January 24, 2012 - Roevin is a division of Adecco HR staffing firm which focuses exclusively on recruiting engineering, technical and I.T. talent. It is currently seeking to fill the position of a:

Senior Energy Manager - Waterloo, Ont.

November 9, 2011 - New York City's Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan said it is "anxious" to install Telkonet’s cloud-based EcoSmart platform before the busy holiday rush after receiving “very positive feedback” during a recent testing period−making it the latest hospitality facility to implement the system.

A multidisciplinary team of researchers at the University of Virginia has been awarded a four-year, $2-million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop “smart building” energy systems for residential and commercial buildings. The University says the researchers will focus on reducing energy used by buildings’ HVAC systems, which account for a considerable percentage of American energy use.

 

The plan is to develop sensors and user interfaces that will allow building occupants to better control the building temperature and enable the building to better sense and automatically respond to occupants, says the University. The team will also be designing new HVAC equipment and building exteriors—or envelopes—to improve the speed and efficiency with which buildings could respond to occupants.

 

“Right now the prevailing wisdom is that buildings should be efficient in their steady state of operation; if you're going to constantly heat the building, you should be efficient at doing that,” said Kamin Whitehouse, Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science and principal investigator for the grant. “We are going to dynamically control buildings, and so we need to revisit that whole philosophy and ask the question, ‘How can we design equipment and buildings to more quickly respond to occupant behaviour?’”

 

An important goal for the project, according to the University, will be to develop systems that are more affordable than other popular energy-saving methods, such as installation of improved insulation, new windows or solar panels. The University says preliminary data from research conducted on eight houses in Charlottesville, Virginia showed a 28% reduction in HVAC energy use with a $25 investment in hardware. Ultimately, the researchers hope to reduce HVAC energy use by 30% to 50% with a start-up cost of less than $500 per home and a return on investment for homeowners within two years.

 

To meet the energy-reduction target, the researchers are developing a wide range of technologies, including next-generation wireless sensors, HVAC equipment, building envelope designs and human-computer interfaces. They will use sensors to monitor electric and water loads, occupant motion in buildings, door and window positions, light, temperature and humidity.

 

Darden professor Andrea Larson is helping the team of technology experts turn the energy systems into an economically viable product for consumers. One aspect of her work, says the University, will be to determine the proper price point for these technologies to gain widespread consumer adoption.

 

“Technology can be ahead of the market, be hard to sell to its ultimate users and be priced inappropriately,” said Larson. “Early adoption, to be followed by widespread adoption, requires careful selection of first customers and your early supplier partnerships. It also requires a good understanding of the marketplace, including your strategy within the existing competitive context, how you are differentiated, the competition’s likely response, pricing and regulatory issues.”

 

For more information, go to www.virginia.edu/uvatoday.

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Canada (BOMA Canada) announced the national launch of “e-Energy Training for Building Operations”, an online course teaching building operators and engineers how to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in commercial and institutional buildings.

 

The course aims to raise the energy-efficiency awareness and competencies of operations personnel in the estimated 440,000 commercial and institutional buildings across Canada, according to BOMA. Those buildings (which include commercial office space, retail and wholesale businesses, hospitals, schools, universities, hotels and government buildings) comprise approximately 672 million square meters of floor space, and account for 14% of national end-use energy consumption and 13% of Canada’s carbon emissions.

 

Between 1990 and 2005, energy use in the sector increased almost 34% in Canada, while carbon emissions increased 37%. According to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), improving operational practices and implementing energy retrofits in commercial and institutional buildings reduces associated energy consumption by an average of 20%.

 

BOMA Canada President Diana Osler Zortea believes the e-Energy training will help the Canadian commercial real estate industry remain competitive and protect the environment.

 

“We are very pleased to offer this online training to businesses, organizations and agencies across Canada, especially in an economy where spending any more than absolutely necessary on comfortably heating, cooling and lighting your buildings is simply not an option,” said Zortea. “We believe that this training will provide remarkable value in helping to ensure that building operators and engineers remain educated, aware and proactive in their approach to reducing energy costs and GHG emissions.”

