RAC News & Trends

The Government’s Heat and Buildings Strategy is a welcome development in decarbonizing the UK heating sector but must be supported by the further policy if net-zero is to be achieved, according to polymer pipework specialist, REHAU. UK’s Heat and Buildings Strategy The long-awaited strategy was launched in October 2021, by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), with the £450 million Boiler Upgrade Scheme being the centerpiece of the development. Fr...

As the world prepares for COP26, the time for action and concrete agreement to reduce carbon emissions and invest in the future. Government and industry have a crucial opportunity to agree on tangible commitments, that benefit future generations across the world. The role as part of the Built Environment and Construction Sector (which accounts for 38% of global carbon emissions) is vital. The Construction Leadership Council’s Construct Zero program is heading the industry’s drive to...

CIC will be at COP26 on 11 November to present on ‘Carbon Zero: the professional institutions’ climate action plan’. The presentation is in support of the Construction Leadership Council’s Construct Zero session, which will take place in the Green Zone, as part of the COP26 Cities, Regions, and Built Environment Day. reduce carbon emissions The built environment and construction sector accounts for 38% of global carbon emissions and it has been estimated that collectiv...

Inspected (Inspected.com), a remote virtual inspection program, started in Florida, announced a new partnership with PowerHouse Electrical Services (PowerHouse), to provide remote video inspections, during electrical and generator installations. This partnership will benefit customers throughout the Southwest Florida region, by reducing installation time and labor costs accrued, while waiting for a city permit inspector to approve electrical work. It also benefits contractors working with Power...

Air purifiers are a popular way to improve indoor air quality with little time and effort on the homeowners' part. Despite their relative simplicity, it’s common for homeowners to have many questions about using their air purifier to its fullest.  As a company with over 40 years of HVAC experience, Van Drunen Heating & Air Conditioning provides the insight homeowners need. Follow Van Drunen's advice and let them know if they are interested in installing an air purifier. Understa...

Emerson, a globally renowned software, technology, and engineering solutions company that provides innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and residential markets, has announced new leadership in its HVACR Technologies and Digital & Connected Technologies business groups. New Leadership Appointments John Schneider will serve as President of the HVACR Technologies - America's business, at Emerson. He has served in several senior leadership roles within Emerson, includi...

Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, has completed the acquisition of Farrar Scientific, which the company initially announced in a press release on September 13, 2021. Acquisition of Farrar Scientific Farrar Scientific is a critical supplier for bioscience and biopharmaceutical customers that provides proprietary technology, to fill an unmet need for flexible, modular and efficient ultra-low temperature processing and storage, including cooling and heating/thawing. “We are d...

When it comes to proper temperature sensor placement in circulation heaters, it is important to start by understanding what the circulation heater is being used for. Circulation heaters are designed specifically to heat a flowing product, gas, or liquid, and are an essential part of a thermal loop used in process heating systems. Common uses for circulation heaters are for heating natural gas upstream of a gas turbine to dry the gas out before it is burned, heating hot oil going into a heat exc...

Armstrong Fluid Technology has announced the availability of new Parts Kits for more than two dozen pumps and circulators. This includes all Design Envelope pumps (permanent magnet motors, intelligent vertical multistage and intelligent variable speed) and select models of fire pumps and circulators. Armstrong’s new Parts Kits Consisting of engineered combinations of Armstrong genuine parts, the Parts Kits include all the replacement parts and related hardware that is required to complet...

New research reveals that 22nd October, 2021, over a week before the clocks go back, will be the day when the majority of the United Kingdom turns on their central heating, for the autumn and winter seasons.  The research, commissioned by Toolstation, one of Britain’s fastest growing suppliers of tools, accessories and building supplies, found that 60% of households were worried about being able to afford to keep their home warm, during the harsh winter months. Toolstation research...

A machine works at its best, when it is running at most of its potential. It all boils down to its efficiency, reliability, and service. Typically, people tend to forgo the factors that help it functional hassle-freely. The maintenance factors are conducive to any system’s successful and lifelong functioning. Commercial Refrigeration Similarly, a commercial refrigeration system needs regular maintenance, in order to check premature system failure. Fortunately, the process is relatively q...

Imagine tasting life’s best beer and wondering who in heaven has made it? Well, gods don’t reveal their name, but sure they do tell their mechanism. A craft brewery is a heaven for all bear lovers. It is where this lovely drink gets its life commercially. Cooling and glycol system And, guess what makes the most critical part of breweries? A cooling and glycol system, better known as a chiller, this system is either directly or indirectly involved in the beer-making process. Remembe...

Commercial walk-in coolers are one of the most expensive kitchen equipment. As much as they are high-priced to purchase and install, they are costly to repair or replace as well. Therefore, it takes a great amount of thought into whether scrap this heavy investment. Reportedly, once this cooler turns ten years old, it ceases to perform efficiently. That’s when either the need to repair or completely replace it arises. But, both are not the correct options, simultaneously. Thus, the follow...

Artus Air Ltd. (Artus) has announced the launch of a new brand to market. Artus brings new advanced technology in air conditioning, with a unit that combines the flexibility of a fan coil unit and the low energy of a chilled beam. Artus Artus represents a step forward in traditional Heating, Ventilation, and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems and offers a more sustainable and comfortable future for buildings and their occupants.  This new innovation not only transforms the way buildings are...

