HVAC System Savings
No matter what side of the country your building sits, facilities professionals seek out solutions for HVAC systems. This is why the HVAC category of our Money-Saving Products annual program receives so many submissions. 2019 is no exception.
Check out these 13 HVAC solutions from companies who understand why building and property owners, and managers are so invested in this topic.
Aeroseal
Developed by the U.S. Department of Energy to offer building contractors the first viable means of sealing ductwork (particularly in existing buildings), aeroseal technology establishes duct sealing as a key strategy for significant energy savings, improved IAQ, and increased indoor comfort. It replaces a slow, often ineffective approach to duct sealing, with a computer-controlled process that guarantees results.
Aeroseal is a breakthrough duct sealing technology developed by the U.S. Department of Energy to offer the first viable means of repairing air distribution and ventilation systems in existing homes and buildings.
From an energy-saving standpoint alone, aeroseal technology is helping building owners save thousands of dollars each year in lower energy costs.
Weather Series RTUs with EcoBlue Technology
Other technological advances include:
Carrier Rooftops App
Allows you to perform on-the-spot RTU selection for both replacement and new construction, and estimate savings between Carrier Weather Series Units.
Expert Local Support and Inventory
Carrier has an unsurpassed range of options to accommodate any size job or application and the inventory to get you the products you need when you need them with our unparalleled network of over 475 locations.
Here are the 2019 Editors’ Choice Winners:
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Retrofit Kit using Indigo-Clean Technology | Kenall Lighting
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Clockworks | KGS Buildings
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System 4500 Windows and Doors | REHAU
rFOIL BIG-8 Reflective Duct Insulation
rFOIL BIG-8 Duct insulation provides an R-8.0 insulation value. Installed properly, the BIG-8 provides an air-tight thermal break around the duct which helps increase system efficiency, lowers stress on HVAC equipment and reduces energy usage and utility bills. Installers like using the BIG-8 Duct insulation over the standard FSK type wrap due to the time savings in cutting and taping the product.
rFOIL BIG-8 Duct insulation is a patented technology designed to reduce radiant heat gain/loss and control interior condensation in HVAC applications. rFOIL is made of non-fibrous insulation so there in no exposure to glass fibers and therefore no protective equipment or clothing is required for installation.
rFOIL is the first bubble insulation duct wrap to meet the R-8.0 requirements. rFOIL has been approved under the new stricter IECC (International Energy Conservation Code) by ICC Evaluation Services (Evaluation Report ESR 1236) and is also listed by ICC-ES (ESL-1044).
OptiLine™ Vertical Stacked Fan Coil
With the smallest footprint in the industry, created to consume the lowest amount of energy possible (.1 watts per cfm), Daikin’s new OptiLine™ stacked fan coil is specially engineered for high-rise apartments, office buildings, dormitories, and hotels. The OptiLine is designed to quietly and efficiently condition air from 300 to 1200 cfm, optimally matching a building’s space restrictions and efficiency needs.
Using the lowest amount of energy possible, OptiLine can reduce energy costs by 30 to 50 percent compared to similar products currently on the market, while also controlling humidity levels.
PreciseLine® Large Capacity Blower Coil
Today’s building owners need HVAC solutions that meet both comfort and budget demands. Daikin engineers designed PreciseLine to affordably condition air up to 5000 cfm, precisely matching a building’s air handling demand at an economical blower coil price point.
Going beyond delivering savings at the time of purchase, PreciseLine offers a wide range of standard features that sets this blower coil above the rest and adds to your year-over-year savings.
The standard double-wall foam construction drives higher energy efficiency and budget-minded lifetime performance, all while conditioning air for a larger space in a smaller and cheaper package to meet a wide range of building designs. Owners will realize superior thermal comfort and operational savings through fully modulating 0-10V fan motors, modulating valve packages, modulating fresh air supply dampers, and modulating electric heat.
Additional cost savings are realized when factoring in maintenance-free ECMs, low maintenance VFD motors, factory-installed valve packages that eliminate costly field service coordinating, slide out rails for quick access to all major components, and tool-less top, bottom and side doors for fast filter change-outs.
