The theme of the 22nd annual North American Energy Efficiency Forum was “Energy Efficiency: The Smart Path to Energy Security and Economic Growth” and speakers addressed the importance of pursuing energy efficiency and alternative energy sources not only to reduce energy costs but also enhance national security.

HVACR contractors who do work in the hotel-motel sector probably know it already - there is what has been described as “fundamental contradictions of sustainability in the hospitality industry.” For example, there may be a lot of talk of going green, but that may not mean action.

Radiant heating company Reid Heating & Energy Inc. has completed an in-floor radiant heating and cooling system for Hall St. Helena Winery in Napa Valley. The energy efficient installation has allowed for Hall to receive Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Whether you use tea leaves, tarot cards, a crystal ball or just good old fashioned statistical analysis, the future of the housing market remains murky and the overall economic recovery seems to be missing in action, but one thing is clear. Definite housing trends have emerged and they won’t be going away anytime soon.

Oregon State University’s (OSU’s) Energy Center is believed to be the first university-based cogeneration plant in the United States to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification. Cogeneration plants are designed to concurrently produce both electricity and heat from the same fuel.

Hotel Indigo Athens is located five blocks from the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga., 75 miles east of Atlanta. One of 33 upscale boutique brand hotels developed by InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), it is one of only five in the nation to achieve LEED Gold status. It is also the first LEED Gold certified hotel in IHG’s extensive portfolio of 4,500 hotels.

Step aside green and make room for sustainable. Although arguably much the same, these two terms are jockeying for a prominent place in the HVACR contractor’s approach to the design, installation, and repair of HVAC systems as a whole. The resulting terminology war is launching another term into the green theater - high performance.

Even though he’s a nightshift police officer, father of three teenagers, and doting husband, Sgt. Peter Pappas found time to act as his own land developer and general contractor for his nicely-appointed, yet low-impact home. In 2004, he purchased some property beside a 75-acre, spring-fed lake and selected a lot for his new home.

No matter how state-of-the-art the heating, cooling and refrigeration equipment is, more than likely it is running on coal-generated power. So, what is being done to offset coal-generated power with renewable energy sources such as solar and wind? And can those sources create enough power to run HVACR equipment?

There have been two approaches to capturing the sun’s energy: photovoltaics, to turn sunlight into electricity, or solar thermal systems, to concentrate the sun’s heat to boil water to turn a turbine, or use it directly for hot water or heating. But there’s another approach that was sidelined because nobody found a way to harness it in a practical, economical way.