Thursday, November 13, 2008

November 20 Meeting: Geothermal Heat Pumps

This month Kris Kyler of Indiana Geothermal will present on commercial applications of geothermal heat pump systems. Mr. Kyler owned and operated Kyler Brothers Services 1989 to 2006. The largest residential Climatemaster installation contractor in Indiana. The last year that Mr. Kyler owned KBS they installed approximately 150 geothermal systems.

Mr. Kyler currently owns and operates Indiana Geothermal. They are a residential and commercial closed loop earth loop installation contractor and residential Climatemaster equipment distributor. Indiana Geothermal's largest job to date was in excess of 500 tons.

Mr. Kyler graduated from ITT tech in 1984. He currently holds an Indianapolis Commercial HVAC License and is an IGSHPA accredited installer and Certified Geothermal Designer (GCD).

Please come and join us at either of our meetings. Anyone is free come. Please pass this invitation along to anyone who might be interested.

Lunch Meeting
Cost: $15 (includes lunch & drinks)
Check-in: 11:30 am - Noon EST
Lunch/Program: Noon - 1:00 pm EST

Tippecanoe Place
620 W. Washington St.
South Bend, IN

Dinner Meeting
Cost: $20 (includes dinner & drinks)
Check-in: 5:30 pm - 6:00 CST
Dinner/Program: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm CST

Margaritas Bar & Grill
19606 Burnham Ave
Lynwood, IL 60411

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Indiana Energy Forum at Pudue Calumet

NEWS RELEASE:

Originally posted at http://www.calumet.purdue.edu/news/releases/08-10-17_energy_wbez_forum.html

Indiana energy needs focus of WBEZ/Chicago Matters public forum, Oct. 28

Purdue University Calumet is hosting a Community Forum, focusing on Indiana’s energy needs and sponsored by Chicago Public Radio Station WBEZ (91.5 fm) and Chicago Matters: Growing Forward series, Tuesday, Oct. 28.

The hour-long forum begins at 6 p.m. in The Calumet Conference Center, located at the far south end of the Purdue Calumet campus. It will be broadcast live on WBEZ. A pre-broadcast reception starts at 5 p.m.

During the forum, Chicago Public Radio’s Gabriel Spitzer and northwest Indiana reporter Michael Puente will discuss the state of Indiana energy and related needs with Purdue University Professor of Agricultural Economics Otto Doering; Indiana Center for Coal Technology Research Director Marty Irwin; Hoosier Environmental Council Executive Director Jesse Kharbanda; and Celina Weatherwax, director of the Northwest Indiana Office of Indiana Senator Richard Lugar.

"We're excited to invite the public to an open forum to discuss Indiana's energy needs," said Sally Eisele, managing editor of public affairs for Chicago Public Radio. "Here's a great opportunity to get your questions answered by our local reporters, as well as policy makers, business leaders and environmentalists."

The event is free, but attendees are asked to RSVP to secure a seat for the broadcast by contacting Chicago Public Radio’s Alexandra Salomon at asalomon@chicagopublicradio.org or by phoning 312/893-2929.

News Release Date: October 17, 2008

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

This month our meetings will be on Thursday, October 16.

This month we are promoting membership and encouraging people to sign up. I have attached the standard and student member applications. Please bring a friend who may be interested in signing up. Please see ASHRAE's membership page for more information. If you are already a member, please consider upgrading your membership if you haven't done so already!

Daniel Harris, Technical Manager of Dadanco, will be presenting on Chilled Beam technology. This has been popular around the world as an alternative form of cooling from typical mixing ventilation. It is an up and coming technology here in the United States with potential green applications.

Daniel Harris graduated from the University of Adelaide in 2002 with an Honors Degree in Mechanical Engineering. Upon graduation, he joined BESTEC, the largest consulting engineering company in South Australia and held the position of Senior Mechanical Engineer within 3 years. Daniel worked on many high profile projects and designed a number of projects with Active Chilled Beams.

In 2005, Daniel joined Dadanco in the role of Technical Manager and was responsible for all engineering departments and projects throughout Oceania, Europe and the Americas. Daniel has a keen interest in projects that utilize new technology and has worked in developing new and improved products with Dadanco with an emphasis on energy and cost reduction.

