Infographic: Top 3 HVAC Expert Predictions for 2013
Economic prospects are looking up for the HVAC industry in 2013 as those involved in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and related industries see potential for growth.
A resurgence in the housing market as well as a consumer interest and investment in “green” HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) equipment, will stimulate the industry this year, according to a new report from energy market research publisher SBI Energy.
Goodway’s blog interviewed seven industry experts, including our own Tim Kane, Goodway’s President and Tim Robb, Goodway’s Director, Digital Marketing & Strategic Business Development, to get their top three predictions for HVAC in 2013.
In this blog post, we’re going to share one prediction each from Kane and Robb. We present all twenty-plus predictions in our infographic.
Kane expects a continued flight to quality/efficiency-based heating and cooling appliances.
“In terms of ‘hot’ products I think we will continue to see very strong sales for independent AC appliance sales with mini-splits leading the way,” he says. “The trend is toward smaller ‘package’ style units that work autonomously and are oftentimes more efficient than the older integral building HVAC systems.”
Robb predicts that regional energy efficiency standards will be increasing in stature, promoting national reviews of HVAC power usage.
“We see it in California where the utilities are in direct conversation with the HVAC industry associations to better manage HVAC power consumption. In some states HVAC represents over 50%-65% of all power consumption,” Robb says. “While new systems will undoubtedly be more energy efficient, other technologies like whole house fans and cogeneration with solar and domestic hot water will likely emerge quicker. Additionally, newer and more efficient maintenance tools and procedures will become more important to energy efficiency.”
You can read the rest of the predictions from Robb and Kane in our infographic.
In our infographic we also present the top three predictions of:
- Emil Salazar, a market analyst at SBI Energy
- Christopher M. Burney, Executive Director of Planning, Design, and Construction, University of Mississippi Medical Center
- Mark Lowry, Executive Vice President, RSES: The HVACR Training Authority
- Robert Baker, Managing Director, BBJ Consulting
- Kenneth Simonson, Chief Economist, The Associated General Contractors of America
Next steps:
Download Goodway’s 2013 HVAC Trends Infographic with Insight from 7 HVAC Experts.
Your Next HVAC Purchase?
Click to activate a 10% coupon or insert the coupon code 10PERCENT upon checkout.
HVAC, Building Performance: Probiotics for Sick Buildings
In recent years there have been many television commercials and other advertisements touting the health benefits of probiotics, the “good” bacteria.
The California Dairy Research Foundation defines probiotics as “live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amount, confer a health benefit on the host.”
Some of the health benefits to consuming probiotics include enhanced immunity, a reduced risk of infectious diseases and improved digestive function, according to the foundation.
So could these microorganisms play a role in improving building health?
Your Next HVAC Purchase?
Click to activate a 10% coupon or insert the coupon code 10PERCENT upon checkout.
Read full blog post »
Cogeneration: Obama’s Executive Order Encourages More Use
In past posts, we’ve talked about cogeneration. We posted a blog about cogeneration and its future in the HVAC industry in 2009. Because it became one of our more popular posts, we published a follow-up post in June 2012.
In late August, President Obama signed an executive order aimed at increasing industrial energy efficiency. “Today, we are taking another step to strengthen American manufacturing by boosting energy efficiency for businesses across the nation,” the president says in a statement. “This action will cut costs, increase efficiency, and help our businesses create strong, middle class jobs. We’ll continue to do everything we can to put more people back to work and build an economy that lasts.”
Beckett Adams, the author of an article in The Blaze, explains the order’s intent is to add 50% more cogeneration plants in the United States by 2020 and to reduce carbon emissions by 150 million tons per year.
An article in Smart Grid News notes the order’s focus is on combined heat and power (CHP), also called cogeneration. Investment in CHP technology may save tens of billions of dollars, while creating jobs and reducing energy usage and pollution. The U.S. Clean Heat & Power Association (USCHPA) says CHP provides 12% of the United States’ energy capacity, or 82 gigawatts. The order specifies a goal of an additional 40 gigawatts by 2020.
