American+Society+of+Heating%2C+Refrigerating+and+Air-Conditioning+Engineers%2C+Inc.%2C+provides+the+most+comprehensive+and+authoritative+reference+on+HVAC+systems+for+buildings.%22&pg=PA255

| isbn = 978-0-88173-542-0}}

'ASHRAE HANDBOOK & Product Directory… has been known as the “Bible" of the industry for over fifty years.'

{{cite book

| author = United States Congress, House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

| title = Consumer protection issues in the development of solar energy

| location = Washington, DC

| publisher = United States Government Printing Office

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Q7_QAAAAMAAJ&q=%22ASHRAE+HANDBOOK+&pg=PA73

| date = September 21, 1978}}

'The standard method for determining heat losses from a structure, at least in the United States,

is to consult the bible for heat flow calculations — the ASHRAE Fundamentals.'

{{cite book

|last1 = Parkin | first1 = Robert E.

| title = Building-Integrated Solar Energy Systems

| location = Boca Raton, FL

| publisher = CRC Press

| date = 2017

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SbzZDQAAQBAJ&q=Building-Integrated+Solar+Energy+Systems.&pg=PP1

| isbn = 978-1-4987-2776-1}}{{rp|91}}

'It is rare to use the analysis just presented to determine the heat loss through glass. Instead, the

empirically based tables and formulae given in the ASHRAE Fundamentals are most often

consulted.'{{r|"Building-Integrated"|p=95}}

'The definitive works on the thermal resistance of air spaces can be found in ASHRAE

Fundamentals.'{{r|"Building-Integrated"|p=96}}

'The heat loss through a window is commonly determined from the conductance of that window,

and the authority for this, at least in the United States, is ASHRAE Fundamentals.'{{r|"Building-Integrated"|p=103}}

'ASHRAE is a leading authority on heat and moisture transfer, and air infiltration in a structure. Its Handbook of Fundamentals is considered by many to be the best source of technical information.'{{r|"Building-Integrated"|p=156}}

}}

The four volumes are Fundamentals, Refrigeration, HVAC Applications ("Applications"), and HVAC Systems and Equipment ("Systems and Equipment"). Members of ASHRAE receive the current volume, in both print and CD-ROM form, each year as a basic membership benefit. An enhanced electronic version, known as ASHRAE Handbook Online is a web-based version updated annually that contains the four latest volumes as well as extra content such as calculations, demonstration videos, and spreadsheets. The various versions of the Handbook are typically available to the public via technical, and other, libraries and bookstores.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}}