Dadanco Pty Ltd, headquartered in Adelaide, Australia, is the leading manufacturer of active chilled beams in Australia. In mid-2007 Mestek and Dadanco formed a joint venture to produce active chilled beams, induction diffusers and induction units for the North and South American markets. The products are produced in the USA in Mestek’s manufacturing facility in Wyalusing, PA. Daniel holds the position of Director of Engineering with the Dadanco LLC joint venture and oversees all of the engineering, technical decisions and manufacturing partner relationship.

Daniel is an accredited professional in the Australian equivalent of LEED (Green Building Council of Australia) and has worked on many green certified projects that utilize energy efficient HVAC technologies. Daniel and his wife, Iluka and daughter Keala, reside in Westfield, MA.

Anyone may come and attend our meetings. They are not exclusive to members. Please invite anyone who may be interested.

Please RSVP by Tuesday, October 14

Lunch Meeting
Cost: $15 (includes lunch & drinks)
Check-in: 11:30 am - Noon EDT
Lunch/Program: Noon - 1:00 pm EDT

Tippecanoe Place
620 W. Washington St.
South Bend, IN

Dinner Meeting
Cost: $20
Check-in: 5:30 pm - 6:00 CDT
Dinner/Program: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm CDT

Margaritas Bar & Grill
19606 Burnham Ave
Lynwood, IL 60411



Monday, October 6, 2008

Congress Extends Energy Tax Incentives through Economic Recovery Package

For Release:
October 6, 2008

Contact: Wendy Angel
Public Relations
678-539-1216
wangel@ashrae.org

Congress Extends Energy Tax Incentives through Economic Recovery Package

ATLANTA – With the passage of the economic recovery package by Congress last week, banks aren’t the only ones relieved; proponents of energy efficiency efforts are as well.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) commends Congress on including in the package provisions for the extension of expired and expiring tax incentives for renewable energy, energy-efficient building upgrades, and appliance and equipment purchases.

“These energy provisions are essential to realizing ASHRAE’s goal of reaching net-zero-energy buildings,” says Bill Harrison, ASHRAE president. “But more importantly, they are essential for the energy independence of our nation. While the banking industry may be visibly suffering now due to these economic times, we will all suffer if we don’t find ways to take advantage of alternative energy sources and make our buildings more efficient.”

Though several attempts were made during the 110th Congress to extend these credits and incentives, those attempts failed due to disagreement over funding issues.

One key provision in the legislation is the extension of the Commercial Building Tax Deduction (CBTD) through 2013. This allows building owners to claim a deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot for HVAC, lighting or envelope upgrades resulting in 50% savings over ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2001. This five-year extension allows for the planning schedules often needed in design and construction, whereas the provision previously was only certain for shorter periods, affecting its usefulness.

The legislation additionally creates new credits for combined heat and power system property, small wind energy property, and geothermal heat pump systems through 2016.

Other energy provisions in the legislation include:

• Extending the Renewable Energy Production Credit for wind to 2010, biomass, geothermal, solar and hydro to 2011, and adds a marine/tidal credit through 2012.

• Extending credits for solar energy property, fuel cell property and microturbines through 2016.

• Establishing provisions for Energy Conservation Bonds issued by states or localities to conduct energy conservation projects

• Extending residential tax credits for energy saving appliances, energy efficient homes, and on-site renewables.

• Adding accelerated depreciation period for smart meters and smart grid systems, encouraging investment in these systems.

• Extending a program providing tax-exempt bond designation to designated green building and sustainable design projects on brownfields.

• Extending the expired business research credit through 2009.

For more information on ASHRAE Government Affairs, please visit www.ashrae.org/advocacy.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

ASHRAE Seeks to Engineer Tomorrow . . . Today

I just received a press release from ASHRAE concerning the Winter Meeting this January. Remember, if you want to attend the Winter Meeting and this is your first time attending, you can receive a free one day pass or discounted five day pass. Contact me by clicking the pass link on the right. This meeting is in Chicago, so there should be no reason for our members in the area not to attend!

