The Triangle ASHRAE Chapter, was established by ASHRAE society member engineers, contractors, and suppliers serving the HVAC industry of the Triangle region to promote the advancement of sustainable technology for the built environment.

The Triangle Chapter was officially chartered in 1969 with Earl Cook serving as the first president and has Raleigh, NC as its headquarters.  The Triangle was the third chapter chartered in North Carolina with the original chapter started in 1939 covering the entire state.  The North Piedmont Chapter was formed in 1952 and had Greensboro as its headquarters.  The Triangle Chapter was formed out of the North Piedmont Chapter in 1969.

The original founders include Earl Cook, L.R. Gorrell, Rollie Hanna, Paul Stahl, and Bob McDonald.  It took about one year from the initial meeting to achieve the charter.   In 1968, membership stood a 28 and has grown to over 450 members in 2013-2014.   

The chapter supports local student university chapters in the region, including the fourth oldest and active chapter in the nation at NCSU (est 1948). Triangle ASHRAE and its members provide local engineering students scholarship opportunities with "The Paul O. Stahl Memorial Scholarship Fund" in memory of one of its founding members and "The Manuel Gonzalez Scholarship", named after and in honor of NCSU student faulty adviser, Dr. Gonzalez.

The Triangle Chapter has won numerous regional awards throughout the years. In 2006, Mrs. Nancy Jean Oswald Clements (Triangle Chapter President 2006-2007) helped lay the foundation for chapter operations in a new era, establishing the first website and setting the bar high on raising funds for ASHRAE Research Promotion.  The chapter took home more regional awards than during any other in the chapter's history, including the 2011-2012 Rudy Ferguson Award as the top performing ASHRAE chapter in the southeast Region IV with JD Howard serving as Chapter President. Following Nancy's untimely death in 2013, a trust was established in her honor for ASHRAE Research Promotion sponsored by the chapter.

The chapter is proud of its leadership role at the society level. Numerous members have served on Technical Committees at the ASHRAE society level and as Regional Vice Chairpersons for Region IV.  

In 2014-2015, former member Thomas H. Phoenix became the first Triangle Chapter President (1987-1988) to serve as society ASHRAE President, presiding over the whole 53,000 global volunteer member network of ASHRAE in over 132 nations. Ginger Scoggins (Triangle President 1995-96) followed in his footsteps to serve as the national ASHRAE president in 2023-2024.