American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) News
The Danfoss Turbocor VTCA400 compressor has received the prestigious ‘Product of the Year’ award at the AHR Expo 2022, in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The panel of third-party ASHRAE member judges selected the winning product from this year’s 10 AHR Expo Innovation Award winners. The Turbocor VTCA400 had previously been named the winner in the Cooling category as well. Turbocor VTCA400 compressor The Turbocor VTCA400 compressor is the world’s first oil-free, variable-speed,...
From pathogens to airborne pollutants, one of the toughest challenges for the lodging industry is how best to ensure the comfort and safety of guests by improving Indoor Air Quality (IAQ). Friedrich Air Conditioning Co. is helping address these issues head-on with some of the most advanced, award-winning room-by-room IAQ solutions, specifically designed for lodging and multi-family properties. That includes the Friedrich FreshAire™ PTAC. Offering simple installation Most recently, this...
ActivePure, the globally renowned company in 24/7 surface and air purification technology, will attend and exhibit at the 2022 International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition - AHR Expo 2022, the essential event for HVACR. The AHR Expo 2022 event is co-sponsored by the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and the Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), and is held concurrently with ASHRAE’s Winter Con...
The ongoing pandemic puts indoor air quality issues in the spotlight, however, IAQ concerns predate COVID. For example, schools across the U.S. already faced an IAQ crisis in their buildings prior to the coronavirus. In fact, in early 2020, the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO) published a report revealing that roughly half of U.S. schools need multiple system upgrades with one-third in need of HVAC updates. Failure to address these issues leads to health problems. Combine this with the...
In recent years, employers have come up with an array of office perks and benefits to attract workers and keep them happy. While free snacks and beverages are a nice perk and unlimited vacation days sounds nice too, a healthy work environment is what workers need most. That includes the air needed to breathe. About three percent of the air an occupant in the average office building breathes in consists of air exhaled by other people. This is why workplace air quality is important, especially du...
Like never before, facility operators are working to improve the quality of the air in their building. While ventilation – or air changes per hour inside a building – play a critical role in this effort, it’s often thought that increased ventilation is too costly. Luckily, that’s not true. In fact, residents can simultaneously ventilate their building, reduce energy costs and future-proof the building for unforeseen pandemics. How? By incorporating energy recovery ventil...
Hospital air quality affects the health of staff, patients, and visitors. Healthcare facilities managers looking to keep their buildings safe must focus on providing clean air. This helps reduce the spread of viruses and prevents the growth of mold and bacteria. Doing so requires a prescriptive strategy that includes monitoring as well as remediation. Hospital air quality is critical during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. It keeps patients safe and gives staff confidence that their he...
Danfoss has been recognized in multiple categories in the 2022 AHR Expo Innovation Awards. The annual awards competition honors the most inventive and original products, systems, and technologies showcased at the International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Exposition (AHR Expo) in the categories of building automation; cooling; green building; heating; indoor air quality; plumbing; refrigeration; software; tools & instruments; and ventilation. In the Cooling category, Danfo...
St. Vincent Fishers Hospital in Fishers, Indiana is part of the largest Catholic, a not-for-profit healthcare system in the United States of America. It serves its community, not only by providing the utmost in compassionate care, but also by implementing excellence in environmental stewardship, by obtaining LEED certification, under the healthcare rating system, and by being the first hospital in Indiana to do so. This explains why, in 2013, when St. Vincent Fishers Hospital needed to expand i...
NevadaNano, the globally renowned innovator in gas detection sensor technology, has announced its partnership with Emerson, to jointly develop refrigerant gas detector products, which will provide a solution to the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVACR) industry, for refrigerant leak detection. NevadaNano - Emerson partnership “We are proud to partner with Emerson to develop essential solutions that can help lower the impact of existing HVACR equipment on the gl...
The Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons - HFCs is upon us, and it will change how refrigerants are handled, transported, and stored. While a great deal of information has been shared concerning the safe use and transport of flammable refrigerants, little attention has been given to the new storage requirements. Standards and codes for the safe storage of flammable refrigerants will require more space, more sensors, and more safety protocols. Transitioning to Refrigerant technologies When the US P...
RectorSeal®, Houston, a manufacturer of quality HVAC/R and plumbing tools and accessories, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSW Industrials, Inc., announced that the company is now a master distributor of Dust Free® indoor air quality products. Dust Free of Royse City, Texas, is one of the indoor air quality manufacturers serving the HVAC marketplace. RectorSeal customers will have access to a full line of indoor air quality products, including air filters, UV purification systems, whol...
Most people spend about 90 percent of their time indoors. For home owners, indoor environmental quality (IEQ) is the most meaningful differentiator between ‘high-performance’ and ‘code-built’ homes. Indoor environmental quality IEQ describes how well the indoor environment promotes occupant comfort and health. The components of IEQ include thermal comfort, indoor air quality (IAQ), sound and lighting. Requirements for optimal IEQ vary per occupant and household, d...
The current Biden Administration’s renewed focus on climate change has expedited the phasedown of high-GWP refrigerants, kicked off by the passage of the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act, part of the December 2020 COVID stimulus bill. As the AIM Act phase-down schedule progresses, higher-GWP HFC refrigerants, while viable, have the potential to have a limited useful life and ultimately be eliminated. In response to pending changes, Johnson Controls has announced it will use...
The air quality of our indoor spaces has seen renewed interest in the past 18-months as a strong relationship emerges between the quality or flow of air and the spread of coronavirus. In the rush to get workers back into their physical workplaces, we have seen a surge of office buildings improving and reconfiguring their HVAC systems to better protect employees from COVID, even monitoring systems that provide building occupants a real-time view of air quality throughout the building. Better air...