I also want to mention that our October meetings are approaching. The lunch and dinner meetings are scheduled for the 16th. The topic will be chilled beam technology. This will also be a membership promotion meeting. Please bring a non-member friend to the meeting. We'll have forms for signing up and upgrading memberships.

For Release:
Sept. 30, 2008

Contact: Jodi Dunlop
Public Relations
678-539-1140
jdunlop@ashrae.org

ASHRAE ’09
ASHRAE Seeks to Engineer Tomorrow….Today in Windy City
ATLANTA – Chicago, with one of the most recognizable skylines in the world, has long-standing status as a livable urban center. That the city has stood the test of time makes it the perfect backdrop for ASHRAE’s 2009 Winter Conference theme, Sustainable Urban Design: Engineering Tomorrow….Today.

With a focus that resources must be conserved and environments respected even in urban settings, the ASHRAE Conference takes place Jan. 24-28 at the Palmer House Hilton. Held in conjunction with the meeting is the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo, Jan. 26-28, McCormick Place.

For complete meeting information and to register, visit www.ashrae.org/chicago. Take advantage of the “Early Bird” rate and register by Oct. 31.

Meeting highlights include availability of more than 200 Professional Development Hour credits available through the technical program, with its theme of Sustainable Urban Design, and ASHRAE Learning Institute courses.

Seeking to create additional value for Expo and Conference attendees, ASHRAE is launching “Wednesday Welcome,” at which all ASHRAE program sessions on Jan. 28 will take place at McCormick Place. Hands-on, applications-type programs are offered in the morning, leaving the afternoon open to tour the Expo.

ASHRAE’s free public session also focuses on Sustainability in the Urban Development, sharing how the industry is building on its efforts to increase energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality of buildings by furthering the sustainability of entire communities. It is held at 3 p.m. Jan. 26 at McCormick Place.

Also featured in the technical program is the technical plenary speaker, Adrian Bejan, Ph.D., J.A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University. Bejan developed the constructal theory, which he says can predict how everything flows through time and space. The session takes place from 9:45-10:45 a.m. Jan. 25, Palmer House. Overall, the tech program features more than 100 sessions with presentations of 68 papers.

Opening the meeting on Jan. 24 at the plenary session is keynote speaker, Chris Luebkeman, who runs the Global Foresight and Innovation initiative at Arup, a global design and engineering firm. His presentation echoes the meeting theme with a focus on sustainable urbanization, looking at some of the current global efforts to both design new cities and adapt existing cities to the new era of dwindling resources.

Sustainability is highlighted in the technical tours of facilities, including the ASHRAE Technology Award winning-Chicago Center for Green Technology, the Modern Wing of the Art Institute, the Intercontinental Chicago, which is the first Energy Star-rated hotel in the city, and the Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies, designed on the concepts of tikkun olan (meaning repairing the world) and bal tashchit (do not waste).

The ASHRAE Learning Institute offers five Professional Development Seminars and 12 short courses at the Palmer House and McCormick. New sessions include Low Temperature Radiant Heating and High Temperature Radiant Cooling Systems, Chilled Beam Technology for Excellent Indoor Climate in an Energy-Efficient Manner, Installation of Residential Ventilation Systems (Standard 62.2), and Business Management and Operations for Engineers.

ASHRAE also will launch its latest certification program, Operations and Maintenance Management Professional Certification, during the meeting. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/certification.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

South Bend Meeting Announcement

It is time to kick off the year. For those of you in the South Bend area, Bill Bissmeyer of B&B Air will be presenting on EPACT Tax Deductions and how it relates to reduction of energy consumption and ASHRAE 90.1 for Metal Buildings. Mr. Bissmeyer will review Midwestern utility costs for industry and address specific measures that can be taken to reduce energy usage by 35-50% for industrial and distribution customers. Case studies will be reviewed to provide examples.

Bill Bissmeyer has been in the HVAC and energy industry for 33 years serving industrial customers in the Midwest. Mr. Bissmeyer worked in boiler sales with Lathrop-Trotter of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1974-1990. In 1990 Mr. Bissmeyer started B&B Air, Inc. in Indianapolis and specializes in converting large facilities from steam boilers to higher efficiency heating and air conditioning systems.
Some of Mr. Bissmeyer's clients include Alcoa, Caterpillar, and General Motors to name a few.

