ASHRAE and ASHE seeking comments on new HVAC operations guideline

ASHRAE and the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) have issued a 45-day public review period from Oct. 6 to Nov. 20, 2023, on the new Guideline 43, Operations Guideline for Ventilation of Health Care Facilities.

The guideline, developed by ASHRAE in collaboration with ASHE, gives recommendations for the operation of heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems that provide environmental control in health care facilities for the safety and comfort of facility occupants. Guideline 43 addresses health care HVAC systems as a comprehensive whole while also establishing a consistent standard for the maintenance and operation of these systems.

The scope of the new guideline is intended to apply to patient care areas, resident care areas and related support areas within health care facilities, and provides recommendations on acceptable temperature and humidity ranges, ventilation rates, operational parameters and preventive maintenance.

By introducing Guideline 43, ASHRAE and ASHE seek to render obsolete the long-standing practice of using HVAC design standards as operational practice standards and resolve discrepancies between what is allowable by design standards and what constitutes nominal HVAC performance. It encourages the optimization of HVAC systems and the resources they use through the application of a maintenance program in conjunction with the appropriate application of alternative equipment maintenance and reliability-centered maintenance practices.

Because this guideline will establish recommendations on operational parameters, tasks and rates, ASHE members are strongly encouraged to review and provide vital input to ensure that these recommendations are valid. 

To review and make comments on the new guideline, access the ASHRAE Public Review webpage. The comment period will be open from Oct. 6 to Nov. 20, 2023.