Last edited 28 Oct 2020

CIBSE guide B

The Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) supports '…the science, art and practice of building services engineering, by providing our members and the public with first class information and education services and promoting the spirit of fellowship which guides our work.'

CIBSE Guide B: Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, provides guidance on good practice for the design of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC). It has been developed over more than 70 years, with the Steering Groups for each edition reflecting the evolution of technology and priorities within the industry.

The 2016 edition, published on 13 July 2016, updates and expanded the previous 2001 edition (last updated in 2005) to reflect the introduction of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which requires that regulations are based on calculations that integrate the impact of the building envelope and building services systems. It also takes into account the development of new technology and provides revised sections on noise and vibration control.

It is provided as 4 separate volumes:

Guide B1: Heating, including hot water systems and an appendix on hydronic systems, which is also applicable to chilled water systems.
Guide B2: Ventilation and ductwork.
Guide B3: Air conditioning and refrigeration.
Guide B4: Noise and vibration control for building services systems (applicable to all systems).

Two additional guides are also available:

Guide B0: Applications and activities: HVAC Strategies for Common Building Types.
Guide B Index: Combined index to the 4 volumes.

Roger Hitchin, Chair of the Guide B Steering Committee, said: “We are delighted to be able to release this comprehensive update to Guide B, which has required years of stringent work as one of CIBSE's most important guides to one of its core areas of expertise.

“The inclusion of Part 0 to the new Guide has been driven by changes we have seen in the industry, which has seen more and more engineers join building services from other disciplines or more general engineering degrees. The intention is to make this transition easier and to make their future work more effective by helping them to understand the issues created by different contexts, and their relevance to HVAC design.”