Mr. Bissmeyer has been a past president of the Ft. Wayne and Dayton Chapters of ASHRAE. He has received the ASHRAE Lincoln Bouillon Award in recognition of increasing the membership of the Society. Currently he is the president of the Indiana Energy Savings Initiative and a board member of the National Association of Power Engineers.

Please come out and join us Thursday, September 25 at Tippecanoe Place. Anyone may attend so invite friends, mothers, brothers, clients, building owners, architects, etc.

Lunch Meeting
Cost: $15 (includes lunch & drinks)
Check-in: 11:30 am - Noon EDT
Lunch/Program: Noon - 1:00 pm EDT

Tippecanoe Place
620 W. Washington St.
South Bend, IN

Please RSVP by Monday, September 22
Send an e-mail using the links on the right.
Or, phone Tom Schneider at 574-232-6908 ext. 13 for the lunch meeting.

574-234-9077
Google Maps

Monday, May 19, 2008

Facilities Maintenance Expo - South Bend - FREE Seminar

On May 29 there is a Facilities Maintenance Trade Show in South Bend.

Bill Bissmeyer of B&B Air will be presenting a 45 minute seminar on EPACT Tax Deductions and how it relates to reduction of energy consumption and ASHRAE 90.1 for Metal Buildings.
Mr. Bissmeyer will review Midwestern utility costs for industry and address specific measures that can be taken to reduce energy usage by 35-50% for industrial and distribution customers. Case studies will be reviewed to provide examples.

Bill Bissmeyer has been in the HVAC and energy industry for 33 years serving industrial customers in the Midwest. Mr. Bissmeyer worked in boiler sales with Lathrop-Trotter of Cincinnati, Ohio from 1974-1990. In 1990 Mr. Bissmeyer started B&B Air, Inc. in Indianapolis and specializes in converting large facilities from steam boilers to higher efficiency heating and air conditioning systems.
Some of Mr. Bissmeyer's clients include Alcoa, Caterpillar, and General Motors to name a few.

Mr. Bissmeyer has been a past president of the Ft. Wayne and Dayton Chapters of ASHRAE. He has received the ASHRAE Lincoln Bouillon Award in recognition of increasing the membership of the Society. Currently he is the president of the Indiana Energy Savings Initiative and a board member of the National Association of Power Engineers.

Northern Indiana ASHRAE members will be admitted to the trade show and seminar at no charge. A free box lunch will also be provided.

Cost: Free
Date: Thursday, May 29, 2008
Time: 11:30 am - 1:00 pm

Century Center

120 S. St. Joseph St.
South Bend, IN 46601

Please RSVP by Tuesday, May 27
Send an e-mail using the link on the right.
Or, phone Mike Zipse at 260-410-0276

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

June Golf Outing

Coming up on Wednesday, June 11 will be our annual golf outing. This event is our chapter's main means of supporting ASHRAE Research. Last year we brought in a record $4,200. We would like to top that this year. Please consider singing up a foursome or two and, more importantly, sponsoring a hole. Our goal is to sponsor all 18 holes. Fifteen were sponsored last year. Click here for the sign up form.

May Meeting: Daylighting

We had a great meeting last month. Jeff Moe of Trane gave a very good presentation covering the future of refrigerants. To sum up what Mr. Moe presented: the Montreal Protocol has done a very good job of reducing ozone depleting gasses and will continue to do so. However, due to rise of global warming concerns, the refrigerant game may completely change. The fight against ozone depleting gasses has been done as painlessly has possible. The fight against global warming gasses will probably take a different tenor.

This month, to round out our bevy of LEED related programs, Keith Mitchell of Leviton will be presenting on daylighting. This is the practice of using natural, available light to provide effective internal lighting. Two aspects of this are then harvesting the light and controlling any artificial lighting to react to the amount of natural light available. Mr. Mitchell will be covering some of the techniques and technologies behind this important stride to reducing energy use in buildings.