After extensive research, testing, and evaluation, Johnson Controls, the provider of smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, has selected R-454B, a lower global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant, to replace R-410A in its ducted residential and commercial unitary products as well as air-cooled scroll chillers. Systems using the new refrigerant will be available for Johnson Controls, YORK®, Luxaire®, Coleman®, Champion®, TempMaster®, Fraser-Johnston®, Guardian®, E...
FläktGroup SEMCO is introducing a new phase in the Elite Series. The FläktGroup SEMCO Elite Series provides superior indoor air quality (IAQ) and energy recovery, in an affordable compact design. The design addresses the industry need of providing humidity control while also acting as part of an integrated system, which provides total space conditioning. The Elite Series The UWC offers the highest latent and sensible heat transfer efficiency media in its class The Elite Series is e...
Thanks to added capabilities and available new options, Friedrich Air Conditioning Co. is solidifying its reputation as the renowned US-based manufacturer of complete room air conditioning solutions, designed to deliver healthier indoor air quality (IAQ) and tackle serious issues, such as the removal of pathogens and pollutants from the air. Under a suite of new accessory offerings called Friedrich FreshAire IAQ, the company has embraced scientific recommendations for how to best achieve except...
To help improve public transit safety and support economic recovery, Thermo King, a strategic brand of global climate innovator Trane Technologies, launches a new air purification solution for buses that continuously purifies the air while the bus is in operation. Thermo King’s Air Purification Solution has been independently tested and proven to be 98% effective in deactivating certain viruses, including a surrogate for the virus that causes COVID-19. Healthier air quality “Our p...
Johnson Controls, the global company in smart, healthy and sustainable building solutions, will host its ‘Game On’ Rooftop HVAC Conference virtually on April 21, 2021. The interactive training conference will offer a free online learning experience, with in-depth presentations developed by our HVAC experts. The courses will cover the product and service of Johnson Controls, YORK and TempMaster commercial rooftop systems along with trending industry topics, which are available for pr...
The computing power we know as the Internet actually resides in millions of data centers that house rows and rows of computer servers. And each data center represents a unique HVAC challenge: How to keep the equipment cool, the air pure and the humidity low. Providing the ideal operating conditions for a room full of computers requires the best that the HVAC market can offer. Data centers come in all shapes, sizes and configurations. Some are huge facilities that serve the needs of giants...
During the coronavirus pandemic, UV-C systems have surged from a niche market to mass production capable of meeting historic demand levels. As a result, UV lamp manufacturers, as well as their component providers (e.g., glass suppliers), have struggled to meet the growing demand. Because of UV-C’s historic proven effectiveness, interest in and orders for UV disinfection equipment have increased exponentially during the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in July, lighting manufacturer Signify...
Until very recently the concept of unplanned shutdowns of HVAC systems and other evaporative cooling equipment in facilities was foreign to most building managers. Shutdowns would usually occur on a wholly scheduled basis, when equipment required planned maintenance, component repair, or replacement. But, with the occurrence of the global COVID-19 pandemic which saw hundreds of thousands of workers asked to work remotely literally overnight, we have seen thousands of buildings effectively mothb...
The year 2020 will forever be remembered for the global pandemic that transformed almost every aspect of our lives. COVID-19 impacted the HVAC market, as it did most other business sectors. However, HVAC also rose to a new level of prominence at the center of the pandemic, both as a potential cause of virus spread and as a source of solutions to fight the virus. This article will highlight the intersection of HVAC and COVID-19 based on articles published during 2020 at HVACinformed.com. Impac...
ASHRAE and the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing the organizations’ relationship. The MOU was signed by Charles E. Gulledge III, P.E., 2020-21 ASHRAE President and David Terry, NASEO Executive Director during a virtual signing ceremony on November 20. The agreement outlines how ASHRAE and NASEO will work cooperatively to promote the advancements of a more sustainable built environment through HVAC&R...
Registration is now open for the 2021 ASHRAE Virtual Winter Conference, slated to take place from February 9th to February 11th, 2021. The convenient online format of the conference will allow for global participation with a group of the world’s renowned presenters delivering timely and useful industry content. 2021 ASHRAE Virtual Conference “ASHRAE’s Virtual Winter Conference will include three-days packed with learning and live discussions from top experts,” said 2020...
Registration is now open for HVAC Design and Operations training through ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI). The training course will run from December 2020 through June 2021. HVAC Design training “As technology continues to change, the need for training that incorporates the latest building performance solutions will become critical,” said 2020-21 ASHRAE President Chuck E. Gulledge III, P.E., adding “ASHRAE’s HVAC Design training offers comprehensive professional developm...
The Visual Arts Building (VAB) at the University of Iowa is a marvel of both aesthetic design and mechanical engineering. Six years in the making and completed in October 2016, the award-winning, 126,000 square-foot structure blends the artistry of the renowned Steven Holl Architects (New York) with an array of innovative mechanical systems that smoothly integrate with Holl’s aesthetics while meeting the numerous, industrial-like requirements of this challenging space. Thanks to these mec...
ASHRAE, a global society advancing human well-being through sustainable technology for the built environment, announced a move to its new global headquarters, located at 180 Technology Parkway, Peachtree Corners, Georgia. The Society began renovations in January 2020 on an existing 66,700 ft building, originally built in 1978, on 11 acres of land. Located 10 miles north of its previous headquarters building, ASHRAE joins other innovation and sustainability-focused organizations based in the pop...
Johnson Controls, a globally renowned solutions provider for smart and sustainable buildings, is offering a high efficiency pleated air filter that provides an affordable solution instead of costly HEPA filtration upgrades. Its MERV 13 performance rating make the filter an excellent upgrade in existing equipment for applications such as hospitals, laboratories and pharmaceutical plants, commercial office buildings, industrial plants, or any HVAC system in which a higher degree of clean air is d...