 

The training is offered in both French and English and begins with an overview of basic energy management principles such as metering and billing. BOMA says it then teaches specific practical skills to operations personnel (in subjects such as lighting, HVAC and controls optimization), which can be used in their day-to-day operations. The course also presents operators with strategies to influence building occupants’ energy consumption behaviour and tips on how to best “sell” the benefits of capital projects, such as energy retrofits to management.

 

BOMA says the format of the course is specifically tailored to the needs of building operators, whose work requires that they remain on-site during the day. The course requires approximately 30 hours of study, which can be spread out over several months. It can be taken during work hours when time permits or remotely from home.

 

The response to the course (which has been available in British Columbia since the end of 2007) has so far been overwhelmingly positive, added BOMA, earning an overall satisfaction rating of 94% among operator participants. As well, tests taken before and after the course showed a 28% improvement in the trained operators’ ability to both identify energy savings opportunities and implement energy efficiency measures.

 

Content and delivery of the e-Energy course, which costs $750 per participant, was produced by BC firms Prism Engineering and Circle Learning with extensive input from a team of experienced building operators. To date, the course has helped almost 100 businesses and organizations in BC save on their utility costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. BOMA BC secured funding from the BC government and local utilities for the initial version of the course in 2007. In 2010, the Ontario Power Authority and NRCan provided major funding to enhance the course and ensure the course content is applicable across Canada in both official languages.

 

To learn more about e-Energy Training and to register for the course, visit www.BOMALEARNING.com.

Raising efficiency to new levels was the focus of ASHRAE’s 2010 Annual Conference held in Albuquerque, New Mexico from June 26-30. The meeting also saw the induction of the Society’s first female president, Lynn G. Bellenger.

 

One of the conference highlights included ASHRAE’s receipt of ENERGY STAR in recognition of energy savings following the 2008 renovation of ASHRAE Headquarters in Atlanta. To achieve this, ASHRAE reduced its estimated annual energy usage by more than 32.5% through enhancements to the building envelope and use of the following systems: a dedicated outside air system with energy recovery; ground-source heat pumps; and mini-split systems with heat recovery.

 

Together, ASHRAE and the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IESNA) celebrated the 35^th anniversary of publication of its energy conservation standard, now known as “ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings”. Developed in response to the 1970s energy crisis, ASHRAE says Standard 90 has become the basis for building codes, and the standard for building design and construction throughout the U.S.

       

ASHRAE announced that it had met its Research Promotion fundraising goal by hitting the $2,075,000 mark. The figure represents a 2% increase over last year, according to the organization. ASHRAE says that its Research Promotion program has supported more than 700 projects in the last 50 years, addressing areas such as indoor air quality, refrigeration and energy efficiency.

       

Conference attendees also received an update on the Building EQ program, which currently is a pilot program designed to encourage the building industry to cut energy use and costs. Seventeen provisional assessors have spent the last couple of months assessing energy use, which is then provided in a scale to convey a building’s energy use in comparison to similar buildings, occupancy types and climate zone. 

                              

The conference included technical program sessions, which gave attendees a first look at proposed Standard 90.1-2010, retrofitting HVAC in older buildings for higher efficiency, evaluating the performance of existing buildings, evaporative cooling in high and dry climates, natural refrigerants, BIM load calculations, retrocommissioning, HVAC equipment needs for net-zero-energy homes, energy efficiency through building controls and building energy simulation.  All of these sessions and others are available in the Albuquerque Virtual Conference at www.ashrae.org/NewMexicoVirtual.

                    

ASHRAE holds its 2011 Winter Conference from Jan. 29-Feb. 2 in Las Vegas, accompanied by the AHR Expo from Jan. 31-Feb. 2. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/lasvegas.

Honeywell released a new version of its Enterprise Buildings Integrator (EBI R410), a facility management platform that reduces operating costs by integrating core building technologies—HVAC, security, life safety, lighting and energy systems.

 

The latest release includes support for Honeywell's new EasyMobileT client interface that allows building operators to view and control building systems using a variety of compatible mobile devices including Blackberry, Apple iPhone, and Palm Pre. Users can remotely view system alarms and trend information, and make changes like shifting HVAC system temperature settings. The company says this improves productivity and allows building operators to have more insight and control over their facility without being tethered to a desktop computer or console.       