GDS-C40 Scale Removal System
When it comes to boilers, chillers, brazed plate heat exchangers, shell and tube heat exchangers and other HVAC equipment, the presence of scale can have a detrimental impact on operations and costs.
Scale can cause a loss of heat transfer, force higher energy consumption and result in under-deposit corrosion which shortens the equipment’s expected longevity.
BUILDINGS Checklist
Preventive Maintenance
When you stay on top of upkeep, you avoid costly emergency repairs and equipment failures, all of which eat into your hard-earned budget.
Use this checklist to keep major building systems—HVAC, roofing, plumbing and lighting—in good working order. Get yours here >>
USFD-100 Direct Drive Utility Set
Greenheck’s USFD-100 direct drive utility set can be specified with either a Vari-Green EC motor with a speed control dial for single-phase motor applications or a NEMA premium efficiency motor with a factory-mounted variable frequency drive (VFD). Quick connect terminal blocks and the prewired and preprogrammed VFD making start-up quick and easy.
Test and balance is simple as fan speed can be adjusted with the touch of a button. The direct drive construction eliminates belts and bearings so less maintenance is required.
Multi V™ 5 with LGRED°
LG Air Conditioning Technologies
The LG Multi V 5 with LGRED° (Reliable to Extreme Degrees) heating technology provides greater savings and flexibility by offering more capacity in a single compact chassis over other Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) products in the market.
This HVAC solution for commercial applications provides the necessary heating and cooling needs in one compact unit vs. two separate units, with a 43 percent smaller average footprint and 39 percent lighter total weight over the Multi V IV.
Not only will the space-saving design result in fewer costs devoted to structural reinforcements, but also results in the drastic reduction of electrical costs for power distribution.
Available in the industry’s most compact 20-ton single frame, the Multi V 5 with LGRED° technology is brimming with advanced features that provide unrivaled energy efficiency without sacrificing occupant comfort.
Thanks to powerful LGRED° technology, the Multi V 5 delivers outstanding heating performance when many traditional models are unable to (down to -22°F), while operating with incredible efficiency.
Featuring Advanced Smart Load Control and Comfort Cooling intelligence, the Multi V 5 measures ambient air humidity and temperature to monitor changing weather conditions in real-time and adjusts operation before the change has an opportunity to impact indoor comfort.
Smart Heating works by extending the VRF system’s heating run-hours between defrost cycles by monitoring the building’s heating load, calculating the outdoor air dew point temperature and when possible raises the outdoor coil surface temperature delaying frost formation on the outdoor unit coil contributing to additional energy savings.
Other Winning Categories:
CITY MULTI® N-Generation
The new CITY MULTI® N-Generation outdoor units are another step forward in the evolution of Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) technology.
Engineered to maximize energy efficiency and application flexibility, the N-Generation increases design freedom with an up to 30 percent smaller footprint compared to previous generations and greater vertical separation between the indoor and outdoor units. N-Generation features expanded vertical piping limits (from 164 to 295 feet) and redesigned Branch Circuit (BC) Controllers that can connect up to 11 sub BC Controllers.
These benefits increase design options saving productivity time and materials costs. In addition, N-Generation outdoor units feature an up to 13 percent reduction in refrigerant volume compared to the L-Generation.
Besides efficiency and cost savings, the N-Generation units provide optimal comfort. Available in capacities from six to 32 tons, with single modules up to 20 tons, the system can be installed in a variety of applications.
The units also introduce five new airflow settings, along with a redesigned compressor and fan, ensuring reduced noise levels across all models. Flash injection technology is now standard in N-Generation high-efficiency models, providing an up to 78 percent heating capacity down to -13°F and up to 70 percent heating capacity down to -22°F for the Hyper-Heating INVERTER® (H2i®) models.
HVAC New Life
Pure Air Control Services, Inc.
HVAC New Life is a total hygienic restoration for aging AHUs and RTUs. It combines PURE-Steam coil cleaning, PURE-Liner drain pan refinishing, PURE-Coat component refinishing, and PURE-Cell non fiberglass insulation. The complete service costs about 1/10 that of replacement and comes with a 5-year warranty.
Energy efficiency and cooling capacity has been shown to improve by as much as 30 percent or more with PURE-Steam coil cleaning.
