The Balanced Office Building, or BOB, was created as part of a low-energy construction program managed by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The SolarBau program aims to demonstrate the feasibility of highly energy-efficient buildings for nonresidential purposes, with an emphasis on energy optimization.
There are many things you can learn in the classroom: ordering process, contracts and documents, estimating, scheduling - basically all the fundamental information you will need to know. But all that aside, there is not one thing you learn in a classroom that can prepare you for the field.
When the motor of a hermetic compressor burns out, it is possible for contaminants to form in the compressor, depending on the severity of the motor burn. It is also possible for these contaminants to be pumped out into the system.
A new 55,000-square-foot store in Williamsburg, Va., is the first Ukrop’s store to use Hill Phoenix’s Second Nature® technology, which replaces a portion of HFC-404A customarily used in supermarket units with 35 percent aqueous propylene glycol fluid (a food-grade antifreeze).
It’s the little details in a project that can be easily overlooked, yet getting those details right can be as important as the rest of the job. In the HVAC industry, it can be something as simple as using the correct wire connectors for the installation.
John Tomczyk's Jan. 8 column covered refrigerant gas density coming into a compressor’s cylinder from the suction line and how it is affected by temperature, how refrigerant density affected compressor capacity, and refrigerant mass flow rate through the compressor. This article covers how system pressures affect compressor capacity.
Contractors actively involved in promoting R-410A equipment are reporting customer acceptance along with few installation problems if such installations are done properly. Other contractors see the trend to R-410A units growing, but say price-driven customers still opt for new units using R-22.
Mechanical contracting firms that rely on the new housing market for a significant portion of their sales are bracing for a tough year in 2007. While still concerned about what lies ahead, most contractors are looking to boost sales in other areas in order to make it through this latest downturn.
Have you ever heard of a home with an electricity meter that sometimes runs backwards? That’s just one of the intriguing features of a near-zero energy home. Other interesting features usually include high-performance building envelopes, photovoltaics to harness the power of the sun, and highly efficient heating and cooling systems.
Interest in LEED certification has exploded recently, and it’s estimated that during the course of 2006, more than 1,000 LEED projects were registered around the country representing over 100 million square feet of green projects. Mechanical contractors would be wise to learn more about their role in green construction, as the trend is gaining momentum.
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