President’s Message

Happy Spring ASHRAE Madison Chapter!

As Spring marches on in it is typical fits and starts, we are looking forward to more great learning opportunities and participate in chapter happenings. Fret Betz talked to the chapter about Hospital Decarbonization.

This Month we are welcoming Tim Wentz who will be doing two presentations for us, including “A Human Behavior Approach to Net Zero Energy Buildings” which I sat in on last CRC. I enjoyed it and I expect you will too.

Speaking of CRC, our committee is in full swing, but that does not mean you cannot join the effort. Ask now about CRC, membership promotion, and CTTC committee opportunities.

We are also promoting a bring a guest this month with a twenty $10 gift card available to the first ten guests and the first ten members who bring those guests (max one card per member and/or guest, guests and members note who you are within the comments on your registration).

We also have a great volunteer opportunity at the UW Madison Engineering Expo. Spots are filling up soon, so use this link to sign up for time:

 https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A44AFAE28A6FBC25-62788463-2026#/

Lastly, its scholarship season, so look on our website for information.

Hope to see you at the meeting this month!

James R. Vander Zanden
Madison ASHRAE Chapter President 2025-2026
[email protected]

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Meeting Announcement

April 13th 2026 REGISTRATION CLOSES NOON ON THE 10th	Add Meeting To Calendar
Location: Best Western InnTowner 2424 University Ave Madison, WI 53726  Direction Link
$   30.00    Madison ASHRAE Member $   40.00    Guest (non-Madison ASHRAE member) $     N/C     Currently Enrolled Full-Time Students Only $     N/C     Board of Governors

Tech Session: 5:00 pm - Back to the Future: Our Industry in 2030
This presentation will explore some of the emerging trends and technologies that will likely shape our future. As with any dramatic change, both danger and opportunity will manifest themselves, requiring us to create innovative, imaginative approaches to seize the opportunities.

Dinner:  6:00 pm

Main Session: 6:30 pm - A Human Behavior Approach to Net Zero Energy Buildings, Tim Wentz
The presentation provides a brief overview of the importance of Net Zero Energy (NZE) buildings and the process recommended by ASHRAE to design, construct, operate, and maintain an NZE building. The presentation then demonstrates how fundamental human behavioral tendencies can be used to address Step 1 (Analysis of user demand/behavior that fully meets user expectations) and Step 6 (Eliminate the “energy gap” between design (as designed) and operation (in operation). By understanding and applying human behavioral tendencies, we can “shape” the expectations found in Step 1 to better align with societal goals, such as protecting our environment, and through social proofing within ASHRAE’s bEQ program to eliminate the “energy gap” found in Step 6. Addressing these two steps is a critical component in producing an NZE building, and the two steps are most often overlooked by the design, construction, operation, and maintenance team.

DL Presenter Bio: Tim Wentz
Tim is an Emeritus Professor of Construction Management at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln, where he is still active, serving on various faculty endeavors, such as the Chancellor’s Sustainability and Resilience Commission.

Tim has served the Society in many different capacities. He started his ASHRAE career in 1976 after graduating from the University of Nebraska and worked in a grassroots capacity for many years. He is a past president of the Nebraska Chapter, past DRC of Region IX, and Society president in 2016-2017. He received an ASHRAE Technology Award in 1987, the Region IX Chapter President of the Year, Region IX Hall of Honor in 2005, the E. K. Campbell Award of Merit for Teaching in 2000, the Distinguished Service Award in 2013, and the Exceptional Service Award in 2015. Tim was named an ASHRAE Fellow in 2005.

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DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)

Here's another great opportunity to spark a young person's interest in engineering at the UW-Madison Engineering Expo on April 17th and 18th!  This will be the Chapter's 3rd year participating, and we need YOU to help staff the booth.  Don't worry... we already have an activity prepared and you'll receive instructions.  We still have openings available.  Follow the link to sign up for a shift!

Caryn Rader, P.E., LEED AP BD+C
DEI Committee Chair

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Membership

Welcome to our newest members: Joshua Helgeson, Matthew Fluette, Don Johnston, and Ankur Aggarwal!  We hope to see you at the next monthly Chapter meeting!  

What's new in Membership Promotion?  April 13th is Membership Promotion Night!  We'll be recognizing three members that have hit 25-year and 30-year membership milestones this year!  We're also encouraging members to bring a guest.  Do you have a colleague or coworker you know could benefit from participation in the Chapter?  Here's a little extra incentive:  Both member and guest will receive a $10 gift card (limit one per person to the first 20 eligible recipients).  

Summary of Chapter Membership:

Contact the Madison Chapter Membership Chair,  [email protected] if you have questions or comments about ASHRAE Membership.

Caryn Rader, P.E., LEED AP BD+C
Membership Promotion Committee Chair

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CRC

St. Louis is hosting the Region VI CRC this year, May 7th-9th, at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark.  The full schedule and registration are available at their website.  Three tracks are available, two of which are Technical Content and Professional Development/Business Management.  Conference registration and Hotel registration are open on the website and here:

      CRC 2026 Registration
      Hotel Reservation

Technical topics include automatic control valves, variable chiller plants, steam plants, legionella risk management, grid impacts on electrification, AI-driven chiller optimization, heat pumps, adiabatic fluid coolers, decarbonizing with air-to-water heat pump chillers, ethical dilemmas, "everything is important", generations, and communications.

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Sustainability

Join the City of Madison and AIA for a tour of the Bartillon Shetler – a purpose-built, permanent men’s shelter designed to provide dignified, supportive housing for up to 250 residents. The facility tour will address the LEED Gold design, trauma-informed design principles, and sustainable construction. John Evans will be part of the tour   on May 7^th. Please register for the event on the AIA website, through our event showne HERE.

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Meeting Minutes

Recent BOG Meeting Minutes:

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Treasurer’s Report

Recent Treasurer's Reports:

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Meeting Schedule

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Society News Releases

Recent ASHRAE News:

ASHRAE and UNEP Approve Two-Year Work Plan Focused on Life Cycle Refrigerant Management
ATLANTA (February 19, 2026) ASHRAE and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have approved a new two-year work plan titled Life Cycle Refrigerant Management (LCRM), reinforcing their long-standing partnership to advance sustainable refrigerant practices worldwide. The plan was adopted during the 2026 ASHRAE Winter Conference in Las Vegas. 

ASHRAE Concludes 2026 Winter Conference and AHR Expo with Strong Momentum for Indoor Environmental Quality and Healthy Buildings
ATLANTA (February 6, 2026) ASHRAE concluded its 2026 Winter Conference in Las Vegas with renewed momentum around indoor environmental quality (IEQ), healthy buildings and the evolving role of HVAC&R professionals in shaping the future of the built environment.

ASHRAE Announces Nominees for 2026-27 Slate of Officers and Directors
ATLANTA (February 2, 2026) ASHRAE is pleased to announce its nominees for the 2026-27 slate of officers and directors. 

ASHRAE Celebrates Outstanding Member Contributions at 2026 Winter Conference
ATLANTA (February 1, 2026) ASHRAE honored members whose leadership, innovation and service have made a lasting impact on the Society and the built environment during its 2026 Winter Conference, held in Las Vegas. The recognitions highlight the distinct ways ASHRAE members advance building performance, sustainability and the HVAC&R profession worldwide. A list of the awards and recipients are below. 

For more information, follow HERE.

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