In one sense, schools face shrinking budgets like everyone else. From another angle, however, it appears that they are still more likely to allocate significant portions of those budgets for projects that a) look good in the community, and b) save money.
Schools seem to go to extremes when it comes to their mechanical systems. For many, the trend has been to ignore them, fix them on the cheap to remain within constrained budgets, and operate them in ways that often provide a disservice to the very budgets they try to conform to. However, lately they have been trending green, as examples to the students and the community.
Ingersoll-Rand plc has awarded $150,000 to Purdue University to sponsor its team’s bid in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon 2011. The company said the underwriting of Purdue’s entry illustrates the contribution that solar energy and state-of the-art technology bring in creating environmentally responsible residential homes.
The data center for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently benefited from an “extreme home makeover” as it moved from leased office space to the lab’s ultra energy efficient Research Support Facility (RSF). The lessons learned are expected to help data centers across the nation green up their ones and zeros.
A group of nearly 550 individuals packed the South Point Hotel in Las Vegas for the 2011 HVAC Excellence National HVACR Educators and Trainers Conference (NHETC). The NHETC is an annual event dedicated to providing continuing education for HVACR educators and trainers.
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.
RSS
