August 1, 2010
Features
Several factors need to be addressed prior to determining the appropriate cooling-tower system for a facility with critical demands. Locations, such as data centers, medical centers, airports, and electronic-chip manufacturers, require special considerations in addition to the requirements of an average cooling-tower system....
HVAC design engineers face many choices throughout the planning process, perhaps few as crucial as that of fan equipment, a principal consumer of energy. This article will discuss options for improving energy efficiency when designing an HVAC system and selecting a fan....
Columns
It's been some time since we've heard cries for help regarding the degradation of the Earth's ozone layer and subsequent doom of life as we know it. But apparently, the keening has begun again....
In March, the International Code Council—with support from the American Institute of Architects; ASTM International; the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE); the U.S. Green Building Council; and the Illuminating Engineering Society—issued the first public version of the International Green Construction Code (IGCC). Although only a first draft, the IGCC is a commendable effort toward raising the bar in building quality. In particular, it is encouraging to see the commissioning (Cx) quality-assurance process defined more extensively than in previous codes and guidelines....
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) has handed down its first decision with respect to a third-party challenge to a LEED certification. It involves an appeal of the certification awarded to Northland Pines High School in Eagle River, Wis. Now, we must figure out how the challenge and the USGBC’s response to it impacts the certification and decertification processes moving forward....
Reading the article on the Industrial Boiler MACT Rule (“Understanding the Industrial Boiler MACT Rule,” June 2010, http://bit.ly/d1jFga) leads me to this question: Do we need to be addressing our boilers for compliance?...
Departments
Constructed in 1968, the Burdick Hall natatorium on the campus of Towson University in Towson, Md., lacked air conditioning, which resulted in a significant lack of temperature and humidity control. Furthermore, the ventilation equipment was in poor operating condition and well past its economic life....
Like many companies across the country, Harleysville Insurance is implementing energy-conservation measures that will help it become "greener" by better managing its energy consumption and, over time, reducing its overall energy costs. While the company has taken steps, such as reducing the electricity it uses for lighting, computers, and other electronic equipment and expanding its recycling efforts, a more significant green initiative revolves around the recent replacement of the outdated chiller plant in its home office in Harleysville, Pa., with a new thermal-storage solution designed to optimize energy savings....
At Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., lint was escaping two clothes-dryer venting systems and spreading throughout a four-story dormitory. Tom Laureyns, president of Four Seasons Heating & Cooling Inc. of nearby Dalton, Mass., identified several causes of the problem. ...
An upgrade to industrial and commercial high-pressure steam boilers, a transport-membrane-condenser (TMC) system enables the capture, recovery, and re-use of all sensible and latent waste heat, as well as water vapor from exhaust/flue gas. ...
A request for information came from the plumbing inspector shortly after the construction contract for a renovated school was signed. It said, "All water piping is undersized per Massachusetts Code and must be replaced. Please advise."...
News & Notes
U.S. construction employment edged closer to stabilization in June, as half of the states added construction jobs or saw no change from May, The Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America reports in an analysis of federal employment data. Compared with June 2009, construction employment rose in six states, the largest number of states to post year-over-year increases since October 2008. ...
In Congress’s efforts to seek ways of improving the energy efficiency of federal buildings, the U.S. House Subcommittee on Government Management, Organization, and Procurement held a hearing on July 21 to examine the federal government’s role in greening buildings....
A newly published high-performance green standard would provide a solid foundation on which the federal government could build its efforts to make its buildings more sustainable, according to testimony from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE). ...
"Energy Efficiency: Innovative Approaches, Proven Solutions" was the theme of the 21st Annual Energy Efficiency Forum, held June 15 and 16 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C....
The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) is seeking papers for its 2011 Annual Conference, which will be held June 25-29 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
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