HVAC News, September 2020

The future of residential comfort heating has arrived with the introduction of the ECO Tec high-efficiency boiler from Weil-McLain, North America’s renowned boiler manufacturer. The new ECO Tec is a high-quality boiler that meets nearly all residential application needs including multi-zone and combi applications. ECO Tec high-efficiency boiler The ECO Tec high-efficiency boiler features a long-lasting fire tube heat exchanger The ECO Tec high-efficiency boiler features a long-lasting...

Grundfos, a globally renowned company in water technology, is pleased to announce the groundbreaking of its Americas Regional Center, located in Brookshire, Texas. LEED Platinum certification The 45,000 square foot facility is expected to be completed during the spring season of 2021. Grundfos is currently seeking to achieve LEED Platinum certification. The new offices will house company sales, operations, engineering, HR, finance, and other support functions. “To better serve the marke...

As Albert Einstein once said, “We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” That wisdom has been put into practice in the form of a smarter approach in the way modular schools can be built and used. Pre-fabricated, modular classroom In 2006, the Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland, in partnership with the Council for Educational Facility Planners (CEFPI), held a national design competition, The Portable Classroom Design Challeng...

Panasonic Heating and Cooling works with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant for voice control of the user’s connected devices. Customers may now control compatible Panasonic domestic air-conditioners and commercial PACi systems by voice in a range of additional European languages, to further provide simple and convenient control. Voice control is now available for domestic air-conditioners in English, Italian, Spanish, French and German on both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, with the a...

Tuscumbia, Alabama was first settled in 1815. Originally the site of a Cherokee Indian village, Tuscumbia was also home to the first railroad west of the Allegheny Mountains. Today, Tuscumbia has retained its original charm. With a population of just over 9,000, Tuscumbia also enjoys one of the best school systems in the state of Alabama. It is this singular desire to support its rich educational system which prompted Tuscumbia’s City Board of Education to pursue a plan to remodel two of...

When Tuscaloosa County developed its HVAC wish list for their high school’s new addition, it looked something like this: Reliability, energy savings, installation ease, sufficient ventilation, quiet operation and aesthetics. A tough call when faced with the typical budget restraints facing school districts around the country. The Tuscaloosa County School System’s architect and engineer turned to a combination of Bard 12 SEER “Quiet Climate” wall-mounts and Q-Tec heat pu...

Located on a 75-acre wooded site that included a pond and natural trail, the Countryside Charter School knew that an environmentally friendly design for their new, permanent school facility was critical. The Bard Q-Tec Heat Pump was the logical choice. No stranger to Bard products, the first Countryside Charter School classes held in 1997 were taught in modular classrooms heated and cooled by Bard Gas/Electric wall-mounts. As enrollment grew and a permanent site for their K-12 program became ne...

Manufacturers continue to make improvements in heat-pump technology, including higher efficiencies, contractor-friendly designs, and innovative extras like two-stage compressors that allow them to run at lower speeds and cut down energy use and homeowners’ bills. Below is a sampling of six of the latest products to hit the heat pump market. Nortek Global HVAC introduced the W-Series of air conditioning and heat pump equipment for residential and light commercial applications, completing i...

Control Systems have always played an important part in the function of HVAC systems and for many years were centered around the safe and optimum performance of the hardware deployed. Every HVAC system is a closed-loop process, with inputs fed into control logic that determines the best course of action to achieve the desired output. Energy management and integration into Building Information Management saw the advent of energy-saving techniques like free cooling and night-time purge reduce mec...

Johnson Controls, the global provider for smart and sustainable buildings, and the administrators and board members of Monroe Township Public Schools (MTPS) are working together to secure an energy-efficient future for the school district. Both entities have entered into a $24.1 million turnkey Energy Savings Improvement Plan (ESIP) contract in an effort to transform the environment, operation and energy efficiency of the facilities. The project is driven and funded entirely by energy and util...

