Christmas Island HVAC News & Trends

Resideo Technologies, Inc., a global provider of home comfort and security solutions, announced that Robert (Bob) Ryder has been named interim chief financial officer, effective Nov. 7, 2019. Bob will succeed Joseph Ragan, who is leaving the company on Nov. 6, 2019, to pursue other opportunities. Ryder previously served as CFO of Constellation Brands where he was instrumental in growing the company’s market capitalization from $4 billion to $27 billion. In 2014, Ryder was ranked among the...

The U.S. Green building council (USGBC) is the nation’s foremost coalition of leaders from across the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable, and healthy places to live and work. The USGBC LEED program, which is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings, is quickly becoming an accepted standard for green building design. Many state and local governments now require their b...

Schools benefit from Airxchange more than most buildings in the following ways: Schools have higher occupant densities than most buildings leading to higher building code requirements for outdoor air ventilation Higher outdoor air ventilation means a greater percentage of the hvac system is dedicated to treating outdoor air ERV can save up to 40% of HVAC operating cost and should have an instant payback for most school applications Mandates ventilation in schools For these reasons, the...

Located in the heart of Boston, Wentworth is a nationally ranked university and leader in engineering, design, management, and sciences education. Approximately 4,000 full-time students, most of whom live in dormitories across the urban campus Air handling unit (AHU) components are operating 24/7 and are constantly exposed to airborne substances due to dormitory applications. Under-performance and inability to maintain the equipment due to limitations of existing AHU location and design add app...

Panasonic Heating and Cooling has announced an update to its G1 Type Floor Console for VRF air conditioning solutions. The range will now be available with nanoe X as standard, the advanced technology that purifies air for a healthier, cleaner environment. Together with the revolutionary nanoe X technology, the G1 Floor Console design offers major benefits for the end-user in both residential and commercial applications. The nanoe X innovative technology helps to reduce the growth of certain al...

UK manufacturer, Baxi Heating, is proud to have supported the Carbon Connect inquiry and pleased to announce the launch of the Future Gas report. It examines the social aspects of decarbonising heat together with the related effects on the UK economy and explores the challenges associated with hydrogen and green gas in the homes of the public. Statistics from the report show that domestic heat accounts for 13% of the UK’s annual emissions footprint. So, with 85% of homes heated by natural...

Mars Food UK Ltd has been a long standing client of Adcock Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Ltd. (Adcock) and recently announced renewing the maintenance contract for the 12th year at their site in Kings Lynn, United Kingdom. ACs and chillers service The HVAC equipment covered under the agreement ranges from air conditioning to cold storage, along with processing chillers. Adcock also carries out temperature monitoring calibration checks on refrigeration equipment twice a year. Harrison McN...

Danfoss, globally renowned manufacturer of oil-free compressor technology and solutions, offers a new range of compressors that can operate in demanding high lift applications. The new Danfoss Turbocor TTH/TGH compressors offer an expanded operating map to support air-cooled chiller operation at high ambient temperatures, heat pumps, low temperature process, and thermal storage applications. Turbocor TTH/TGH compressors Two versions are available: the nominal 107-ton model TTH375 and the nomin...

A new study by Harvard’s School of Public Health, SUNY Upstate Medical, Syracuse University, and United Technologies, titled “Economic, Environmental and Health Implications of Enhanced Ventilation in Office Buildings,” finds that doubling the ventilation rates in office buildings returns up to $6500 worth of productivity gains per person, per year. The study also finds that using energy recovery ventilation mitigates the extra energy costs from increased ventilation. This wo...

Special considerations must be made when replacing an energy recovery wheel in an existing HVAC unit. Transporting and installing wheels into limited access areas is a challenge, often requiring special handling equipment and lifts. Airxchange eliminates these challenges with modular assemblies that are designed for easy transport and assembly in limited access areas.

