ASHRAE will get back to the basics - ventilation, energy conservation and refrigeration - in the technical program at its 2004 Winter Meeting. One hundred sessions will be presented at the ASHRAE meeting, which takes place January 24-28, 2004 in Anaheim, CA, at the Anaheim Convention Center.

"In recent years, our technical program has focused on emerging trends and new technology," Ron Shelton, chair of the ASHRAE Program Committee, which selects the program, said. "While those sessions have been helpful, we have heard from attendees that they want practical, useful information that they can use on a daily basis. This year's program will provide that guidance."

In the area of ventilation and air distribution, a seminar addresses the hows and whys of residential ventilation with an emphasis on climate-specific needs and solutions. An introduction to ASHRAE's proposed residential indoor air quality standard is given with discussion following on benefits and limitations posed by climate-specific ventilation systems and strategies for taking advantage of regional characteristics.

A forum focuses on residential filter drop issues. With the increased use of higher efficiency air filters in residential and light commercial applications come increased problems with higher system pressure. Equipment malfunction and premature failure, increased energy consumption and poor indoor air quality all caused by lower flow rates are discussed.

Several sessions on energy saving measures are planned. A seminar focuses on using air-to-air energy recovery to comply with ASHRAE's energy conservation standard. Proper use of air-to-air energy recovery can contribute to energy efficiency and improved indoor air quality.

Another seminar provides an update on the energy situation in California, which has made headlines in recent years. The session examines how to achieve energy efficiency using innovative approaches, focusing on how groups within California have responded to the rapidly changing energy marketplace.

Also featured are sessions on refrigeration. Recent developments in household refrigerants are addressed in a seminar covering new refrigerants, refrigeration cycles and compressor/component technologies.

Test methods to ensure refrigerant system chemistry performance are presented in another seminar. The methods study refrigerant, lubricant and system protection devices to determine the overall performance of the system. Test results provide the means for service technicians or project engineers to make wise choices during maintenance or design of a new system.

The technical program is comprised of 63 seminars (presentations on a central or related topic with no published papers), 11 symposia (presentations with papers on a central subject), 24 open-discussion forums, one technical session (paper presentations), a poster session and a public session. A total of 66 papers will be presented.

A complete listing of technical program sessions can be found at www.ashrae.org/template/PDFDetail/assetid/27694. Held with the ASHRAE Winter Meeting is the ASHRAE co-sponsored International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition, January 26-28, 2004 at the Anaheim Convention Center. For more information, contact International Exposition Company by phone: 203-221-9232; by email: info@ahrexpo.com; or online: www.ahrexpo.com.