The NEWS’ annual Cooling Showcase has traditionally introduced the latest air conditioning units available for the upcoming summer season. The intent is to help contractors prepare for this busy period by doing the research that will help them to distinguish between brands. In this issue, we focus on the commercial side of the air conditioning industry.
When the weather is warm outside, it’s imperative to make sure that your building’s mechanical cooling systems are working at maximum efficiency. Since budgets are still tight, nobody wants high energy costs or, worse, an equipment failure. The best way to avoid these bad scenarios is to perform a cooling system tuneup.
In this month’s troubleshooting situation, our customer has called to say that the older package unit that heats and cools his office is managing to warm up the area, but then seems to cool down too much before providing heat again. When you arrive, the first thing you note is that the indoor blower motor is operating, and you check the fan switch setting on the thermostat.
Ice Energy, a leading provider of intelligent energy storage to the electric utility industry, recently announced a strategic relationship with Trane, a business of Ingersoll Rand, to develop and deliver energy storage-compatible, high-efficiency air conditioning solutions for commercial customers.
Although some technicians are unsure of its operation and many customers have no clue it is even there - much less what it does - the economizer continues to fight a lonely battle for recognition as it saves building owners money on utility bills.