Airxchange’s modular wheel design has been recognized by the leading HVAC trade publication in their yearly showcase of products and services that offer a competitive advantage to onsite engineers and contractors. Unlike competing products, all Airxchange energy recovery wheels are designed to enable facility managers and contractors to quickly replace any energy recovery wheel, regardless of the original manufacturer or configuration. Airxchange energy recovery wheels Our cost-effectiv...

After over 20 years of reliable operation, the energy recovery ventilation (ERV) system serving Harley Davidson’s corporate headquarters was due for an upgrade. Joe Langfeldt, an HVAC engineer for Harley Davidson, contacted Airxchange to determine if there was a way to restore or replace the energy recovery wheels in the system, in order to avoid the high cost of a complete ventilator unit replacement. Unique design feature of the Airxchange wheels He learned that a unique design featur...

The Sentinel™ system from Sensaphone® uses cloud technology to provide supervised 24/7 remote monitoring of changes in environmental conditions and the functioning of critical equipment. It allows operators to remotely monitor conditions like temperature, humidity, ventilation, soil moisture, carbon dioxide and power failure at fruit growing operations to protect valuable plants and equipment from damage. environmental conditions change Alerts When the Sentinel system detects that a...

Non-condensable gases (NCGs) present a challenge for industrial refrigeration systems. Since NGCs are unable to condense inside a condenser, they can have a serious impact on the operating conditions, energy efficiency, and lifetime of a system. Air is the most abundant non-condensable gas impacting industrial refrigeration systems, often entering during operation or service. The Danfoss Intelligent Purging System (IPS) is an easy-to-install, standalone, and self-contained purging unit designed...

LIXIL Americas, pioneer of water and housing products within the brands American Standard, GROHE and DXV brands, announced the promotion of Mark Bunting to Chief Financial Officer. Bunting will report directly to Adam Bryson, Chief Financial Officer, LIXIL International Ltd. “We’re thrilled to appoint Mark into his new role. He will make an immediate impact and will play an integral role on the LIXIL Americas’ Executive Team.” said Bryson. “Mark’s depth of in...

Johnson Controls International plc, has named Michael Ellis, executive vice president and chief customer and digital officer effective Oct. 14, 2019. In this newly created role, Ellis will serve as an officer of the company and oversee Johnson Controls digital strategy, innovation and execution, working closely with customers to drive new growth and value opportunities across the globe. Ellis most recently served as global managing director of Accenture where he advised Fortune 1000 CEOs in dev...

If the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol is ratified in the United States, the HVAC industry could benefit for years to come. Overall, the amendment could provide an additional 33,000 jobs and $12.5 billion in annual economic output. Those numbers are from a study by the Air-Conditioning, Heating, & Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy. It’s one quantifiable estimate of the economic impact of the Kigali Amendment, which promises to...

Words have meaning, and understanding the specific meaning of key words promotes more effective communication in an industry such as HVAC or refrigeration. What, exactly, is refrigeration? What is a cold chain? basic terminology used in HVAC&R industry ASHRAE and the International Institute of Refrigeration (IIR) have been working to establish new definitions for five keywords in the refrigeration field. In addition to refrigeration and cold chain, the organizations have also agreed on de...

A key deadline for phasing out hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) from residential air conditioning systems is less than a year away. Jan. 1, 2020, is the deadline after which there will be no U.S. production or import of HCFC-142b and HCFC-22 (also called R-22). The deadline is part of an incremental phazeout of HCFC consumption and production based on the U.S. commitment in the 1997 Montreal Protocol aimed at protecting stratospheric ozone. Section 605 of the Clean Air Act establishes phazeout...

Modern manufacturing facilities are highly automated and use large numbers of variable speed drives (VSDs), programmable logic controllers and equipment with embedded microprocessors. These kinds of devices can all produce harmonic pollution that leads to nuisance breaker trips, device malfunction, data loss and premature equipment failure. Another PQ issue is poor Power Factor (PF) – a measure of electrical system efficiency. The main contributors to lower PF are inductive loads such as...

