DOE Wants to Help You Improve Your Commercial HVAC Systems Efficiency

Our AEE chapter meeting in January was the kick off meeting for the George Washington University’s new student chapter. The speaker was Ms. Karen Butler, EPA’s National Manager Commercial Building Design Initiative – Energy Star.

As you might imagine, EPA’s interest in efficient building design and operation is to promote the reduction of energy consumption and the avoidance of the pollution that results from producing the unnecessary energy. The ‘Target Finder Tool’ is part of the EPA’s ‘Energy Star Portfolio’ a collection of no cost, on line tools that can help you design more energy efficient buildings, track their performance and compare them to similar, energy efficient commercial air conditioners, facilities.

http://altusmechanical.com/doe-want-to-help-you-improve-your-commercial-hvac-systems-efficiency/

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Air Conditioners for Human Comfort & Efficiency

Air conditioners are a must-have among many office spaces and commercial buildings. This is especially true of areas whose temperatures are too high for comfort.

An article on Bright Hub Engineering lists common sources of rising temperatures. The sun is the major cause of heat generation inside the room of an office or a building. Sun rays enter the room through the roof, walls, and windows of the building which results in the generation of heat within the room.

Other sources of generated heat are electrical and electronic appliances as well as the people themselves. If all these factors ‘work’ together in the same room, they can lead to highly uncomfortable levels of heat. As a result, air conditioning becomes a necessity to counteract these conditions.

The article also lists some of the advantages of an air-conditioned environment. According to research, people tends to tire faster in hot temperatures. Additionally, air that is free of dust can circulate inside the room and create a healthy atmosphere. Lastly, outside noise has virtually no way to enter an air-conditioned room because there is no need to open the windows.

All in all, air conditioners and other commercial HVAC systems can provide several benefits that contribute to human efficiency and inhibit the creation of an uncomfortable atmosphere.

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