Carrier Global Corporation, a global provider of innovative HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies, and Cushman & Wakefield, a global real estate services firm, have agreed to collaborate to introduce Carrier's premier healthy building solutions for Cushman & Wakefield's clients through Carrier's Healthy Buildings Program. "By working with Carrier, Cushman & Wakefield can offer differentiated services and solutions as part of its 6 Feet Office conce...

The Wyss Institute at Harvard University has developed an evaporative cooling system that uses a specially coated ceramic to cool air without adding humidity. Researchers say the approach can yield more affordable and environmentally friendly air conditioning systems for the future. ‘cold-SNAP’ system The ‘cold-SNAP’ system uses a water-repellent nano-scale surface coating that is applied selectively to surfaces of a 3D-printed ceramic heat exchange. The result is much...

Axiom Cloud Inc. and Turntide Technologies announced an agreement in which Turntide will become a minority investor in Axiom and license its technology. By removing technological barriers and providing ongoing support, Turntide will help Axiom Cloud accelerate its impact on retail grocery and other markets with commercial refrigeration assets. As part of the agreement, Axiom will license portions of its IoT infrastructure to Turntide to support Turntide's mission to eliminate the 25% of global...

WellAware, an industry renowned remote monitoring and technology company announced a new smart air purification service in their product line. This new offering, PureAware, improves air quality to create a safer space for customers and employees, especially as they return to work during COVID-19. PureAware is the only remotely monitored air purification service which is safe for humans, destroys up to 99.98% or airborne viruses, and filters 99.97% of PM0.3 particulate matter. PureAware uses pat...

As the Internet of Things (IoT) has evolved, the need has become obvious for stronger unity among brands and ecosystems to enable products within smart environments to work together more easily. Working to serve that need is the Zigbee Alliance, which seeks to promote collaboration in the Internet of Things by creating, evolving, and promoting universal open standards that enable all objects to connect and interact. Their effort took off when Amazon, Apple, Google and the Zigbee Alliance announ...

enVerid Systems, a renowned provider of indoor air quality solutions, fully supports the ASHRAE Epidemic Task Force's (ETF) updated guidance on HVAC strategies for mitigating the airborne transmission of COVID-19 in commercial buildings. ASHRAE's ETF refined its recommendations in its Commercial Guide, acknowledging the significant energy impact of pursuing a strategy of maximum outside air (OA) ventilation. enVerid and other experts have highlighted this as an area of concern. Research has sho...

United Safety & Survivability Corporation (formerly USSC Group) announces that the company is ramping up availability of an innovative product that will deliver active air purification technology for mass transit that kills COVID-19. This active air filtration system utilizes UV light and Photohydroionization technology that actively neutralizes airborne pollutants such as bacteria, mold, and viruses. This system has shown in studies to produce a 99% reduction of airborne pathogens. Public...

Johnson Controls, the global provider for smart and sustainable buildings, has announced its Global Secure Product Development Process has earned the distinguished International Society of Automation ISASecure® Secure Development Lifecycle Assurance (SDLA) certification. This certification provides customers with the assurance that Johnson Controls building technologies and solutions are developed in accordance with the internationally recognized ISA/IEC 62443-4-1 cybersecurity standard. Cy...

MacroAir Technologies is excited to announce the launch of two new features for AirLynk Smart Controls: Local Override and Dual Control. These new features will allow the customers unlimited flexibility in how they integrate the operation of their HVLS fans into their BMS (Building Management System). The official launch date for the new feature was August 18, 2020. AirLynk Smart Control features The new AirLynk Smart Control features (Local Override and Dual Control) are just two of many new...

Johnson Controls International plc, announced that Olivier Leonetti would join the Company and succeed Brian Stief as the chief financial officer. Leonetti will join the Company in the next several weeks and initially be appointed as executive vice president and chief financial officer-elect. He will assume the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer, following the filing of the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year 2020. Current Vice Chairman and CFO Bri...

