Sick Building Syndrome
Chinese Drywall and SBS: The Saga Continues
Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 | Building Maintenance Industry News, HVAC Video Blog, Sick Building Syndrome | No Comments
It has unofficially become the Story That Just Won’t Go Away. Back in July we talked about the possible problems being caused in the American south and southeast by imported Chinese drywall (see “HVAC Industry on Alert for Defective Chinese Drywall,” July 23). We gave an update a month later (”By the Numbers: The Chinese Drywall Situation,” Aug. 19). The short version is that imported drywall may contain sulphur and other chemicals that are leaching out in the humid southern and southeastern climates. It’s damaging HVAC systems, plumbing systems, and other building systems while also driving people out of their homes and businesses and causing symptoms similar to sick building syndrome (SBS). Since HVAC and SBS are two of our chief in-house topics, we’ve been keeping an eye on the situation. And there are developments to report. › Continue reading
Sick Building Syndrome: Advice for Mitigating Influenza in Commercial Buildings
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009 | Sick Building Syndrome | No Comments
Recently your trusty Just Venting blogger received in the mail a magazine (also available on the Web as a text-only pdf), sent out to all residents of his state, that called to mind this blog’s occasional focus on sick building syndrome. It consisted of advice about preparing for and responding to a pandemic flu outbreak and the widespread dissemination of such a publication underscored a point that, given current circumstances, we simply can’t overemphasize: Preparing for flu in your commercial, industrial, or institutional building is mandatory. Sick building syndrome has ramped up to a new playing field. › Continue reading
Sick Building Syndrome on Steroids: ASHRAE Releases Position Paper on HVAC and Infectious Disease
Thursday, October 8th, 2009 | HVAC Maintenance and Efficiency, Sick Building Syndrome | No Comments
Sick building syndrome is a concern of every person who spends most of his or her days located indoors in a building with an active HVAC system — that is, the majority of us. But sometimes circumstances take us beyond the normal concerns involved in sick building syndrome — mold, chemicals, allergic reactions, general malaise, etc. — and we find we’ve entered the zone of all-out infectious disease concerns. That’s where we find ourselves right now, with the rapidly spreading H1N1 pandemic. › Continue reading
Reader Survey: How Do You Do More With Less?
Wednesday, October 7th, 2009 | Building Energy Performance, Sick Building Syndrome | No Comments
In this time of economic challenges, those of you who are responsible for running our nation’s buildings face some terrific challenges. You are constantly being asked to do more work with less money and fewer people. Many owners look at the cost of building management as an overhead item, something that cuts into their margins during a time when a hobbled economy is already squeezing profits. › Continue reading
HVLS Fans Save Money, Improve Comfort
Tuesday, September 1st, 2009 | Energy Saving Tips, HVLS Fan, LEED, Leed Certification, Sick Building Syndrome | 1 Comment
If you’ve ever looked overhead in a factory, warehouse or other large open space, you’ve probably seen those enormous fans spinning slowly overhead. Known as High Velocity Low Speed (HVLS) fans, they can save you substantial amounts of money, help make building occupants more comfortable and even help you achieve LEED certification. › Continue reading
Energy and the Economy: Report Says U.S. Can Save $1.2 Trillion through Energy Efficiency Measures
Thursday, August 27th, 2009 | Green Buildings & Green Technology, HVAC Maintenance and Efficiency, HVAC Regulations and Standards, Sick Building Syndrome | No Comments
McKinsey & Company, the worldwide management consulting firm, has released a report that highlights the connection between energy and the economy by demonstrating that the U.S. could save up to $1.2 through the use of non-transportation energy efficiency measures. › Continue reading
By The Numbers: The Chinese Drywall Situation
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009 | Sick Building Syndrome | No Comments
Since we first brought you word of the problems associated with Chinese drywall, much has happened. The EPA, Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) are all now investigating. › Continue reading
New Prescription for Sick Building Syndrome (SBS): Use Copper in the HVAC System
Thursday, August 13th, 2009 | HVAC Maintenance and Efficiency, Sick Building Syndrome | No Comments
We’ve written twice in recent weeks about the issue of copper and its role in HVAC systems, so we figured hey, why not another one? We’re not really being flippant, though, because all indications are that copper is increasingly showing up as a major factor in the HVAC world with applications that may prove beneficial to everybody. Its possible uses for helping to prevent Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) are now coming to the fore, and this is entirely appropriate since copper’s natural antimicrobial properties make it the perfect metal for addressing one of the foundational causes of SBS. › Continue reading
Green Buildings Can Reduce Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)
Monday, August 10th, 2009 | Building Maintenance Industry News, Green Buildings & Green Technology, LEED, Sick Building Syndrome | No Comments
The idea that a building could make people ill has been in the public consciousness since 1976 when Legionella pneumophila first reared its ugly bacterial head at an American Legion convention in Philadelphia. While that was an unusual and isolated case, the idea of a building causing illness has never gone away. › Continue reading
Written by: Goodway Blogging TeamSpring Issue of Fluke HVAC/IAQ News Teems with Useful Info
Thursday, August 6th, 2009 | HVAC Maintenance and Efficiency, Sick Building Syndrome | No Comments
The Spring 2009 issue of Fluke’s excellent HVAC/IAQ News contains a wealth of useful information for facility managers, building owners, HVAC contractors, and others. › Continue reading
Subscribe via E-mail
Categories
- Building Energy Performance
- Building Energy Quotient (Building EQ)
- Building Maintenance Industry News
- Building Management Systems (BMS)
- Clean Energy Economy
- Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007
- Energy Saving Legislation
- Energy Saving Tips
- Green Building Codes
- Green Buildings & Green Technology
- HVAC Complaints
- HVAC Deferred Maintenance
- HVAC Industry
- HVAC Jobs / Career Advice
- HVAC Maintenance and Efficiency
- HVAC Regulations and Standards
- HVAC Video Blog
- HVLS Fan
- Industrial Cleaning Equipment
- innovative HVAC Solutions
- LEED
- Leed Certification
- Sick Building Syndrome
- Strategic Facility Planning (SFP)
Archive
Recent Posts
- Proper Filter Maintenance Cuts Coil Cleaning Costs
- New Laws Create New Challenges – LEED V3, ASHRAE 189.1 and CalGreen
- Deferred Chiller Maintenance Comes With Hidden Costs
- California Passes Nation’s Strictest Green Building Code
- New ASHRAE Program Grades Building Energy Performance
- ASHRAE President Sees A Busy Year Ahead For The Industry, Part 2
Recent Comments
- Tom Moore: This is good that we are making a move to reduce waste, it is only a matter of time until the rest of the...
- kinary: other than the suggestions u mentioned above, i also recommend dsl speed which can boost ur internet...
- Bud Campbell: Interesting article. I am going to have to look into these cooling tower vacuums.
- Air Zero: Thank you – going green is getting to be over kill.
- Dan Winters: Excellent points, particularly about the liability/risk issues – having a strong system of record...
Links
- ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America)
- ACEEE (American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy)
- Arden Engineering Constructors
- ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers)
- Buildings.com
- ENR (Engineering News Record)
- Environmental Building News
- Facilities Net
- FMLink (facilities management news)
- Goodway Technologies
- HVAC Talk
- Read Generation
- SchoolFacilities.com
- Scout Blogging Services
- The News (air-conditioning, heating, refrigeration news)
- Today’s Facility Manager
- U.S. Green Building Council
- User Login