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Cover Story

Building On A Swedish Tradition

The American Swedish Institute looked homeward to plan for its future, using geothermal technology to achieve high-performance energy solutions in an urban setting.

April 26, 2013

By Craig Lemma and Scott Litchty, P.E.

One Comment

Reflecting a long-established Swedish commitment to environmental stewardship, the Nelson Cultural Center addition at the American Swedish Institute (ASI) in Minneapolis integrates several technically advanced sustainable features, including a high-efficiency geothermal heating and cooling system that reduces energy consumption by nearly 30 percent (based on an ASHRAE 90.1 baseline) while supporting the Institute’s diverse community programming.

Case In Point

Green design model retrofit uses boilers in effort to LEED by example

Electricity and natural gas costs were reduced at the Environmental Way building, thanks to hydronic boilers.

February 28, 2013

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For David Bowles, a former IBM corporate facility in Charlotte, NC was much more than an abandoned eyesore.

Case In Point

Exploratorium’s new waterfront home dips into the Bay for radiant system

January 30, 2013

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When it comes to celebrating the new Exploratorium museum project, located at Pier 15 along San Francisco’s Embarcadero, the engineering and systems design professionals at Integral Group tend to take it a bit … well, personally.

Married at the Courthouse: VRF & Geothermal

January 30, 2013

By Vic Amoroso, P.E.

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The author’s longtime interest in bundling efficiency techniques in a single system eventually led him to a new pairing: VRF zoning technology and geothermal design. See how he got there and how this couple played out for an historic 107-year-old Iowa courthouse that serves the law through the area’s brutal winters and humid summers.

Retrofitting Primary Chilled Water Pumps With VFDs

November 26, 2012

By Eric O'Neill

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Take a large hospital, subtract unexamined rules of thumb, add meaningful incremental improvements like VFD’s and a controls upgrade, and what do you get? Smarter engineering via improved performance for both the pumps and the chillers. But it all starts with one little question.

Pumping and Flow Controls in Geothermal Heat Pump Systems

November 9, 2012

By Stephen Hamstra P.E., ASHRAE HBDP LEED AP,

One Comment

What are the key technical challenges and design options for optimizing a geothermal heat pump design? Review the pros and cons involved with centralized or distributed pumping, with hybrid or decoupled systems, and with the controls that can guide them.

Case in Pont

Sleeping easier: Vermont hotel’s pump retrofit gives peace to both patrons and facility manager

November 9, 2012

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Kevin Amyot had serious qualms last spring when contractor Ed Friedrich first proposed a major pump-retrofit project at the Sunset Motor Inn, one of the properties Amyot manages for the H. A. Manosh Corporation in Morrisville, VT. Friedrich’s $13,000 estimate called for the replacement of 18 fixed-speed circulating pumps in the heating system at the Sunset with 10 circulators from the Grundfos Pumps Corporation.

Geothermal Think Tank Takes On The Extraordinary Job

August 27, 2012

By Dan Vastyan

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For the massive 235,000-sq-ft Merrimack County Nursing Home in New Hampshire, the geothermal source available nearby may not have been the fountain of youth, but it did prove key to the center’s “uber-green” mechanical system retrofit. See how the companies involved brought together 16 wells, over 300 water-to-air heat pumps, and the rest of the 615-ton system to serve this 290-bed facility.

Take Control Of Your System With Differential Pressure Control

April 30, 2012

By Bjarne Andreasen

No Comments

Effective hydronics, like many things in life, is about maintaining balance. Learn more about achieving the three key conditions necessary for giving your modern controller a fighting chance to do its job.

Energy audit, personal guarantee sell management on booster system retrofit

February 2, 2012

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Veteran New York plumbing contractor Evan Samouhos was so confident in the potential energy savings offered by a new domestic water booster pump system that he fronted the purchase himself.

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3/20/13 2:00 pm EST

Risk and Reward within Reason – Identifying Data Center Best Practices via Lessons Learned and CFD Analysis

On-Demand The presentation will be a discussion of current and emerging mechanical best practices informed by real world experience and project based analysis.

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