 

The new version also brings smartcard technology to the EBI platform through support of Honeywell's IdentIPointT IP-based access control system. The platform eliminates the need for centralized access controllers, says Honeywell, resulting in a more secure, flexible and scalable system that is less expensive to deploy and maintain.

 

EBI R410 adds support for a variety of Microsoft operating systems, software and databases, including Microsoft Windows 7, Internet Explorer 8, Windows Server 2008, and SQLT Server 2008. It also provides enhanced reporting capabilities through Microsoft Reporting Services for better decision support, including access control reports that help support Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.

 

“EBI delivers building operators more control through enhanced mobility,” said Paul Orzeske, president of Honeywell Building Solutions. “Combined with other leading features and functionality on an open, standards-based platform, EBI helps facility managers maximize the bottom line through improved operational and energy savings.”

 

EBI includes a facility model that organizes and presents information on all systems and control points in a hierarchy. Facility managers can view information at a campus-wide level or drill down to an individual HVAC component. They can also view and investigate historical trend information associated with various locations and events.

 

In addition EBI consolidates all building systems onto a common IT backbone, which Honeywell says allows for enhanced service support through automated delivery of software patches and upgrades to ensure systems are kept up-to-date and running optimally. EBI makes integrating additional applications simple because all system components reside on a single network, enabling a consistent framework for standards and support.

 

EBI R410 will be available in the third quarter of 2010. To learn more about Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator, visit www.honeywell.com/EBI.

The British Columbia government will give $25 million in energy retrofits to schools, universities, colleges, hospitals and Crown corporations to create jobs and cut carbon pollution, according to a government news release.

 

“We know this investment will immediately translate into a lower energy footprint for public sector buildings, less carbon pollution, and savings to taxpayers,” said John Yap, Minister of State for Climate Action. “Equally important, these investments will create new jobs across the province and spur public sector organizations and B.C. businesses to find innovative ways to tackle climate change.”

 

In 2007 the BC created the Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement in Partnership with BC Hydro. Budget 2008 committed $75 million over three years to help public sector organizations. To date, the government says achievements include annual energy cost savings of close to $7.4 million, greenhouse gas reductions of over 18,700 tonnes and conservation of 38.6 GWh of electricity.

 

“Investing in energy efficiency has many long-term pay backs,” said David Cobb, president and CEO, BC Hydro. “Not only do customers reduce operating costs, but energy efficiency and conservation also create jobs. In fact, our Power Smart initiatives will create 193,000 jobs in the province over 30 years.”

 

The $25 investment will be spread across four categories:

 

·         $6 million in K-12 schools throughout the province for HVAC retrofits

·         $2 million for solar thermal projects to fund solar hot water and air systems

·         $12 million for district energy systems.

·         $5 million for an open call for proposals to all provincial public sector organizations

 

For more information on the Public Sector Energy Conservation Agreement, visit www.env.gov.bc.ca/cas/mitigation/pseca.html.

Engineers across America have begun assessing the energy use of selected buildings as part of a pilot program designed to encourage the building industry to cut energy use and costs, according to the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

                    

The Building Energy Quotient program—known as Building EQ—includes both “As Designed” (asset) and “In Operation” (as operational) ratings for all building types except residential. It also provides a detailed certificate with data on actual energy use, energy demand profiles, indoor air quality and other information that will enable building owners to evaluate and reduce their building’s energy use.

 

Seventeen provisional assessors have been named by ASHRAE to assess energy use, which is then provided in a scale to convey a building’s energy use in comparison to similar buildings, occupancy types and climate zone. Building owners also are given building-specific information that can be used to improve building energy performance.     

 

“I wanted to participate in the Building EQ effort because it will play a role in the United States’ drive to a carbon-neutral future,” said Matthew Dwyer, P.E., Dwyer Engineering, who is assessing buildings in Washington, D.C., and Plymouth, Mass. “Past labeling programs were sometimes based on marketing as much as engineering, because we all needed a motivation to be green. People get the importance of being green now, so we need to take another step. Building EQ takes us further by distinguishing net-zero buildings from merely good buildings.”

