Government Regulations - News

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...

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...

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...

Leading the change to R32, Panasonic has introduced the R32 Big PACi Series. The series, available in 20kW and 25kW capacities uses R32 refrigerant, includes a water heat exchanger option and supports Panasonic’s ‘full switch to R32’ initiative and Environmental Vision 2050. Business owners making the switch to R32 PACi can also benefit from energy and cost savings, thanks to a higher energy efficiency performance of up to 10% with R32. Due to the water heat exchanger connect...

The newly published HVAC Applications volume comprised of 65 chapters covering a broad range of facilities and topics was written to help engineers design and use equipment and systems described in other Handbook volumes. Main sections cover comfort, industrial, energy-related and general applications, as well as building operations and management. The 2019 edition includes three new chapters: Indoor Swimming Pools (Chapter 6) Indoor Airflow Modeling (Chapter 59) Occupant-Centric Sensing an...

Adcock is currently delivering another project for Selectaglaze, having been a customer since 2011 Selectaglaze had the confidence in Adcock to specify them as a preferred supplier. Drawing on years of experience and Diamond Quality Partner status Adcock designed and implemented a Mitsubishi Electric VRF Heat Recovery heat pump system. maintain existing services With its advanced controls and ability to heat and cool different parts of the building simultaneously the system was perfect for th...

Optimization of data center performance, increased tenant retention, agile communications between operations and upper management, and reduced costs are just some of the benefits available to a colocation data center provider as they pilot a cloud solution from ABB. With its unique holistic data center approach the solution provides a detailed insight into how multiple data centers and devices are performing. Increased accessibility with dashboards By bringing all the information into one pla...

Adcock was contracted to replace and upgrade the refrigeration system serving the hospital's main mortuary department. With a capacity of 72, it is a very busy department and it was vital to maintain operation during the upgrade. By careful planning and working closely with the hospital Adcock was able to achieve this. To minimize disruption some of the works was carried out overnight. Adcock maintains a refrigeration and air conditioning system at the hospital, together with decades of experi...

Schneider Electric, the provider in digital transformation of energy management and automation has been shortlisted for the award for best breakthrough in operations and performance at the Railway Industry Innovation Awards. Nominated for its Compact PSP - a product enabling customers to completely rethink how they approach signaling systems, Schneider Electric’s commitment to ensuring safety, security and reliability of rail networks has been recognized with this nomination. Signaling s...

Greenheck was recognized for excellence in product design in the 16th annual Dealer Design Awards Program sponsored by The Air Conditioning Heating & Refrigeration News magazine. An independent panel of contractors acted as judges in the contest that had 79 entries. The company’s Vari-Green® Drive with companion app was the Gold level winner in the Ventilation Products category. The ACHR News is a trade magazine in the heating, ventilating, air conditioning, and refrigeration indus...

Greenheck has added two new products to its automatic balancing damper (ABD) line. Model ABD-FD incorporates a UL 555 rated 1-1/2 or 3-hour static fire damper, flanged sleeve, an ABD and an optional factory-supplied grille. The entire ABD-FD assembly is UL rated and approved and can be used in both supply and exhaust applications. Ceiling radiation damper CRD-1WT, UL classified for wood truss floor/ceiling assemblies, now has the option to add an ABD mounted in the plenum box. Automatic balanc...

Depending on where one lives, summer’s energy bills can be as brutal as the temperature outdoors. Here are some simple things one can do to reduce their cooling costs: Close the shades and drapes. Keeping the sun out can reduce the temperature inside the home by several degrees. Use the unit’s fan settings wisely. When it’s humid, keep the unit’s fan running, even if the air conditioner is off. It will circulate the air and keep the surroundings more comfortable. Ceil...

Armstrong Fluid Technology announced an ECM Pump-Less-Volute, a new variable-speed version of the popular Gold Series Pump-Less-Volute. The new ECM Pump-Less-Volute uses a permanent magnet motor that is up to 40% more efficient than a standard induction motor. Armstrong Pump-Less-Volute kits (PLV) are a complete repair solution for Armstrong dry rotor S&H and 1050 & 1060 Series. Armstrong standard and ECM PLVs can also be used to re-build or upgrade select B&G or Taco circulator mod...

General Filter improve its line of filtration products for hospitals and cleanrooms including products for air conditioning, operating room, laboratories and specific systems designed for the needs of infective, intensive care, and CAT wards. The line covers all needs in compliance with local and international laws and regulations. A brand new information brochure about all the filtration products for hospital and cleanroom will be soon available in English, Italian, Spanish and French. Indoor...

ECR International Inc. announced the addition of two floor-standing condensing boiler models, the Dunkirk DCCF-150 & DCBF-125, which meet ENERGY STAR Most Efficient status. AI control technology These combi and space heating boilers respectively are an extension of the company’s current wall hung DCC & DCB product families. Both models feature ECR’s renowned AI Control Technology. With this innovation, the boiler automatically calibrates with the touch of two-buttons. The...