“CHP technology can be deployed quickly, cost effectively and with few geographic restrictions,” says Jessica Bridges, the executive director of the USCHPA, in the Smart Grid News article. “Establishing this national goal toward greater CHP deployment will significantly advance cleaner energy generation in the U.S., benefit the environment and help create much needed manufacturing and industrial jobs.”
Several departments, including the Environmental Protection Agency, National Economic Council and the Council on Environmental Quality will be responsible for coordinating policies that encourage CHP technology usage. The agencies will work with states, utility companies and industrial companies to provide information and guidance to encourage companies to adopt clean energy technologies, such as CHP, at an accelerated rate.
To read the full press release click here.
Next Steps:
- Subscribe to our blog to receive the full blog series via email and stay informed about the latest HVAC news and insight.
- Stay up to date on facility maintenance tools such as chiller tube cleaners, boiler tube cleaners, hose/pipe cleaners, descaler systems, industrial vacuums, commercial pressure washers, and drain cleaners.
Your Next HVAC Purchase?
Click to activate a 10% coupon or insert the coupon code 10PERCENT upon checkout.
Ammonia As a Refrigerant: Pros and Cons – Follow Up
(Editor’s note: The Just Venting blogging team identified the top three Just Venting blog posts since launching in 2008. The next three posts will be a follow up to each.)
It’s no surprise one of the blog’s most popular posts is Ammonia As a Refrigerant: Pros and Cons.
In a 2010 newsletter published by Alfa Laval, a heat transfer, separation and fluid handling technology company, Dr. Risto Ciconkov claims ammonia is on the rise as an energy efficient refrigeration choice.
Ciconkov is an expert on ammonia refrigeration technology from the University of Skopje in Macedonia. He explains that the ongoing challenge is to create environmentally safer products without affecting quality or operation efficiency.
Your Next HVAC Purchase?
Click to activate a 10% coupon or insert the coupon code 10PERCENT upon checkout.
Read full blog post »
How to Assure ‘Right Sizing’ HVAC Systems for Efficient Operation
“Right sizing” an HVAC system improves efficiency, reduces noise, offers greater cooling/heating comfort and saves money. An oversized system increases installation costs, wastes energy, and costs more in overall operating costs than correctly sized systems.
If you consider the worst-case scenarios when sizing your HVAC system, such as maximum occupancy, lighting needs and weather conditions, you’ll probably install an oversized system. And an oversized system can reduce the cooling capacity. That results in the compressors short cycling, which in turn affects the system’s ability to dehumidify the building effectively.
Your Next HVAC Purchase?
Click to activate a 10% coupon or insert the coupon code 10PERCENT upon checkout.
Read full blog post »
Innovative Energy Solutions: Ammonia as a Refrigerant, Cogeneration, Concentrating Solar Power
Every building needs an HVAC system. Whether you’re heating, cooling, or ventilating, you need a system that will work efficiently and also save you money.
But different facilities require different systems. As technology develops, and green buildings become the norm rather than the exception, there are some innovative energy technologies you might want to consider to meet your HVAC needs.
Ammonia as a Refrigerant
Ammonia as a refrigerant is growing in popularity in large industrial applications, according to A. Bruce Badger, president of the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration (IIAR).
Ammonia is a natural refrigerant that doesn’t deplete the ozone nor does it contribute to global warming, Badger says. Applications for ammonia as a refrigeration include large food and beverage processing companies, cold storage warehouses, district cooling, the pharmaceutical industry, as well as ice rinks.
Ammonia used without water (anhydrous) is used in industrial applications because of its environmental advantages; it’s also very energy efficient and offers a fast return on investment, according to IIAR. Most of the food consumed in North America, including meat, dairy, fish, frozen food, fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as beverages are stored or processed in facilities that use ammonia as a refrigerant, Badger says.
“The risks associated with using ammonia as a refrigerant are no greater than the risks associated with other common refrigerants,” Badger says in the article. “The primary difference is that ammonia has a pungent odor that serves as a very effective safety alarm.”
