RAC News & Trends

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...

Danfoss adds to its extensive range of air conditioning system components qualified for future-ready R1234ze and oil-free systems with the newly qualified Danfoss EVR V2 solenoid valves. Danfoss EVR V2 solenoid valves As part of Danfoss’ wide range of servo-operated solenoid valves, its newly-qualified EVR valves have been designed to be used in liquid, suction, and hot gas lines, and are now compatible with R1234ze refrigerant and oil-free systems. R1234ze is a viable, long-term refrig...

For home owners using older furnaces, strange banging, clanking, and whistling sounds are no surprise. However, if the furnace is relatively new, the unit should be almost completely silent while it operates. Either way, it is not a good sign when the heating unit produces strange sounds. If home owners hear the following noises, they should have their furnace inspected by a professional HVAC technician at the earliest. Noises from furnaces Booming - Loud booming sounds are likely caused du...

On August 14, 2019, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) released five proposals intended to increase roadway safety and ease driving rules for truckers. The five key revisions by the FMCSA are: 30-minute break - Increase safety and flexibility for the 30-minute break rule by tying the break requirement to eight hours of driving time without an interruption for at least 30 minutes and allowing the break to be satisfied by a driver using on duty, not driving status, rather...

Choosing the right particle counter for the application can be confusing with so many options on the market. This mini-guide will help users understand the factors that user should consider when making the choice. Finding the Right Fit Scenario #1: The user has been tasked with finding a particle monitoring solution for a construction site. The user mainly needs to measure particles generated from cutting wood and similar materials. What kind of instrument does the user n...

Airxchange has installed 1000 solar panels at its corporate headquarters in Rockland, MA, expanding its green energy impact and reducing electric consumption up to 90%. By investing in solar technology, Airxchange has significantly reduced its offsite energy requirements, generating enough clean energy to maintain monthly operations. Airxchange has generated 336 MWH of energy to date!

After enduring 12 years of continuous operation, an existing six-foot diameter energy recovery wheel serving Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Huntington Avenue dormitory was beyond repair, due to a limited ability to properly maintain it. With the combination of failed internal wheel bearings, plugged heat exchange media and loss of US$ 5,000 in annual energy savings, Wentworth was tasked with finding an economically feasible replacement. Design and location of the Air Handling Unit...

Around the world, people are flocking from rural areas to cities. By 2050, there will be more than six billion people living in megacities, twice as many as now. Over the same period, the volume of urban traffic is set to increase threefold, not least because the continuing boom in online commerce will feed further growth in delivery traffic. A denser population and more traffic mean deteriorating air quality. Across the globe, from Paris to Shanghai, major cities face an enormous challenge, wh...

The European F-gas Directive is all about the restriction of fluorinated greenhouse gases, which includes hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs), commonly used as refrigerants for air conditioning. This is a regulation that has been adopted by the European Union to phase-down the usage of refrigerants, which have a high Global Warming Potential (GWP). Since the most common refrigerants used (e.g. R410A, R134a), by individuals and industry wide, are affected by this regulation, there has been a drive lately...

The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) announced that it has submitted comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), in opposition to a fourth round of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports The comments, which were in response to a May 17 Federal Register notice, echoed AHRI’s previous opposing comments (Round 1, Round 2, Round 3), re-emphasizing that the tariffs limit member company access to...

NevadaNano, a globally renowned company in LEL and flammable gas sensors, has announced that it will be a preferred provider to Sager Electronics, a renowned North American distributor of interconnect, power, and electromechanical components. As a result, NevadaNano will be able to provide their products to a larger audience. NevadaNano’s MPS sensors for Sager’s customers NevadaNano designs and manufactures high-performing flammable gas sensors “Sager is the renowned distrib...

Thermo King, a globally renowned company in transport temperature control solutions for a variety of mobile applications and a brand of Ingersoll Rand, and its German dealer Transportkühlung THERMO KING GmbH provided B&H Spedition GmbH & Co. Logistik KG (B&H Logistik) with a unique solution combining generator sets (gensets) and solar panels for efficient and reliable power supply during the transport of refrigerated containers. B&H Logistik transports refrigerated containe...

Energy Solutions, Inc. announced the onsite completion of the SEFOR Test Reactor Decommissioning project located 20 miles from the heart of Fayetteville, Arkansas. The SEFOR test reactor, which was constructed in the 1960s, operated into the early 1970s before it was permanently shut down. The facility was transferred to the University of Arkansas, via Quit Deed, in the mid-70s for calibration and testing of nuclear instrumentation and ceased operations in the early 1980’s. Decommissioni...

NevadaNano develops portable gas sensors that are made to detect any flammable gases. For nearly 100 years, pellistor/catalytic bead sensors have served as high-tech canaries in the proverbial coal mine. Portable gas sensors NevadaNano’s gas sensors alert workers in potentially explosive atmospheres NevadaNano’s gas sensors alert workers in potentially explosive atmospheres, especially in the mining, gas and oil industries, to dangerous levels of flammable gasses. In the 1960s, no...

DENSO, the world’s second-largest mobility supplier, announced it will invest approximately 180 billion yen (USD 1.6 billion) over three years – from FY2018 to late FY2020 – to support its aggressive development and production of electrified automotive products, systems and technologies. To achieve its long-term business goal to create and inspire new value for the future of mobility, DENSO is focused on increasing its performance in the area of electrification. Advancing aut...

