ASHRAE 62-2001: World Class Indoor Air Quality begins with World Class Standards

The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is made up of representatives from all vantages of the heating, ventilation, refrigeration, and air-conditioning (HVAC) industry. Together, Society members draft standards and guidelines that provide counsel on most aspects of HVAC system selection, design, application, commissioning, safety, and operational criteria from a broad spectrum of HVAC systems. State and local authorities frequently adopt these standards and write them into their codes.

The ASHRAE 62-001 standard provides basic equipment and system requirements and minimum ventilation rates which are expected to result in indoor air quality "acceptable" to human occupants. The standard is based on the meaning and purpose of the various provisions and it's implementation is intended to help minimize adverse health effects. As a "peer-generated and -reviewed" standard, it establishes the IAQ-related standard of care for the design, construction, startup, operation, and maintenance of ventilation systems in commercial buildings.

The four pillars of world class Indoor Air Quality(IAQ) are:

• Contamination source control
• Proper ventilation
• Humidity management
• Adequate filtration