However, only qualified technicians should handle ammonia refrigerants, because working on an ammonia refrigeration system is different than working on other refrigeration systems, he says. For example, while copper tubing is commonly used in smaller HVAC systems, it should never be used in an ammonia refrigeration system. (Editors Note: Check out our popular post on this topic: “Ammonia As a Refrigerant: Pros and Cons“).
Cogeneration
Large facilities can also become more energy efficient using cogeneration, which is a process that allows a system to produce both heat and power.
Cogeneration, also known as combined heat and power (CHP), is one of the most effective approaches to energy conservation because it produces two types of energy at once – electric power and thermal energy.
The heat that would otherwise be vented into the atmosphere is recovered and then used wherever it’s needed. A facility can generate electricity onsite and then use the heat that would be lost from that process to create steam. So, rather than pay twice for electricity and heat, you just pay to generate the electricity.
Separate heat and power systems are often only 33% efficient because up to 67% of the fuel energy is wasted in unused heat. Even the most efficient power plants are only about 60% energy efficient. But CHP systems can achieve efficiencies of 80% or higher, while they also save on electricity line losses – the electricity that’s lost being delivered to a distant location.
The perfect time to consider installing a cogen system is during a major plant renovation.
Concentrating Solar Power
Some experts say that concentrating solar power (CSP) technology is the only renewable resource that can harness the sun to produce “reliable, cost-effective, and dispatchable electricity.”
CSP uses mirrors to focus concentrated beams of sunlight onto an area where the heat converts a liquid to steam that can be used to power a turbine that generates electricity. Additionally, some of that energy produced by the heat can be stored in tanks of oil or molten salt and used later to generate power after the sun sets.
Today, the US has more than 500 megawatts (MW) of CSP power generation, with another 1,300-plus MW in the development pipeline. And worldwide, CSP plants produce more than 1 gigawatt of energy. With sufficient investment and the right government policies, more than 10% of the world’s electricity demand could be met by CSP by 2050, according to a study by the International Energy Agency.
So if you’re thinking of replacing your old HVAC system, check out these innovative alternatives — they’ll help you save energy and money.
Next Step:
- Subscribe to our blog to stay informed on the latest HVAC maintenance news and insight.
- Learn about the pros and cons Ammonia As a Refrigerant and why Cogeneration May Be the Future of HVAC.
- Stay up to date on facility maintenance tools such as chiller tube cleaners, boiler tube cleaners, hose/pipe cleaners, descaler systems, industrial vacuums, commercial pressure washers, and drain cleaners.
Your Next HVAC Purchase?
Click to activate a 10% coupon or insert the coupon code 10PERCENT upon checkout.
Turning Geothermal Energy into a Hot HVAC Technology
One way to ensure that your facility remains up and running is to invest in the most up-to-date HVAC equipment and technologies. And one of the hottest HVAC technologies this year is geothermal technology.
Geothermal heat pump systems, for example, use 25%-50% less electricity than conventional heating or cooling systems. And they can reduce energy consumption – and corresponding emissions – up to 44% compared to air-source heat pumps and up to 72% compared to electric resistance heating with standard air-conditioning equipment, according to the EPA.
But while more companies are engaged in developing geothermal resources, it still seems to be “that enticing but forever elusive next big technological thing,” sustainability author Chris Turner says in this article.
Your Next HVAC Purchase?
Click to activate a 10% coupon or insert the coupon code 10PERCENT upon checkout.
Read full blog post »
3 Top HVAC and Facility Maintenance Technology Trends For 2012
The new year is right around the corner, so it seems like a good time to stare into the crystal ball and see what’s going to be hot for 2012. Technology as always will play a big part in keeping your building up and running.
1) HVAC high tech instruments – Facility management staff can detect HVAC equipment problems sooner using automated tools. According to an article in Today’s Facility Manager, more and more facilities are using high tech instruments such as laser alignment systems, automatic lubricators, ultrasonic leak detectors, thermal cameras, and video scopes. These devices all help make HVAC preventative maintenance procedures easier and more reliable so check out this the article if you are considering any as a viable option.
Your Next HVAC Purchase?
Click to activate a 10% coupon or insert the coupon code 10PERCENT upon checkout.
Read full blog post »
