Water heating is the second largest energy load after space conditioning in residential buildings. The US Department of Energy has recently completed regulatory proceedings to update the test procedure and minimum energy efficiency standards for residential and residential-duty commercial water heaters to use the new Uniform Energy Factor metric. The Department is currently updating the minimum energy efficiency standards for commercial water heaters. This panel discusses the strengths and shortcomings of the regulations, the rulemaking process and ASHRAE's role in it. The panelists include the Department of Energy's engineer in charge of these regulations, AHRI's Chief Technical Advisor representing the water heater manufacturers and a representative from an efficiency advocacy organization who is also on ASHRAE RAC.

Radiant heating and cooling systems have been proven as an effective strategy for reducing building energy usage while maintaining optimum thermal occupant comfort. This panel, featuring some of the leaders in the application of radiant systems, discusses some of the pitfalls, challenges and success stories associated with a number of landmark radiant installations throughout the world and provides valuable insights so that today's practitioners can design more effective and efficient systems.