Mr. Mitchell joined Leviton in 2000 and 2 years ago was promoted to the position of Technical Sales Specialist for Leviton’s Lighting Management System Division. Leviton's offering consists of commercial occupancy sensors, lighting control relays, commercial dimming controls, lighting energy management systems and theatrical and architectural lighting systems. Keith has more than 23 years experience in the electrical industry, including sales, marketing and training expertise. He has been a member of the IENSA (Illuminating Engineering Society of North America) since 1990 and received his LC (Lighting Certificated for Qualified Professionals) from the NCQLP (National Council on Qualifications for the Lighting Professions).

Daylighting is not something directly related to HVAC. However, it is an important piece in the puzzle of energy reduction. And, providing natural light has also been shown to improve worker productivity. These are very important to architects, developers, and building owners. Please invite anyone you may know in these related professions. Our meetings are always open to guests.

There will be meetings in both South Bend and the Calumet area this month.

Lunch Meeting
Cost: $15 (includes lunch & drinks)
Check-in: 11:30 am - Noon EDT
Lunch/Program: Noon - 1:00 pm EDT

Tippecanoe Place
620 W. Washington St.
South Bend, IN
574-234-9077
Google Maps

Dinner Meeting
Cost: $20 (includes dinner & drinks)
Check-in: 5:30 pm - 6:00 CDT
Lunch/Program: 6:00 - 8:00 pm CDT

Margaritas
19606 S. Burnham
Lynwood, IL
708-412-2650
Google Maps

Please RSVP by Tuesday, May 12
Send an e-mail using the links on the right.
Or, phone Tom Schneider at 574-232-6908 ext. 13 for the lunch meeting.
Or, phone Louis van Belle at 219-924-8400 for the dinner meeting.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Presentation Files

The presentation files from previous meetings will now be posted on the right. February's presentation on LEED Energy Savings Points has already been posted. More will follow.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

April Meeting: Refrigerants (Phaseouts, Future, and LEED)

Thank you for all of those that came to our program last month at the Sheet Metal Workers Local 20 training facility. Thank you to the Local 20 for providing great food and hospitality. Finally, a special thanks to John Hamilton, the chief operating officer of TABB. Mr. Hamilton gave a great presentation on the importance of spelling out what the commissioning agent is to do and what powers he has.

This month Jeff Moe of Trane will be presenting on refrigerants. As mundane as this sounds, there are several very important issues coming up with refrigerants. The first and foremost being the phaseout of R-22 in the next couple of years. R-22 based equipment is certainly cheaper right now, but what will they cost in the long run? What should a contractor do? Using the right refrigerants can also garner LEED points.

Jeff Moe is Vice President & Chairman for Trane’s global environmental policy council. He has more than 20 years of experience in various marketing and product management positions in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) industry. His current responsibilities also include leading Trane’s R-22 transition strategy.

Until recently, Jeff served as the program director for Trane’s environmental policy council. Prior to that role, he served as marketing director for Trane’s Commercial Unitary and Packaged Terminal products for North and South America with responsibility for delivering volume and margin goals to the business. Beginning in 1998, he spent three years as the global product manager for Commercial Unitary products, based in Epinal, France. In this role, he was responsible for the development of the business’ global product management and planning processes, which included monitoring and understanding the global regulatory environment.

He began his Trane career as a marketing engineer. Jeff’s product responsibilities during his career have included chillers, air handling units, packaged and split system unitary equipment and packaged and chilled water terminal products. During his tenure, Jeff has also served on several Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute (ARI) committees, and currently serves on the boards of the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy, the Business Council for Sustainable Energy, and the Green Building Initiative. In addition, Jeff is actively involved as a business advisor at the Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol meetings.

Jeff earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University. So, please join us for dinner and invite anyone (wife, brother, mother, client, building owner, contractor, engineer, etc.). We are not an exclusive chapter.

We hope that you can join us to contribute to the discussion. Drinks will also be covered by the chapter.


