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...

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Variable Frequency Drives in Single Zone Rooftop HVAC Units as Installed by Commercial HVAC Contractors

It is our understanding that VFDs are now required in single zone units in California and that other states may follow. ASHRAE standard 90.1-2010 requires VFDs in single zone, direct expansion (DX) units with cooling capacities of greater than 9.1 tons. If you are not familiar with the term, DX units are your typical package rooftop units which have internal compressors. ASHRAE standard 18931-2009 also requires VFDs in single zone DX units with cooling capacities of greater than 9.1 tons and, in addition, two stages of cooling in units with cooling...

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Benefits of HVAC Maintenance for Businesses

The recent American cold wave has affected a lot of American cities. The record low temperatures and high levels of snowfall has affected education, services and transportation. The extreme weather reminded a lot of communities of the importance of heat in people’s lives. Heat is usually provided to homes and buildings by furnaces and similar heating systems. Like a lot of other machines, however, furnaces tend to malfunction after a certain period of time. This is the reason why HVAC maintenance is required for both commercial and residential...

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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...

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