As summers get hotter and extreme heat events to become more common, it is increasingly uncomfortable to live without air conditioning. According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the vast majority of American households do have air conditioning, but about 9% do not have any air conditioning unit. Many of these households are located in cities with historically temperate climates, but climate change is expected to make extreme heat events not only more frequent but also more severe. Even are...

Applied Comfort Products Carver Inc. is delighted to have been awarded the ISO 9001:2015 certification, an internationally recognized standard that demonstrates the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet both customer and regulatory requirements through the use of an effective quality management system. The standard is based on several quality management principles including a strong customer focus from throughout the whole organization as well as a demonstrating a comm...

Danfoss has announced the introduction of the new VLT Soft Starter MCD 600 solution, which provides a flexible soft starter solution, to potentially long lead times that are currently seen in the industry. This product is in stock and ready to ship quickly, including the NEMA 3R enclosure.  VLT Soft Starter MCD 600 The new VLT Soft Starter MCD 600 solution from Danfoss offers the latest in soft start motor control and protection, for superior performance in fixed-speed applications, where...

In a joint statement, the Dutch company - Koelplan and the internationally active family business - Viessmann announced that both are entering into a strategic partnership in the Netherlands. The aim of the partnership is to expand Koelplans’ growth in the installation and service of air conditioning, heat pump, and air treatment installations. For Viessmann, headquartered in Germany, the collaboration will lead to better market access in the Netherlands and the expansion of its acti...

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...

Producing green hydrogen calls for efficient water electrolysis. Reduced current ripple and grid harmonics increase water electrolysis efficiency; however, this often requires flexibility from power electronics. SEMIKRON offers extensive expertise to support power supply development for efficient green hydrogen production Key Take-Aways Following are the Key Take-Aways: What are different topologies and practical assemblies for green hydrogen generation? How do power electronics impact th...

Ofgem has appointed EDF to take on supplying Utility Point’s approximately 220,000 domestic customers. This follows a competitive process run by Ofgem to get the best deal possible for customers. EDF is offering customers a competitive tariff. Outstanding credit balances, including money owed to both existing and former customers of Utility Point, will also be honored. For existing Utility Point customers, energy supplies will continue as normal as they switch over to EDF on 18 Septe...

Though the end result may be the glow of a light bulb or the click of the kettle, the journey energy takes to reach homes is a long one that involves many people in a myriad of roles around the world. This means that the price of wholesale energy - the energy that people buy to supply their homes - is prone to fluctuation. While SO Energy and most energy suppliers will pass any savings on to the customers, and absorb rises in wholesale costs, in order to keep things affordable for them, there a...

EDF has stepped in to help customers left without a supplier after Utility Point ceased trading on 14 September 2021. EDF will take on approximately 220,000 Utility Point domestic customers. EDF has agreed to protect any money a customer may be owed and existing customers’ credit on their accounts will be transferred to their new account with EDF. Energy supply Customers will be matched to standard variable prices to provide a guaranteed rate through winter and protection against the ex...

Johnson Controls, the globally renowned company for smart, healthy and sustainable building solutions, has announced that it has joined the Digital Twin Consortium (DTC), an association dedicated to continued development of digital twin technology. Digital Twin Consortium (DTC) The DTC association’s membership includes dozens of technology leaders, such as Autodesk, Microsoft, Lendlease, GE Digital and Northrop Grumman. Johnson Controls joins a collaborative organization that pools resou...

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...

Trane Technologies, a global climate innovator, has announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire Farrar Scientific, an internationally renowned company in ultra-low temperature control for biopharmaceutical and other life science applications. Farrar Scientific’s proprietary technology fills an unmet need for flexible, modular and efficient ultra-low temperature process and storage, including cooling and heating/thawing. The solutions can provide an alternative to large-scale free...

A report published as part of the PROTECT COVID-19 National Core Study on transmission and environment assesses the UK construction sector’s efforts to build ‘COVID-secure’ workplaces. Evidence collected by the report’s authors at the Thomas Ashton Institute will be used to support efforts to keep the UK building safely as the economy unlocks. Using survey and interview data from four principal construction contractors, the Keeping the UK Building Safely report highlight...

Frontier Service Partners (Frontier), a newly launched residential services company, is pleased to announce its acquisition of Haley Mechanical, which is headquartered in Dexter, Michigan. Haley Mechanical is one of the pre-eminent residential HVAC companies, based in Michigan and servicing the Ann Arbor area. Strategic partnership This partnership marks the inaugural acquisition for Frontier Service Partners, which was founded earlier in 2021, on the philosophy of putting people first, delive...

Plymovent has received the renewed TÜV SÜD certification for some of its exhaust extraction systems. For Plymovent safety, security and sustainability are key. That’s the reason why Plymovent works together with TÜV SÜD already for a long time. To get this TÜV SÜD certificate, several Plymovent exhaust extraction systems were tested for safety and the production locations were monitored in Troisdorf (Germany) and Lamphun (Thailand). This shows that Plymo...

Proper air circulation in buildings helps keep employees and customers healthy and comfortable within the premises. Businesses that have reopened need to achieve quality airflow, in order to reduce the risk of airborne viruses and pollutants. This is more than a convenience, as it’s a New York State (NYS) mandate. Air circulation has two main categories: Total air circulation - The cubic feet per minute (CFM) of air moved through the HVAC system. This has a direct impact on indoor air...