Johnson Controls, a global provider for smart and sustainable buildings, and the Village of Lindenhurst, New York announced their partnership through a major Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC). With goals that include sourcing project funding, addressing deferred maintenance and setting the standard for efficiency, the Village will undergo a community-wide initiative for sustainability. The $5.8 million ESPC is guaranteed by Johnson Controls to generate $8.3 million in energy cost saving...

VironAire announced the successful test, implementation and deployment of its innovative purification technology. The patent-pending filter, named iNOX19, will now be utilized in all VironAire's current line of next-generation portable air purifiers. This supports direct efforts in providing additional tools to the fight against coronavirus. iNOX19 filters 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns. COVID-19 is about 1 micron in non-aerosolized viral droplet form. With the addition of other technol...

Johnson Controls, the globally renowned provider of for smart and sustainable building solutions, has announced the completion of phase one of its project with Gunnison County, in Colorado, USA, which included the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and LED lighting in five County buildings. PV panels and LED lighting The phase one improvements are the continuation of the Gunnison County’s long-standing commitment to reducing energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from its fa...

Johnson Controls, the pioneer for smart and sustainable buildings, announces Diane Schwarz has joined the Company as its chief information officer (CIO). In this role Schwarz will be responsible for leading an integrated, reliable, business-aligned information technology (IT) organization. She will develop and execute an enterprise-wide IT strategy that continues to merge technology operations to ensure a strong foundation for Johnson Controls to scale and achieve its global growth objectives....

Bosch Thermotechnology announces the Bosch Tronic 3000, a series of electric instantaneous water heaters that drastically minimize the wait time for hot water in light commercial applications. The new series includes four new models and marks the first step towards Bosch’s planned cutting-edge, new dynamic electric instantaneous water heater portfolio. The Bosch Tronic 3000 is designed for easy installation directly at the point of use, eliminating the wait time for endless, instantaneous...

Johnson Controls announces it has acquired the remaining stake of Qolsys Inc., a residential and commercial security and smart-home manufacturer, after owning a majority since 2014. Qolsys enhances Johnson Controls global innovation platform delivering next generation security and smart building solutions. The Qolsys founders and leadership team will remain in Silicon Valley (San Jose, CA) assuming key roles in Johnson Controls global intrusion business. Delivering safety and security Johnson...

Further to renewed interest in CO2 as a natural refrigerant for the Commercial Refrigeration sector, Panasonic is pleased to announce the first of its new ‘free’ online training sessions in the use of CO2. The first, 90-minute session takes place on Microsoft Teams. The session will be headed up by Jaume Casanovas, Panasonic’s European Product and Planning Specialist alongside, Indy Tharnvithian, UK Technical Expert for CO2 commercial refrigeration solutions. The training is a...

Johnson Controls, a pioneer in creating smart buildings and helping reopen buildings as part of the 'new normal', announces the launch of its smart elevated skin temperature scanning solution, the Tyco Illustra Pro Thermal EST. A healthy and safe environment starts with a holistic approach that encompasses not only a building's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) infrastructure, but adds temperature screening among protocols including contact tracing, frictionless entry and exits,...

Johnson Controls, a globally renowned provider of smart building technology and solutions announced that it closed an agreement to purchase EuroPAC Alarmcentrale and EuroPAC Telefooncentrale businesses. Based in The Netherlands, EuroPAC has operations in Benelux. The acquisition will strengthen the company’s position in the residential/commercial monitoring industry in the Benelux region by broadening offerings to include video, tracking services and third party call center service, whils...

Panasonic provides solutions to meet any household needs with its range of RAC systems. Combining comfort with efficiency, the ranges include single and multi-split systems with a wide range of indoor units - many of which have recently been improved to allow for simplified installation and maintenance. Wall Type Systems Panasonic’s range of Wall Type units can be neatly placed in any space. The latest generation of air conditioning includes the renowned Etherea, with its VKE series...