With fuel prices going through the roof, more building owners are looking for opportunities to reduce costs that go through the boiler. See how one apartment complex lowered expenses by lowering return temperature, then check out a list of adjustments big and small that could pay off for existing systems. By Joanna R. Turpin
Even the home of the 82nd Airborne Division has had to face the special forces created by deferred maintenance and budget cuts. Conservation measures combined with retrofits that included new piping, a solar turbine, a new chiller, and much more. As a result, Fort Bragg is fighting the good fight and winning both savings and better conditions. By Joanna Turpin
While it's certain that people will demand quality medications, it's more certain that the demands of producing those pharmaceutical products will be considerable and detailed. Dehumidification advances are allowing the industry to maintain more precise control, with more energy efficiency. Whether the task is custom design, filtration, or juggling the setpoints for pill coating and gel tablet processes, there's an answer on the market. By Joanna R. Turpin
ASHRAE 170P, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities, could receive public review as soon as this fall. While it has been designed thus far with clarity in mind, the simplicity of language belies sophisticated modeling that finds air speed and direction just as important as number of air changes in the operating room. Let this article about particles explain the factors surrounding the patient's thermal plume and what it could mean for future designs. By Joanna R. Turpin
Mechanical rooms located between classrooms and containing high levels of carbon monoxide? Shoreline Community College was concerned enough that it set about a course of retrofits. Several new boilers later, things are running more efficiently throughout campus while keeping the school out of code-related hot water. By the time the consulting firm and college finished, this class in comparative boiler systems included some controls, venting, and lighting improvements as well. By Joanna R. Turpin
When the University of Arizona embarked on its integration project, it signed up for one tough course in controls, vendors, and protocols. The syllabus also included cogeneration, thermal storage, and even condensate return systems. Show your work by installing metering, then reconcile the BAS with the life safety system for extra credit, and that's the class. By Joanna R. Turpin
Some may think that portable cooling is basically bringing in the unit and flipping the switch. However, the applications range from flower warehouses to symphony spaces and beyond, and their respective cooling solutions need to suit those different needs. One of these companies even decided to buy instead of rent, while another facility found that portable heating was the coolest fit of all. By Joanna R. Turpin
As discussed in January, integrating fire alarm, smoke control, and other life safety systems with BAS can be expensive and complex, which is why many system designers are often more comfortable keeping building systems as separate entities. Endusers, however, are starting to ask why their systems can't be integrated, citing the potential benefits of interoperability and shared resources. This month, we conclude by looking at the protocol issues and the numerous benefits that can come from integrating life safety and BAS. By Joanna R. Turpin
When it comes to managing noise levels in VAV systems, there's more there than meets the ear. How much is too much? That's a good place to start. After that, silencers, duct liners, and vinyl flexible duct are but three tools at your disposal. Elsewhere, designers may face a less predictable predicament: What is too little noise? Consider these angles to master the sound of success. By Joanna R. Turpin
The options for connecting these two important systems vary from old-fashioned hard wiring to a single, integrated workstation. While the latter offers simplified notification expenses or a reduction in necessary parts, integrated systems also entail code requirements and a need to balance streamlined performance with an adequate level of system independence. By Joanna Turpin