ASHRAE: American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers

American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) was founded in the year 1894. It is an international organization with the membership of more than 50,000 people. ASHRAE was formed by the merger of two eminent societies, American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers (ASHVE), and the American Society of Refrigerating Engineers (ASRE), in the year 1959. Both the earlier societies had carried out extensive research in the field of heating, refrigeration and air-conditioning. Most of the principles of HVAC are based on their findings.

With the combination of two great societies, ASHRAE has been advancing the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R). ASHRAE has made its mission to contribute to the advancement of HVAC&R for the benefit of humanity.

In this endeavor, ASHRAE has been carrying out extensive research, writing a number of standards, publishing various educational materials and conducting various educational courses. ASHRAE has also been carrying various training courses to train the professionals in the field of HVAC&R.

ASHRAE develops the standards, related to refrigeration and air-conditioning, for the members and the professionals who are involved into designing, installing, operating and maintenance of these systems. The standards have been written for the testing of the HVAC&R equipments, their designing and their operation.

ASHRAE Learning Institute offers various types of courses for professionals in the field of HVAC&R. The courses are as short as 3-4 hours, or one to two days long and even longer online courses. The ASHRAE eLearning website offers access to all the HVAC&R online courses for the subscription of 12-months. The online courses are in great demand by the individuals as well as corporate training. The certificate programs of ASHRAE have been designed by the industry practitioners who have extensive knowledge and experience in HVAC&R design and system operations.

In the year 1994, ASHRAE took one more important initiative creating ASHRAE Foundation. Its aim is to support professional development and research programs in the field of HVAC&R. It also encourages the development of engineering students in this field by offering them scholarships. This ensures that the society’s work is expanded further. ASHRAE Foundation has understood the need of the financial support and education for the HVAC&R professionals to prepare them for the future challenges.