Fastrack February 13, 2008

Maximizing Cooling-Tower Water Efficiency
By Kent Sovocool
Practical considerations for saving water in cooling towers...[MORE]

Free Download of Advanced Energy Design Guides
To promote building energy efficiency, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and its partners have posted the Advanced Energy Design Guides--including the newest, for K-12 school buildings--for free on ASHRAE's Website, www.ashrae.org. The guides offer designers and contractors the tools needed for achieving a 30-percent energy savings compared with buildings that meet the minimum requirements of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-1999, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings...[MORE]

DOE Releases Climate Vision Progress Report
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released the Climate Vision Progress Report 2007, which reports on the actions taken by energy-intensive industries to improve the greenhouse-gas-emissions intensity of their operations from 2002 to 2006. The report indicates that the power and energy-intensive industrial sectors improved their combined emissions intensity by 9.4 percent over this period, and in 2006, actual greenhouse-gas emissions for these sectors fell a combined 1.4 percent...[MORE]

Old Pipes Causing Problems in Massachusetts
The Clean Water Action group published a report that states $8 billion is need to fix Massachusetts' aging drinking-water infrastructure over the next 20 years: $6.6 billion to replace aging water mains, $877 million for treatment plants, $622 million for water storage facilities, and $318.2 million to develop new sources for public drinking-water supplies...[MORE]

Orange County Choppers Teams with Viega
Stars of the television show "American Chopper" presented a custom-made motorcycle to Dan Schmierer, chief executive officer of Viega, a global manufacturer and supplier of plumbing- and heating-technology products. The chopper includes the company's copper and stainless-steel fittings as part of its design. Viega plans to use the bike for marketing purposes and at trade shows across the United States. The episode of "American Chopper" that features the Viega chopper is scheduled to air March 20...[MORE]

Carrier Receives ASHRAE Innovation Awards
Carrier Corp. was honored with three American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Innovation Awards in New York City during the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo). Carrier's Evergreen 23XRV with Foxfire compression technology won the category the green-building category. AquaForce air-cooled chillers received honorable mention for the cooling award, and the Aero 39M air handler with Agion technology also received an honorable mention for the indoor-air-quality award...[MORE]

ARI Directory of Performance Certification Changes Website Address
There is a new Website address for the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute's (ARI's) Directory of Certified Product Performance. The Website, www.aridirectory.org, features a directory for consumers seeking information regarding the certified performance ratings of HVACR equipment...[MORE]

EGB to Return to Vegas in 2008!
Renowned green-building-industry leader and author Jerry Yudelson will present the keynote address for HPAC Engineering's fifth annual Engineering Green Buildings (EGB) Conference and Expo, which will be held Oct. 21 and 22 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

The EGB Conference and Expo is the only green-design event focused on green engineering applications as they apply to mechanical systems for commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings. The 2007 event attracted more than 300 participants, including mechanical-system designers and specifiers and manufacturers demonstrating the green characteristics and applications of their mechanical systems, components, equipment, products, technology, and services.

Individuals interested in attending or exhibiting at EGB 2008 should contact Jeff Ferenc, conference manager, at 312-848-8405 or jeff.ferenc@penton.com...[MORE]

HPAC Engineering Co-Sponsor of Global Engineering Conference
Designed for global consulting and design engineers, Carrier Corp.'s 10th Global Engineering Conference, co-sponsored by HPAC Engineering, will cover new technology and engineering topics in the HVAC industry. The event will focus on designing and building for sustainability and will take place April 9-11 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas...[MORE]