United States of America (USA) HVAC News & Trends

The term of Amit Ahuja, 2019-2020 president of Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International Inc., is underway, following the organization’s 2019 Annual Meeting October 2-6 in Maui, Hawaii. AMCA truly is a global association, Ahuja, who is managing director of Ras Al Khaimah, United Arab Emirates-based Maico Gulf LLC, said, adding that the focus of his presidency will be achieving greater cooperation and cohesiveness among the regions AMCA represents. Advising Global Governme...

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) is holding two back-to-back fall meetings, bringing together hundreds of contracting professionals for industry-lead educational programs and networking events from November 5-8 at the Crown Plaza in Dayton, Ohio. ACCA Next Level (November 5-6) addresses the challenges and opportunities facing emerging talent in the contracting industry. ACCA’s popular Service Managers Forum (November 7-8) features educational programs that help contracto...

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,...

AAON, Inc., global manufacturer of heating and cooling products, has selected Sospes’ EHS management software as its environmental, health and safety platform partner for its operations in Oklahoma, Texas and Missouri. AAON products are regularly recognized as industry-leading, most recently winning awards in July 2019 for excellence in product design in the 16th annual Dealer Design Awards Program. Sospes’ EHS management software Sospes’ EHS software improves communication...

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...

GE Appliances (GEA), a Haier company officially opened the new product manufacturing assembly demonstration line for students in the manufacturing pathway at Doss High School. GEA Chief Operations Officer Melanie Cook, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio officiated the kick-off. “This community can always count on GE Appliances to help support students,” said Dr. Pollio. “From donating signage and technology...

Introducing the NEW LS (Large-Single) & LD (Large-Dual) Chiller Families. Expanded LCR-C Chiller Highlights: Approximately doubled the original SS (Small-Single) capacity of 130 TR to 250 TR at 22°F supply glycol in the LS (Large-Single) and LD (Large-Dual) The new LS is available with larger single compressors with Variable Vi technology, allowing the owner to operate very efficiently without a compressor VFD, including part load operation The LD offers redundant dual compressors,...

Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International Inc. presents its Distinguished Service Award to three individuals—Rad Ganesh, PhD, PE, director, product applications, Twin City Fan Companies Ltd., Tim Mathson, principal engineer, AMCA, and Bob Valbracht, PE, vice president of engineering, Loren Cook Co. —during its 2019 Annual Meeting Oct. 5 in Maui, Hawaii. Fan-System Regulatory Compliance Rad Ganesh, PhD, PE, has over 32 years of experience in the air-movement industry...

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...

The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) has submitted public comments to the Department of Energy, opposing mandates to replace non-condensing furnaces with condensing furnaces. The Department of Energy sought out input on imposing energy conservation standards that would make atmospherically vented (non-condensing) gas products, such as furnaces and water heaters unavailable, and asked for comments on the impact that a mandated switch to non-condensing products would have on consume...

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...

Victaulic, a manufacturer of mechanical pipe joining systems released a new update for Victaulic Tools for Revit® (VTFR), which greatly improves BIM workflows through the use of its newly enhanced fabrication and routing tools. The updates were inspired by the construction industry’s growing need for software content that streamlines the transition from design to fabrication to meet tighter project timelines. Fast, efficient, and precise “BIM workflows are constantly evolving,...