57 percent (around 12 million systems) of the approximate 21 million heating systems installed in Germany are insufficiently efficient. This is the central result of the surveys that the Federal Association of Chimney Sweepers (ZIV) and the Federal Association of the German Heating Industry (BDH) carry out annually. “Every second heating system in Germany is more than 20 years old. From the age of 15, a boiler is considered energetically inefficient,” explains Oswald Wilhelm, Presiden...

The Water Council’s BREW Accelerator winners unveiled their innovative freshwater technologies to water industry leaders, investors, community and corporate partners at the annual BREW Demo Day. The BREW (Business – Research – Entrepreneurship – in Water) program is the world’s foremost freshwater business accelerator that fast-tracks early freshwater technology startups and prepares them to enter the global water industry market successfully. With financial suppor...

Greenheck, a globally renowned company in manufacturing and distributing air movement, conditioning and control equipment, has announced the release of heavy duty, rectangular industrial isolation control damper, Model HCD-221, incorporates the square-blade design found on Greenheck’s bubble tight damper. Model HCD-221 isolation control damper The square-blade design enables the damper to provide shutoff with very low leakage in HVACHCD-221 or industrial process control systems. With a f...

A new publication is now available from industry leading organizations to demonstrate to contractors and designers that zero energy office buildings are attainable.  Advanced Energy Design Guide Advanced Energy Design Guide for Small to Medium Office Buildings - Achieving Zero Energy provides direction for designing and constructing zero energy office buildings in all climate zones. The guide was developed by ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering...

The introduction of this product series completes the final phase of an overall redesign of Gibson®, NuTone® and Frigidaire® branded 1.5- to 5-ton, single-phase air conditioning units and heat pumps. The air conditioner is available in 13-, 14-, and 16-SEER models, and the heat pump is available in 14- and 16-SEER models. Standard features include Copeland scroll compressors and a liquid line filter-drier for field installation in an accessible position to facilitate easy periodic c...

ASHRAE installed its 2019-2020 presidents, executive committee officers and directors during its 2019 ASHRAE Annual Conference, June 22-26, in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. ASHRAE’s 2019-20 president is Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE. During his inaugural presidential address, Boyce announced that the new Society theme will be ‘Building for People & Performance - Achieving Operational Excellence’. The theme focuses on overcoming the challenges associated...

Following the launch of ‘PAS 2035’ the Heating and Hotwater Industry Council, HHIC, warn that the changes, could leave the vulnerable without heating and will impede the professionals trying to do their job. New and replacement boilers to be plagued with burdensome administration and red tape, including simple boiler swaps, under PAS 2035, a new specification for the energy retrofit of domestic buildings. No Demonstrable Benefit Stewart Clements, Director, HHIC said, “With u...

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...

Armstrong Fluid Technology has unveiled its self-regulating variable speed fire pump which, in addition to new safety benefits, also holds the distinction of being the first fire pump to meet NFPA-20 (2019 Edition), Section 4.8 standards. “The new Design Envelope Fire Pump will provide safe, reliable performance in fire suppression systems, along with complete transparency into the operation of the pump. The Design Envelope Fire Pump also makes fire suppression systems that require a vari...

Reliable Controls is pleased to announce the release of the MACH-ProZone (MPZ) version 8 controller. Small, durable and packed with flexibility, the Reliable Controls MACH-ProZone is a fully programmable BACnet® Building Controller (B-BC) with highly scalable I/O in a very small footprint. The MACH-ProZone is ideal for a wide range of applications that include small to mid-sized roof top and heat pump applications, and small mechanical room applications. Removable terminal blocks The cont...

ASHRAE has announced a call for papers for the IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) 2020 conference, September 14 - 16, 2020, in Athens, Greece. Organized by ASHRAE and the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC), the theme of the conference, ‘Indoor Environmental Quality Performance Approaches’, focuses on the metrics, systems, sensors and norms necessary to implement performance approaches. Indoor Air Quality “Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has been the core of ASHRAE’S IAQ ser...

Rheem, globally renowned water heating and HVAC solutions firm, has announced its partnership with Plug and Play, a global innovation and startup accelerator platform. Rheem joins as an ecosystem partner for the Plug and Play Internet of Things vertical.  Established in 2006, Plug and Play brings together the best startups and the biggest corporations around the world through a series of industry-specific accelerator programs. The Plug and Play IoT program is one of the oldest and most suc...

Armstrong Fluid Technology announced that it has signed the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment, launched by the World Green Building Council. The commitment is unique in positioning energy efficiency as a central component to achieving decarbonization across global portfolios. All signatories to the Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment pledge to reach net zero carbon operating emissions within their portfolios by 2030. To meet this commitment, Armstrong will take the following actions to inco...