Dinner Meeting

Cost: $20
Check-in: 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm CDT
Dinner / Program: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm CDT

Margaritas
19606 S. Burnham
Lynwood, IL
708-418-2650
Google Maps

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

ASHRAE SSPC 90.1 Chicago Meeting

If you are interested, Standing Standard Project Committee (SSPC) 90.1 will be meeting in Chicago later this month. The meetings are open to the public. As I've mentioned before, this is a very important part of ASHRAE's process of developing standards. This is an incredibly important standard as well. So, it may be well worth your time to sit in on some of the meetings. This is a great way to start getting involved.

I've posted the main committee agenda here.
There is also a list of meeting times for the sub-committees here.
The meetings will take place from April 10 to April 12 at the O’Hare Hilton Garden Inn.

Follow the link to the ASHRAE website if you want more information about the committee.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

March Meeting: Building Commissioning (Joint Meeting with SMACNA)

Following in the LEED themed presentations, this month building commissioning will be covered. Building commissioning is an important part of receiving LEED certification. It is required at a basic level to even be considered as a LEED project. More extensive commissioning can earn an extra point.

This month's meeting will be a joint meeting between our ASHRAE chapter and SMACNA. Bob Hostinsky, the apprentice coordinator from Portage Indiana Sheet Metal Workers Local 20, will be presenting on this very important topic.

The meeting will be held at the testing and balancing training and testing facility in Portage. As such, this will be joint meeting for the South Bend and Calumet sections this month. There will be no cost for this meeting as the SMW Local 20 will be providing the facilities and food. Please, come join us this month for what should be great presentation and tour of this training facility.

Date: March 20

Dinner Meeting
Cost: $0
Check-in: 5:45 CDT
Dinner: 6:15 CDT
Presentation & Tour: 7:00-9:00 CDT

Sheet Metal Workers Local 20 JATC Gary Area
6450 Ameriplex Drive
Portage, IN 46368
www.smwlocal20.org
(219)764-1900
Google Maps

Please RSVP by Monday, March 17

Send an e-mail using the links on the right.

Or, phone Louis van Belle at 219-924-8400

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Open Comment Period for Standard 189.1P

If you are interested, another public review draft of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA/USGBC Standard 189.1P is available for comment. This is a standard for high-performance green buildings. For additional information or to download a copy of the public review drafts, please visit the ASHRAE website at http://www.ashrae.org/technology/page/331.

High-Performance Building Design Professional Certification

For Release:
February 26, 2008

Contact: Jodi Dunlop
Public Relations
678-539-1140
jdunlop@ashrae.org
1791 Tullie Circle NE
Atlanta, GA 30329


ASHRAE High-Performance Building Design Professional Certification Now Available

ATLANTA – ASHRAE’s new certification program provides the necessary training and tools for the design of high-performance buildings that live up to their performance capability.
Registration is now open for ASHRAE’s high-performance building design professional certification. The first exam will take place June 25 at ASHRAE’s 2008 Annual Meeting, June 21-25, Salt Lake City. Exams at testing centers around the world will become available in the fall. For more information or to register, visit www.ashrae.org/certification.
“This new certification program will allow practioners to demonstrate a well-rounded understanding and knowledge of how HVAC&R design is integrated into high-performing buildings to achieve the overall goal of sustainable practice used in green buildings,” Kent Peterson, P.E., ASHRAE president, said. “The program combines the criteria of ASHRAE Standards 90.1 (energy efficiency), 62.1 (ventilation) and 55 (thermal comfort) with the innovative approaches included in the Advanced Energy Design Guide series in an integrated design approach that strives to achieve practical, cost-effective high-performance building designs.”
The content of the exam includes sustainability concepts, HVAC and sustainable processes and environmental improvement programs and rating systems; energy analysis; indoor environment; controls and monitoring; benchmarking with performance metrics; water conservation, commissioning in sustainable construction; and operation and maintenance of high-performance buildings.
The high performance design professional certification is renewable every three years, and those certified must earn 45 professional development hours during that time.
“This program has been designed so that it is inclusive of global design approaches and tools,” Peterson said.

Monday, February 11, 2008

February Meeting: LEED Energy Points for a Typical Office Building

After a long, sustained drought of meetings, there will finally be a meeting this month. This month will begin a series of presentations covering LEED related topics. More information about this will be posted later.

