The Adam Joseph Lewis Center for Environmental Studies on the campus of Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, is one of the nation’s most widely publicized green buildings. It was conceived to be a zero-energy building. However, data clearly show that from 2000 through 2011, there was not one year the building’s photovoltaic arrays produced as much energy as the building consumed.
Despite a long and impressive history—it originated with the ancient Romans and was advanced by Thomas Edison—district energy is underappreciated in the United States. It is growing—at present, there are approximately 2,500 systems operating in all 50 states—but not at the pace it is elsewhere. In the Middle East and across Europe and Scandinavia in particular, district energy is extremely popular. Why is it so much less so in the target-rich United States? This article offers an explanation and is intended to inspire discussion of and interest in district energy for the heating and cooling of buildings....More
When it comes to boiler burners, emissions reduction often can come at the expense of efficiency and vice versa. Here are the latest emission-control technologies that are being used....More
Sporlan, a division of Parker Hannifin Corp., recently released ChillMaster P-T Chart, a pressure-temperature mobile application intended to help HVACR service technicians diagnose system issues more quickly....More
Built in 1929, 1500 Walnut Street is a 22-story, 270,000-sq-ft commercial building in Philadelphia. When SSH Real Estate purchased the property in 2005, it was faced with a failing HVAC system....More
Air infiltration long has been a little-understood or even ignored factor when it comes to energy efficiency in commercial buildings. Engineers understand it exists, but tolerate its existence by simply accounting for it in heating- and cooling-system design....More
When selecting valves for HVAC and hydronic systems you must first consider the application requirements and then consider the characteristics necessary to meet those requirements....More
As air-conditioning equipment ages, its ability to maintain adequate space temperatures and humidity levels declines. Often, the culprit is reduced coil heat-transfer effectiveness, or the ability of air-handling-unit cooling coils to remove heat from air. Evidence shows this drop in performance can occur within five years of startup....More
When Paul Case and son Brian Case, owners of Kolani Distillers, decided to convert an old sugar mill in Paia, on the island of Maui, into a rum distillery, they knew they needed a reliable cooling tower....More
