Category: Technical Paper

Streamlining electrification in support of decarbonisation

Our industry has increasingly focused on the electrification of building utilities coupled with low-carbon electricity to support the global decarbonization effort. Examples include the University of California’s system-wide ban on the use of on-site fossil fuel combustion in new construction and major renovations, and the City of Seattle’s recently passed measure to prohibit the use of natural gas for space heating in new construction and major replacements of heating systems in commercial buildings, as well as for water heating in new hotels and
large apartment buildings. This column presents an approach to integrating the production of domestic hot water with an electric heat-recovery chiller plant as a streamlined solution.

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Feasibility study of wastewater energy transfer for an existing campus building cluster

The HVAC-related energy usage of a group of three existing buildings on a Canadian university campus (the “Cluster”) was simulated. Two scenarios were compared: (1) an ambient loop paired with conventional HVAC equipment (boiler plant and cooling tower), and (2) an ambient loop using wastewater energy transfer (“WET”). The study aimed to assess the feasibility of implementing WET as a heating and cooling method for cold-climate institutional buildings, as well as to measure the effects of WET implementation on energy usage, greenhouse gas emissions, and energy costs

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Fighting the invisible enemy 

Fighting the invisible enemy 

When Ashak Nathwani arrived in Australia from Uganda in 1972 with 20 cents to his name, little did he imagine how much he would achieve in his life. Laura Timberlake reviews his recently released book and explores his astonishing career. As Australia struggles to meet...

Hidden hero: the importance of BMS 

Hidden hero: the importance of BMS 

Building management systems are vital for HVAC performance and efficiency, but if they’re poorly designed or maintained, they can cause serious problems. Chris Stamatis, M.AIRAH, and Trevor Smith, Affil.AIRAH, showed Nick Johns-Wickberg and Mark Vender how these...

Rising above the crowd

Rising above the crowd

Sonia Holzheimer, M.AIRAH, shares her reflections from the 21st Women in HVACR Conference in Dallas. Dallas welcomed nearly 600 HVAC&R professionals to celebrate the theme “Lone Star leadership” at the 21st annual Women in HVACR conference. I arrived ready to...

The road to certification

The road to certification

Dan Hadley examines what’s required to meet the International Organization for Standardization’s ISO 14001:2015 – environmental management systems in construction, using Watson Fitzgerald & Associates as a case study. Sustainability has long surpassed simply being...

Home improvement

Home improvement

Many Australians live in substandard housing, but what can we actually do to improve thermal performance and reduce our energy bills?

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