 

Under the pilot program—launched in December 2009—new buildings are eligible to receive an “As Designed”, or asset rating, which provides an assessment of the building based on the components specified in the design, and is based on the results of building energy modeling and simulation. An “In Operation” rating is available once the building has at least one year of data on the actual energy use and is based on a combination of the structure of the building and how it is operated. Existing buildings would be eligible to receive both an “As Designed” and “In Operation” rating.

                       

“The process of checking a building’s EQ is not just a grading process,” Dwyer said. “The engineer not only examines building energy use and carbon footprint, but tests and measures the building environment and meets with building engineers on site. After spending time onsite, we then work with the building owner to understand the building systems and provide goals and suggestions on future improvements. The intent is to create a path so that more and more buildings can move from a low grade to a top grade.”

 

The program is administered by ASHRAE. For complete information, visit www.buildingeq.com.

Sofame Technologies Inc. has received an order from Tozour Energy Systems (TES)—a full-service HVAC and building automation provider—to engineer and supply a $555,000 Percotherm heat recovery system. The unit is designed to reduce natural gas consumption and carbon emissions. The end-user is among the first manufacturing facilities in the US to achieve a newly developed EPA designation for pharmaceutical manufacturing as well as an environmental leadership award from the Alliance for Workplace Excellence, said the company.

 

Josh Costell, executive vice president and general manager of Tozour Energy Systems whose team sold the turn-key project stated, “This project is another example of how boiler heat recovery can reduce operating costs as well as carbon footprint. With TES expertise, our customers are saving money while achieving their corporate sustainability milestones,” said Josh Costell, executive VP and general manager of Tozour Energy Systems.

 

John Gocek, COO of Sofame stated: “Tozour Energy's commitment to Sofame's technology began in 2007. Building on the two high profile turn-key projects delivered in 2009 and by working closely together, Tozour Energy Systems and Sofame Technologies have established a strong presence in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware.”

Tozour Energy Systems

Sofame

EDMONTON, AB — ATCO Gas last week celebrated the official opening of a new environmentally friendly operations centre. Located in Edmonton, the operations centre is the largest commercial building in Canada to make use of geothermal heating, ventilating and cooling (HVAC) technology fuelled by natural gas.

"The North Edmonton Operations Centre demonstrates ATCO's commitment to the environment through the commercial use of alternative energy technology," said Nancy Southern, President and Chief Executive Officer, ATCO Group. "It sets a new standard for sustainable buildings and reinforces ATCO's reputation for technological innovation."

The 55,000 square-foot facility utilizes natural gas, the cleanest burning fossil fuel, to run the heat pump geothermal system. It uses approximately 40 percent less energy than a similar size building heated through conventional means. The energy savings equate to a reduction in carbon dioxide emission by an estimated 60 metric tonnes annually.

"The new North Edmonton Operations Centre is a showcase for ATCO, as well as the City of Edmonton and Province of Alberta," said Brian Hahn, President, ATCO Gas. "It helps us reduce our carbon footprint while improving operational efficiency."

ATCO Gas opened a smaller geothermal facility in Viking, Alberta, last March, while another operations centre equipped with geothermal technology is currently under construction in Airdrie. Other green initiatives undertaken by ATCO include solar and hydro projects.

ATCO Gas is part of ATCO Group and provides safe, reliable natural gas service through a network of more than 37,000 kilometres of underground pipes and service lines. The company operates 62 agency offices across Alberta and serves more than one million customers in nearly 300 communities across the province. More information about ATCO Gas is available at www.atcogas.com.

Alberta-based ATCO Ltd., with more than 7,500 employees and assets of approximately $10.0 billion, delivers service excellence and innovative business solutions worldwide with leading companies engaged in Utilities (pipelines, natural gas and electricity transmission and distribution), Energy (power generation, natural gas gathering, processing, storage and liquids extraction), Structures & Logistics (manufacturing, logistics and noise abatement) and Technologies (business systems solutions). More information can be found at www.atco.com.