HVAC New Life is ideal for facilities that cannot afford the time or cost of redesign and replacement. This is especially true for organizations operating under deferred maintenance. HVAC New Life is also great for situations where AHUs are not easily replaced or architecture that can only allow for units to be restored in place. HVAC New Life is a sustainable service with a much lower carbon footprint than new replacement.
Finally it is a total IAQ driven service that improves building and occupant health. This have been proven to reduce occupant disruption/absence and improve productivity.
Radiant Heating/Cooling Systems
REHAU hydronic radiant heating and cooling systems work by circulating heated or cooled fluid through a network of RAUPEX® crosslinked polyethylene (PEXa) pipes installed in the floors, walls or ceilings.
Due to the superior energy efficiency of hydronic energy transfer, radiant systems can lower heating and cooling energy consumption by up to 30 percent and allow air-handling systems to be downsized. An ROI of less than five years is possible for radiant heating/cooling systems in commercial buildings.
Radiant systems are especially in demand by facilities with high-performance and zero-net energy targets. A study by the New Buildings Institute found nearly half of the zero-energy buildings in the United States incorporate radiant systems to meet their energy goals. The study also notes these systems are often integrated with ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) to achieve zero energy as part of a cost-effective package.
Operating at moderate water temperatures, radiant systems optimize performance of a water-to-water geothermal heat pump system. This added optimization makes an already low-energy radiant system work at unprecedented levels of efficiency.
In addition to reducing energy consumption, REHAU hydronic radiant heating and cooling systems enhance thermal comfort, facilitate improved humidity control and operate silently, supporting the health and well-being of building occupants.
By controlling the radiant (surface) temperatures of a space—a thermal comfort variable not influenced by forced-air alone—radiant systems provide even, gentle heating and cooling that measurably increases comfort, which can lead to improved productivity and well-being in applications from workplace to education to healthcare facilities.
BUILDINGS Podcast
Hydronic Snow & Ice Melting Systems for Buildings
[podcast]
Janelle Penny speaks with Mike East from REHAU about hydronic snow and ice melting systems and how they benefit commercial buildings. Listen here >>
Using multiple radiant zones, heat energy can be precisely directed to meet the varying requirements within a building or even within individual rooms, enhancing comfort while optimizing energy consumption. For populations that are more susceptible to distractions, radiant offers the added benefit of much quieter operation than traditional HVAC. Because the systems use low-velocity pumps to push liquid through piping embedded in floors, ceilings or structural beams, they make so little noise they’re nearly impossible to detect.
As HVAC system designers optimize the fresh air requirements of ASHRAE 62.1 with the thermal comfort requirements of ASHRAE 55 in an energy conscience way, many find that an optimal indoor climate can be achieved by integrating radiant heating/cooling systems with a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS).
In these integrated systems, the radiant provides temperature conditioning (sensible load) while the air handler provides fresh air and dehumidification (latent load), allowing facility managers to independently and precisely control each of these human comfort variables.
(This company also had an Editors’ Choice winning product.)
EME3625DFLMD Louver
The EME3625DFLMD is designed to meet a wind load of 80 psf and satisfies the AMCA 550 standard, which is tested at wind speeds of 110 mph and a rainfall rate of 8.8 inches per hour. The closely-spaced vertical blades prevent penetration of wind-driven rain, earning a Class A efficiency rating at 29 mph and 50 mph.
The EME3625DFLMD will protect equipment and structures behind the louver, helping prevent additional damage and operating expenses.
(This company has a Life Safety winning product.)
Liebert® DSE Optimization
Liebert® DSE, a water-free cooling system for data centers, provides significant energy savings and efficiencies over other water-free mission critical thermal management systems.
The new Liebert® DSE Optimization, released in January 2019, feature provides further energy savings over the standard Liebert® DSE product through the optimization of the condenser fans, compressors, and refrigerant pumps to further reduce power consumption. For instance, applying the optimization upgrade to a 125kW Liebert DSE operating at 50 percent load in San Jose, California, would result in energy savings annually of around 27 percent per unit.
Data centers using chilled water systems use approximately 6.75 million gallons of water annually per megawatt capacity, according the Uptime Institute. The Liebert DSE Optimization reduces that number to zero.
See the rest of the 2019 winners:
