Variable Refrigerant Flow Systems (VRF or VRV) News & Trends

LG Electronics (LG) is bringing voice recognition to customers via its ThinQ (formerly SmartThinQ) mobile app, giving users maximum convenience to connect to their LG ThinQ appliances from anywhere at any time. Smart home appliance management The first mobile application for smart home appliance management to support English leverages the Google Assistant’s voice recognition technology to manage all Wi-Fi enabled LG appliances including washing machines, dryers, refrigerators, ovens, dis...

Johnson Controls has announced a partnership with Capital Dynamics to increase the amount of capital available for customers in North America working on solar or battery storage projects. The agreement will grant easier access to funding for Johnson Controls customers utilizing a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for projects of varying sizes, starting at US$ 1 million, by aggregating them into a larger portfolio of projects. Battery storage and energy solutions systems Battery storage and energ...

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...

If one owns transport refrigeration units (TRUs) and have one of the 56,700 TRUs that operate daily in California, one needs to be aware that the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has proposed new regulations that impact TRU emissions in addition to other items. Main Proposed Concepts All TRUs must register with CARB – Timing 2022 All newly manufactured truck, trailer, domestic shipping containers, and rail TRUs manufactured with refrigerant must have a Global Warming Potential (G...

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!

The Clifford H. "Ted" Rees, Jr. Scholarship Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), and the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) announced scholarship awards totaling $62,000 to 36 students, including five military veterans, studying to become technicians in the HVACR and water heating industry. "We are pleased to award scholarships to these qualified and dedicated students and veterans, and we look forward to...

The Prospects Trust at Snakehall Farm's open-plan office was getting unbearable to work in during the hot summer months so to improve their working environment and support them, Adcock installed a Panasonic air conditioning system at cost. Rhian Cornell, the Executive Officer, said “Having an air conditioning unit has made such a difference at Snakehall Farm. We have 9 poly-tunnels on-site to grow our organic produce which all need harvesting no matter what the weather, so having somewher...

LG Electronics (LG) and LUMI United Technology, an Internet of Things (IoT) and smart home solution provider, have signed a memorandum of understanding to develop an ecosystem that goes beyond basic appliance management to deliver a more complete IoT solution for the home. The partnership will focus on developing innovations using AI and advanced sensors that can detect changes in indoor environments such as humidity level, temperature and movement of doors. Aqara sensor technology LG product...

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...

Greenheck, a globally renowned company in manufacturing and distributing air movement, conditioning and control equipment, has announced that now they offer an option for its ceiling exhaust fan and ceiling radiation damper to be combined at the factory into one unit shipped ready to install. Model CRD-310WT ceiling radiation damper Model CRD-310WT, a UL Classified ceiling radiation damper for wood truss applications, can be factory-mounted to one of six Greenheck ultra-quiet SP-A fan models (...

South Dakota’s beauty and significance is often betrayed by its lack of mentions in the national news. Largely comprised of rolling prairie, pothole lakes and crystal clear streams, South Dakota is host to many natural wonders and historically significant landmarks. The Mount Rushmore State is bookended by its two largest population centers. Rapid City lies to the west, near the iconic Black Hills and Badlands National Park, while Sioux Falls, in the southeast, is just minutes from the Mi...

When it is published later this quarter, the 2019 edition of ASHRAE/IES 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, will be the first standard, code, or regulation to use the new fan energy index (FEI) as the metric for efficiency provisions for commercial and industrial fans and blowers, Air Movement and Control Association (AMCA) International Inc., the developer of FEI, announces. Determined in accordance with ANSI/AMCA Standard 208-18, Calculation of the Fan E...

Panasonic has introduced Voice Control with the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa interfaces, to its air conditioning portfolio. Panasonic’s solutions that are compatible with the Comfort Cloud app, including all its domestic air-conditioners and PACi systems, can now be voice-activated to provide simple and convenient control. Voice activation control This new functionality offers a wide variety of benefits for both the commercial and residential markets. For example, homeowners who are...

ECR International has announced the release of a new video technical support tool to assist contractors in the field. This powerful new tool, called Rescue Lens, will enable ECR Technical Support advisors to see in real time exactly what the technician is seeing on the job site. ECR Rescue Lens The only requirement for the dealer is to have a smartphone with internet access either over cellular data or Wi-Fi Occasionally, a technical issue comes along that isn’t identified immediately....

A 100 percent Thermo King refrigerated trailer fleet since 2003, Frock Bros. Trucking understands how protecting its assets can lead to ongoing success – for both itself and its customers. Thermo King’s SVC Guaranteed Maintenance Program was a big contributor to the company’s fleet transformation (Frock Bros. was an all-competitor fleet in 1997). Business Evolvement “The focus on preventive maintenance increased our odds of delivering customers’ products on-time,&...

Coastal Pacific Xpress (CPx) has been partnering with its customers and continually looking for ways to improve its offerings for more than 30 years. Specializing in meeting stringent just-in-time requirements, CPx provides flexible and tailored solutions that encompass truckload and less-than-truckload services, as well as the warehouse and distribution capacities needed for companies throughout North America. Assisting the Canadian-based company to provide even greater service value to custom...

The Big Ass Fans family continues to grow. The HVAC solutions company is excited to announce Watts Engineering Sales, Inc. as the distributor of Big Ass Fans products for the design and new construction market in Alabama. HVAC solutions expert WES Inc., a 100 percent employee-owned business, has provided expertise in the HVAC industry for more than six decades. From its creation in 1959 up till now, Watts has grown to exceed customer expectations by providing the highest quality products and c...

Airedale International, the British-based air conditioning solutions provider, has announced the launch of a new range of R32-optimized air conditioning products. Azure range The Azure range, which has been under development for almost two years at Airedale International’s state-of-the-art research and development facility, is the latest technological innovation from the UK manufacturer which was founded in 1974. The range has been optimized to operate at the same high level of output a...

Significant changes to refrigerant container color protocol will commence in January 2020, as outlined in the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute’s (AHRI) Guideline N, Assignment of Refrigerant Container Colors. Guideline revisions, first published in 2015, specify that all refrigerant containers should have the same paint color, RAL 7044, to reduce confusion among similarly colored refrigerant containers. Preventing safety issues “Misidentifying refrigeran...

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 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) have been evaluating energy use and environmental trends for many years. Although legislative organization began nearly a dozen years ago, trends have largely remained consistent. R-22, or HCFC-22, along with other refrigerants, is being phased out because of its impact on the environment, contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer. Shortly after the current president took office in 2017, the DOE established...

Following a successful service delivery for the past three years, Adcock won a tender for the service and maintenance contract for all hospital’s air conditioning and refrigeration equipment. The engineers provide care for a wide range of systems from roof topwater to small split air conditioning units and kitchen fridges and are on hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to support the smooth hospital’s operation. reactive support services By providing ongoing maintenance and reacti...

LIXIL Americas, pioneer of water and housing products that solve day-to-day, real-life challenges, have announced two new positions that will drive brand-led growth and market share gains. Effective immediately, Gene Barbato has been named the new vice president of brand management for American Standard and Matthew Farwell has been selected as vice president of brand management for DXV and GROHE for LIXIL Americas. American Standard, DXV and GROHE brands Both Barbato and Farwell are leading th...

Air conditioning and commercial refrigeration major, Blue Star Limited, has won a prestigious air conditioning and tunnel ventilation system order valued at Rs.253 crores from Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL). AC, tunnel ventilation and environmental control system The scope of this order includes design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the air conditioning, tunnel ventilation and environmental control system for nine underground stations and associated tunn...

“Evaporative cooling, direct, indirect, and two-stage solutions, are being used across the board in a wide variety of commercial and industrial solutions,” said Randy Niederer, Director of Marketing, Cambridge Engineering Inc. “It is currently experiencing a renaissance, as large manufacturing and distribution facilities are choosing this technology to provide cooling relief for employees.” This renaissance, along with several new technology factors, creates a backdrop f...

Johnson Controls International plc announces it has named Jeff Williams as vice president and president, Global Products, Building Technologies & Solutions effective immediately. Williams succeeds Bill Jackson who is leaving the company early August 2019 to pursue other opportunities. Williams recently served as vice president, Building Solutions, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America (EMEALA) for Johnson Controls where he led sustained growth and improved margins across the region....

The Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Technology Institute (AHRTI), the research arm of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), released the results of a benchmarking study on A3 refrigerant R290, which evaluated the potential risks of R290 leaks and ignitions in a whole room-scale setting. All the tests were conducted by AHRTI's subcontractor UL under the supervision of a technical committee consisting of industry experts from AHRI member companies and sta...

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...

PCI Membranes, globally-renowned provider of custom crossflow membrane filtration systems, has completed the strategic acquisition of Pentair’s X-Flow Classic Membrane. X-Flow Classic Membrane PCI Membranes will now be the exclusive provider of this technology, expanding its already unique offering of process and separation solutions. PCI Membranes and Pentair closed the product line acquisition deal, which includes hand over of existing assets and customers, earlier this spring. This a...

Friedrich Air Conditioning Co., a U.S.-based manufacturer of heating, cooling and other room air conditioning products, launches a Spanish-speaking technical and customer service line, making it among the first in the industry to offer a dedicated service specifically for Spanish-speaking customers. The Spanish-speaking line is available by calling Friedrich’s main customer service line, and selecting option 9. It will operate Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. CT, the same hours and da...