There is an enormous labor shortage in the skilled trades, and women have stepped up to assume many positions beyond office work alone. Throughout the Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) industry, women are proving to be excellent technicians, service managers, sales people, marketers and more. Networking, mentoring, and education The increasing role of women in the HVACR industry is reflected in the rapid growth of Women in HVACR, a non-profit organization dedicat...

A growing group of HVAC contractors have been discovering the advantages of Advanced RTU (Rooftop Unit) Controls, especially as they relate to energy savings. These controls can be installed and programmed by a contractor’s own technicians (without the need for a temperature controls subcontractor). Advanced RTU Controls are a new selling opportunity for commercial customers with rooftop units, says Matt Huffman, Senior Program Manager for Resource Innovations. And customers that have inst...

Advanced, connected technologies will drive the evolution of smart buildings and improve operation of various systems including HVAC. Johnson Controls’ 2018 Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey examines the current and planned investments and key drivers to improve energy efficiency and building systems integration in facilities. Systems integration was identified in the survey as one of the top technologies expected to have the biggest impact on the implementation in smart buildings...

The commercial trucking industry faces a shortage of drivers that could impact the ability of the HVACR market to move its products through the interstate supply chain. To help fill the need, a bill introduced in Congress would allow commercial drivers who are under 21 to travel across state lines. Safety-Training Standards The DRIVE-Safe Act, sponsored by Congressman Trey Hollingsworth (R-IN) and Senator Toddy Young (R-IN), would offer high school graduates training for interstate commercial...

As of September 2019, the Energy Efficiency Label ratings have been increased for space and combination heaters. The new, more rigorous energy efficiency label now ranges from A+++ to D, and from A+ to F for DHW. The exceptional performance of Panasonic’s Aquarea air source heat pumps ensure the product meets these new stringent energy efficiency requirements. The majority of the Aquarea models will now be awarded its rightful rating of A+++ at low temperature, after the scale was previou...

After 15 very years of successful collaboration, Danfoss is bidding farewell to one of its most acknowledged products in HVAC heating and cooling systems, the AB-QM Pressure Independent balancing and Control Valve (PICV). AB-QM PICV and its pressure independent functionality totally changed the market of hydronic balancing and control valves for terminal units in non-residential buildings. AB-QM 4.0 PICV valves The valves are designed for use in combination with the Danfoss NovoCon S digital...

The primary goal of HVAC systems is to ensure the comfort of people in a building, but often “comfort” isn’t at the center of conversations with customers. HVAC solutions provider Emerson advocates more emphasis on comfort in the HVAC marketplace. Discomfort due to access heating or cooling 70% survey respondents say their performance at school or work has been affected by heating or cooling discomfort A consumer survey by Emerson shows that issues such as humidity, zoning,...

Adcock Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Ltd. (Adcock) was approached to carry out a health check survey on a chiller plant at Leicester City Football Club’s (LCFC) King Power Stadium home ground, as the club believed the plant needed to be upgraded. Maintenance of chiller plant  Adcock’s report findings showed that replacement of the plant was, in this case, unnecessary and in fact, following several recommended repairs, the system just needed maintaining correctly by experi...

In a letter sent to the leadership of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, 32 members of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) and the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy, urging support for proposed federal legislation to establish a national structure for the phase-down of hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) refrigerants. Fluorocarbon Technology Development U.S. companies that produce and use fluoroca...

ASHRAE Learning Institute (ALI) has released its schedule of instructor-led training in Europe, including its HVAC Design Level I and Level II courses. "The greatest challenge facing engineering firms and building owners is maintaining a workforce that understands the fundamentals of HVAC design and that is current with the application of new technologies,” said Stephen Comstock, ASHRAE’s manager of business development EMEA. practical design knowledge ASHRAE’s HVAC design co...