If you work in building services, HVAC or building performance, you will regularly come across CIBSE, ASHRAE and AIRAH. These organisations publish some of the main technical guidance used across major English-speaking markets, but they are not direct equivalents.
This blog explains what each organisation is, the types of guidance it publishes and which documents are broadly comparable across different building services disciplines.
Which guidance is used in each market?
| Market | Main source of design guidance |
|---|---|
| United States | ASHRAE |
| Canada | ASHRAE |
| United Kingdom | CIBSE |
| Ireland | CIBSE + SEAI methodologies |
| Australia | AIRAH |
| New Zealand | AIRAH + ASHRAE |
The UK, US and Australia have the most developed standalone guidance libraries of the markets shown here. Canada, Ireland and New Zealand also make significant use of guidance developed elsewhere.
What is CIBSE?
CIBSE, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, is the UK professional body for building services engineering. Its guidance covers heating, ventilation, air conditioning, lighting, public health, controls, lifts, energy, sustainability and maintenance.
CIBSE publishes several families of documents. The CIBSE Guides provide broad technical reference material, while Technical Memoranda (TMs) give more focused guidance on particular subjects or methodologies. Examples include TM52 and TM59 for overheating, TM54 for operational energy and TM65 for embodied carbon.
It also publishes Applications Manuals, Commissioning Codes and Codes of Practice. CIBSE brings these together on its official Engineering Guidance page. Browse CIBSE Engineering Guidance
What is ASHRAE?
ASHRAE is an international technical society with particularly strong coverage of heating, ventilation, air conditioning, refrigeration, indoor environmental quality and building energy.
Its main reference library is the ASHRAE Handbook, which has four volumes: Fundamentals, HVAC Systems and Equipment, HVAC Applications and Refrigeration. Fundamentals is widely used for subjects such as load calculations, psychrometrics and climatic design data.
ASHRAE also publishes Standards and Guidelines. These include Standard 55 for thermal comfort, 62.1 and 62.2 for ventilation and 90.1 for building energy. Standards are more prescriptive than Handbook guidance and may be referenced by codes and other requirements.
Browse the ASHRAE Handbook
Browse ASHRAE Standards and Guidelines
What is AIRAH?
AIRAH is the Australian professional body representing people working in HVAC&R and building services. Its technical guidance is more concentrated on HVAC and refrigeration than CIBSE’s wider building-services library.
A major part of its guidance is the Design Application (DA) manual series. These are practical documents for HVAC&R design and operation. Examples include DA03 for ductwork, DA07 for moisture control, DA09 for load estimation and psychrometrics, DA20 for humid tropical air conditioning and DA27 for building commissioning.
AIRAH also publishes other technical resources and handbooks through its resource library.
Browse AIRAH Technical Resources
Browse AIRAH Design Application Manuals
How does the guidance compare?
There is no exact one-to-one match, but this gives a useful starting point:
| Discipline | UK / CIBSE | US & Canada / ASHRAE | Australia & NZ / AIRAH |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heating & cooling loads | Guide A / B | Handbook: Fundamentals | DA09 |
| HVAC systems | Guide B | Handbook: Systems & Equipment | DA manuals |
| Ventilation & IAQ | Guide B | 62.1 / 62.2 | DA26 |
| Thermal comfort | Guide A | Standard 55 | AIRAH guidance |
| Energy efficiency | Guide F | Standard 90.1 | Local code + AIRAH guidance |
| Overheating | TM52 / TM59 | No direct equivalent | No direct equivalent |
| Commissioning | Commissioning Codes | ASHRAE guidance | DA27 |
| Refrigeration | Guide B | Handbook: Refrigeration | DA manuals |
| Controls / BMS | Guide H | ASHRAE guidance | DA28 |
| Lighting | CIBSE / SLL | Outside core scope | Outside core scope |
| Lifts | Guide D | Outside core scope | Outside core scope |
These documents are best treated as comparable sources of technical guidance rather than direct substitutes. The appropriate reference will depend on the project location, applicable regulations and design methodology.