In order to move the industry forward toward more energy efficient design, ASHRAE is making it easier than ever before to access its flagship energy standard, 90.1, available as a free download for a limited time.

Through a funding contract with the Department of Energy, copies of the I-P edition of ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, are being offered as a free downloadable PDF at www.ashrae.org/standard901-2007-free.

“Standard 90.1-2007 is widely used throughout the design community, and the download version makes it available to users at their own computers for ready and easy access,” ASHRAE President Lynn G. Bellenger said. “Making the standard available for free ensures that it penetrates the marketplace and reaches owners, contractors and design teams. We appreciate the support of the Department of Energy in reaching a wider audience and extending access to our flagship energy conservation standard.”

Since being developed in response to the energy crisis in the 1970s, Standard 90.1 has become the basis for building codes, and the standard for building design and construction throughout the United States.As buildings consume approximately 40 percent of the primary energy in the United States, the standard is an indispensible reference for engineers and other professionals involved in the design of buildings and building systems.

ASHRAE is an international technical society that fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.