This month's presentation will explore the potential LEED Energy Savings points available for a typical office building. Various building insulation values and HVAC equipment efficiency options will be modeled through computer
simulations to determine potential energy savings above the ASHRAE 90.1-2004 energy standard. The presentation will also discuss the impact of lighting budgets and on-site renewable energy for energy reduction.

Our presenter will be Bill Hromada, P.E., partner in the consulting engineering firm, R.L. Millies and Associates, Inc. Bill has his BSME degree from Illinois Institute of Technology and has over 25 years experience in the HVAC industry. Bill has been past president for our Northern Indiana Chapter of ASHRAE.

Please invite anyone (wife, brother, mother, client, building owner, contractor, engineer, etc.). We are not an exclusive chapter. We hope that you can join us to contribute to the discussion.

Date: February 21

Lunch Meeting

Cost: $15
Check-in: 11:30 am - noon EST
Lunch / Program: Noon - 1:00 pm EST

Tippecanoe Place
620 W. Washington ST.
South Bend, IN
574-234-907
Google Maps

Dinner Meeting

Cost: $20
Check-in: 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm EST
Dinner / Program: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm EST

Margaritas
19606 S. Burnham
Lynwood, IL
708-412-2650
Google Maps

Please RSVP by Monday, February 18
Send an e-mail using the links are on the right.
Or, phone Tom Schneider at 574-232-6908 ext. 13 for the lunch meeting.
Or, phone Louis van Belle at 219-924-8400 for the dinner meeting.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Studies Suggest Biofuels Can Worsen Warming

Here is a good article from the Wall Street Journal that looks at a fuller accounting of what impacts biofuels may actually have on the environment.

Friday, February 1, 2008

Free Design Guides

ASHRAE has made the Advanced Energy Design guides available for free download. Following the prescriptive measures in the Design Guide for Small Office Buildings affords you an automatic 4 points in LEED-NC V2.2. If you are interested, go to www.ashrae.org/freeaedg.

Wednesday, January 30, 2008

ASHRAE Publishes Updated Version of Energy Efficiency Standard

For Release:
January 22, 2008

Contact: Jodi Dunlop
Public Relations
678-539-1140
jdunlop@ashrae.org
1791 Tullie Circle NE
Atlanta, GA 30329

ATLANTA – Energy reduction through new requirements related to lighting, façades, and mechanical systems is achievable in the latest energy efficiency standard from ASHRAE and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA).

Just published, the 2007 version of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, provides minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design of buildings except low-rise residential buildings. The standard contains changes made through 47 addenda to the 2004 standard.

“One of the best ways to reduce building energy consumption is to reduce, or eliminate, the cooling or heating loads,” Mick Schwedler, chair of the Standard 90.1 committee, stated. “By doing so, the systems installed in buildings become smaller and use less energy. For example, on a hot, sunny day, having more insulation in the roof and better glass on the southern and western façades of a building reduce the air conditioning necessary as well as its resultant energy use. Two of the addenda do this by enhancing the insulation and fenestration (or window) requirements for the building exterior.”

The standard also addresses reduction of electrical and cooling loads and thus electricity by allowing less power for lighting. An addendum revised lighting allowances for retail displays, as it allows more flexibility for designers and better reflects actual retail lighting function.
Schwedler cited forewords from three approved mechanical addenda to quantify a portion of the energy savings:

  • Addendum an: “…would save about 18 trillion Btu of gas and oil annually once the existing boiler stock turns over.”
  • Addendum g: “will save an estimated 1.05 Quads of cumulative primary energy by 2035.”
  • Addendum f: “will save an estimated 2.3 Quads of cumulative primary energy by 2035.”
“These substantial savings are credited to the work of past Standard 90.1 Chair Jerry White, the Standard 90.1 committee, and those that aided in the rigorous public review process,” Schwedler said. “We know that many projects are achieving considerable energy savings at reasonable costs and ask the entire design, operation, and owner communities to share these project ideas and contribute toward future energy and energy cost savings.”

The cost of the I-P version of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is $119 ($95, ASHRAE members). The SI version will be available later this spring. The standard is co-sponsored by the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA).

To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Service at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 404-321-5478, or visit at www.ashrae.org/bookstore.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.