Victaulic celebrates a century of innovation - 100 years since it was granted its first industry patent for mechanical pipe joining solutions. On its Centennial ‘Innoversary’, the company continues to develop and patent ground-breaking technologies, with a current portfolio of more than 2,000 patented solutions that transform the building and industrial construction industries, while driving new industry standards in performance and safety. The Victaulic coupling On April 4, in 19...

Heatmiser features two models in their range of neoHub Mini Series Thermostats. Their neoHub Mini OT works with up to 2 neoAir v2-M Smart Wireless Thermostats, offering smart control of 2 zones. Heatmiser’s neoHub Mini Series Thermostats The neoHub Mini OT will automatically control the boiler flow temperature By connecting the neoHub Mini OT to an OpenTherm compatible boiler, customers can benefit from an extremely energy-efficient heating system. The neoHub Mini OT will automatically...

There’s a good chance that, for the past few years, users have been hearing HVAC contractors talk about the R-22 phase-out or the ‘Freon’ phase-out, especially if they own an AC system that still relies on it. But what even is the phase-out? And how does it impact users? Chapman Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing is here to clue everybody in on it. What Is R-22 Refrigerant? Nearly all modern cooling systems rely on a refrigerant loop, in order to cool homes Nearly all...

The following statement regarding the pre-publication release by the Department of Energy (DOE) of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on the Process Rule can be attributed to Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute’s (AHRI) President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Stephen Yurek. He said, “As the trade association representing manufacturers of HVACR and water heating equipment, we work closely with the Department of Energy, as it fulfills its Congressionally-mandate...

American Coolair’s high-velocity FM series Stir Fans for spot cooling, manure drying and general mixing of air in farm houses has been certified by the Bioenvironmental and Structural Systems Lab (BESS Lab), at the University of Illinois. High-velocity FM series Stir Fans Available in 18 and 24 inches, the FM fan line uses direct drive motors for maximum energy efficiency. With the direct drive fans, there is no drive loss and no belts to slip or replace. The FM18 fan features galvanized...

Roen Est has announced that the EXH evaporators range is now available for HFO refrigerant gases. A few months after the official launch, now the single-pass evaporators, EXH series, can be selected for HFO refrigerants, as R1234ze and R1234yf, and for the azeotropic mixture, R513A. EXH evaporators R513A is one of the best options to retrofit the current R134a chillers. R1234ze and R1234yf represent, however, the future of high-efficiency air conditioning plants. Sizing and rating with R1234ze...

As part of The Community Housing Group, Oakleaf Commercial Services has been providing high quality, professional, property maintenance and construction services since 2000. They provide a wealth of services including responsive repairs, building construction, modernizations and adaptations, grounds maintenance, fleet services, a PVC-u manufacturing facility and a bespoke joinery. Their central operating base is located in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, United Kingdom, which allows them easy ac...

On the 30th of November, 2018, the Chairman and CEO of Wilo, Oliver Hermes, met the French ambassador, Anne-Marie Descôtes, to discuss networks, location development and strengthening the Franco-German relationship. “Wilo’s activities in France are very important to us. Around 70 percent of our products are currently produced in France. There, too, we express our passion for technology through our work,” said Oliver Hermes during the visit by French ambassador Anne-Marie...

Siemens has strengthened its strategic partnership with Knauf Insulation, the UK’s renowned provider of high performance, sustainable glass and rock mineral wool insulation solutions. The next phase of the partnership will focus on enhancing efficiency at Knauf Insulation’s glass mineral wool plant in Cwmbran, South Wales. This builds on the work begun in 2015 at the company’s St Helens plant, which has already significantly improved the plant’s energy efficiency. Across...

July 5th, 2018 marks 70 years of the National Health Service (NHS), a national celebration day to appreciate the vital role that the health service plays in citizens’ lives and to recognize the NHS staff, those everyday heroes who are there for everyone 24/7. Partnership with National Health Service Adcock Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Ltd. (Adcock) is extremely proud to play a part in the delivery of NHS services. Adcock’s cooling, heating, and ventilation can be found in ove...

AET Flexible Space announced that they have completed a full upgrade of the underfloor air conditioning system on the first floor of 16-18 Kirby Street, occupied by creative agency - 7Fold, in London, United Kingdom. The 26,000 sq. ft., 1960’s post war building was fully refurbished in 2006, enlarged and re-modeled by Architect, Buckley Gray Yeoman, with underfloor air conditioning and raised access flooring installed throughout the seven floors. The existing system at Kirby Street is a C...

Victaulic, the globally renowned manufacturer of mechanical pipe-joining systems, announced that it is introducing the Wellness Week, held for employees at the company headquarters, from June 18 through June 22, 2018. Victaulic has traditionally held a health fair and ‘Take Our Kids to Work Day’ in June, and has now extended events to an entire week for added focus on wellness. Wellness Week Wellness Week begins with ‘Market Monday’, where the Easton Public Market will...

Increasingly demanding requirements on energy efficiency, as well as the latest EU (European Union) regulations have created a need for intelligent control engineering solutions in room air conditioning. TROX has combined its wide industry know-how from all divisions of air distribution technology and developed an energy-efficient overall system, with the X-AIRCONTROL. X-AIRCONTROL The system's main focus is on the individual, demand-based control of air volume flow rate The integration of t...

The Fuel Cell Initiative (IBZ) has given itself a new organizational structure, in order to take account of the further development of the market and the associated new tasks. This was shared by the Managing Director of the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry (BDH), Andreas Lücke and Dr. Timm Kehler, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Zukunft Erdgas (Future of Gas), who participated in the German Heat Conference in Berlin. In future, both will also act as spokespersons for...