Fastrack May 27, 2008

An Inside Look at Air-Filter Selection
By David Matela, CAFS
Proper filter selection can help buildings guard against particulate pollutants and boost indoor-air quality...MORE

HPAC Engineering Webinar Series: Grease Ducts: New Generation

May 28, 2008 @ 2 p.m. ET
Sponsor Selkirk, http://www.selkirkcorp.com

Conventional grease ducts are field-welded and require 18-in. clearance to combustibles. In most cases, these ducts are field-wrapped with insulation to reduce clearance to combustibles and provide fire-resistance rating. The new generation of factory-built grease ducts offers a better alternative to conventional and field-wrapped grease ducts. This Webinar examines these new modular grease-duct systems, which offer zero clearance to combustibles and fire-resistance ratings; discusses the certification testing they undergo; covers the standards and codes with which they comply; and describes their features and benefits. Participants will be educated about a new modular, non-field-welded, insulated grease duct and its features and benefits; the fire tests this grease duct undergoes for listing; and the standards and codes with which this grease duct complies...MORE

HPAC Engineering Webinar Series Archive
Unable to attend a past HPAC Engineering Webinar? Log on to HPAC Engineering's Website and download past Webinars. Additional Webinar topics covered include lower energy costs with rooftop package units, pumping and piping systems for tall buildings, rightsizing rooftop equipment, and new trends in laboratory exhaust...MORE

Energy Design Guide for Small Warehouses
"The Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small Warehouses and Self-Storage Buildings," a guide published by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), instructs architects and engineers on how to use best practices to create energy-saving warehouses. The guide covers warehouses up to 50,000 sq ft and self-storage buildings that use unitary heating and air-conditioning equipment. Download the guide for free at http://www.ashrae.org/publications/page/1604.

Open for Public Comment: Improvements to the LEED Green Building Rating System
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) opened a public-comment period on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) 2009, the next evolution of the LEED green-building certification system. LEED 2009 represents a reorganization of the existing LEED rating system for commercial buildings, combined with technical advancements focused on improving energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions. Detailed information about specific proposed technical changes to the rating system can be found on the USGBC's Website...MORE

Reverberant Room Method for Sound Testing of Fans
Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International announced that the Board of Standards Review of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved ANSI/AMCA Standard 300-08, Reverberant Room Method for Sound Testing of Fans, which establishes a method of determining the octave-band sound-power levels of a fan. The method is reproducible when all requirements are met...MORE

Commissioning and Green Design -- A Natural Combination
The majority of new buildings are not built with energy efficiency in mind, and most of the 5 million existing commercial buildings in the United States have never undergone any type of commissioning or quality-assurance process. As a result, they use more energy, cost more to operate, and perform well below their potential. Conversely, buildings that have been properly commissioned perform better and are more energy-efficient. Yet the idea that commissioning is an unnecessary additional cost often prevails...MORE

Design/Build Seminar Set to Return in November
Building on the success of 2007, the 2008 Commercial Contracting Roundtable & Design/Build Seminar is back and better than ever. Mark your calendars and plan to join Contracting Business magazine on Nov. 12 and 13 at Hilton Atlanta Airport Hotel in Atlanta, Ga. This is an important event for design engineers looking to make the most of the opportunities in the commercial HVACR market...MORE