Ideas

Ideas For Energy Managers

Air conditioning system earthquake response checklist
Finding the right solution in a design-build relationship
How to Evaluate an HVAC Service Department
MSDS Sheets for air conditioning and refrigeration equipment
Using performance contracting to pay for capital improvements
Stopping refrigerant leaks before your system fails
Ten commandments for construction in a busy office
Using simple payback to select energy projects
Indoor Air Quality in a nutshell
What to do when the power is switched off during a heat wave
Inspecting an HVAC job
Your thermostat is a great little moneymaker
How to Inspect a Sheet Metal Job For Safety

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Indoor Air Quality in a Nutshell

Buildings have become airtight, with the percent of outside air set at minimum to conserve energy. Disease-causing agents that before were blown away by the air leaks now can remain and adversely effect the health of occupants.

A sick building checkup is called an Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) evaluation. It’s done in confidence so as not to raise unnecessary concerns. It takes a day. It involves measuring carbon dioxide levels, air flow, temperature, humidity, fresh air intake, effects of moisture and general conditions in and around your facility.

Do you need an IAQ evaluation? For an answer, let’s make a comparison to a human being. A medical doctor might give these four reasons for a checkup:

Periodic checkups
Exposure to conditions that cause illness
Actual symptoms
As a precaution before a stressful event

Let’s apply these reasons to your facility:

1. Periodic checkups. Evaluating indoor air quality by a Certified Environmental Inspector is part of any complete HVAC system maintenance program. The frequency of the checkup depends on the age of, and conditions in the facility.

2. Exposure to conditions that may cause illness. If you are experiencing these conditions, an Indoor Air Quality evaluation is indicated:

Water leakage or damage
Water, algae, pollen or garbage in or near ventilating systems

3. Actual Symptoms. There are two principal symptoms to look for:

Employees experience flu-like symptoms that appear when they are in the building and subside when they leave
Excessive fatigue
Nausea

4. As a precaution before a stressful event. New OSHA regulations, Title 8-section 5142 requires a formal H.V.A.C./Ventilation evaluation program. (For an outline of these upcoming requirements, refer to our web site (http://team-marina.com, click on the light bulb) or refer to Dr. Comfort's article in the Winter 1995 edition of Fresh Air.

Is a confidential IAQ evaluation indicated for you? Here’s a simple checklist:

Employees experience flu-like symptoms that appear when they are in the building and subside when they leave.
Two employees or more than 15 percent of employees (which ever is higher) complain of excessive fatigue or nausea.
Maintenance procedures fail so that air flow and air balance are not checked on a sustained regular schedule.
It has been three years since we have performed an IAQ evaluation.
Indoor Air Quality regulations go into effect or are scheduled to go into effect.

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Finding the Right Solution In a Design-Build Relationship

Marina's Vince Aiello taps his 23 years' experience to offer his advice on building a winning design-build partnership:.

Make sure your design partner is qualified:

Have the right engineering background, both in training and experience.
Know the applicable building codes and regulations.
Ensure that the project management and installation team is also well qualified.

Gain a Complete Mutual Understanding:

Spend enough time to understand the client's needs both now and in the future.
Understand the specific comfort needs of the employees, customers, clients, patients in the facility.
Make sure the client has a good understanding of all the costs: installation, operation, maintenance, depreciation, engineering, obsolescence and conversion to other uses.
Know the client's environment, especially, possible effects of humidity, impurities and static electricity.
Right after the design criteria are developed, provide the customer with a price you can stick to.
Present a variety of options with approximate costs.
Clearly define what is and is not included in each option presented.
When the project includes other trades, help identify possible conflicts or gaps.

How Marina Helped Fine Line Group Build Tech Space
Sausal and Marina Know What Customer Service is All About
Using Energy Savings to Pay for Capital Improvements
Marina Meets A Creative Design Challenge for DBD Structures

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Ten Commandments for Construction in a Busy Office

Marina foreman, Kevin Stout, offers these rules for keeping the customer happy when you work in a busy office:

Don't get in people's way.
Be polite, courteous, quiet and watch your language
Answer questions and explain the system
Coordinate schedules
Do assembly work elsewhere
Whenever possible schedule work for when the business is closed
Keep a nice, clear pathway
Clean up every night
Don't leave smudges
Leave the ceiling tiles as clean as you found them
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Using Performance Contracting to Pay for Capital Improvements

Performance contracting is an innovative approach to energy asset management and investment that in a very real sense turns energy savings into real estate in the form of upgraded building systems. The performance contractor purchases and installs all the equipment for lighting and HVAC improvements. The customer "pays" for the improvements by giving up the energy savings. After everything is "paid for" the savings revert to the customer. The customer doesn't worry about financing or energy management design. Totally market driven, it works fine under deregulation. The customer always wins because the contractor must perform.

What makes performance contracting work is that it places the risk in the hands of the utilities, designers and contractors who create the work environment in the first place.

This approach is becoming more and more popular, and is well worth investigating. It might just make needed capital improvements possible without borrowing or increasing your budget!

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Air Conditioning System Earthquake Response Checklist

EQUIPMENT PAD: Check the points where equipment sits on the equipment pad. Look to see if there are signs that equipment has moved. If it has, check all connections for damage. Equipment that has moved should not be operated until it has been inspected by a professional. Equipment with broken, damaged, or ruptured connections must be shut down and promptly inspected by a professional.
POWER TO THREE-PHASE EQUIPMENT: Shut off power to three-phase equipment (most compressors, pumps and motors) until power has been restored to the building for at least five minutes and lights do not flicker.
CLOCKS WITH BATTERY BACKUP: If power is off for more than eight hours, replace all batteries in controls with battery backup. (Examples: programmable thermostat, time clock, programmable controllers)
CLOCKS WITHOUT BATTERY BACKUP: Reset time clocks without battery backup, or you will have equipment starting and stopping at odd hours.
WATER LINES: Shut off the water if the lines to any chiller, tower or boiler are ruptured. You need to know where the water main is and how to shut it off. Designate and train someone to do this.
WATER PUMPS: If water is shut off, prevent damage to seals by making sure circulation pumps and related systems are shut off.
GAS METER: Check the gas meter. If the dial is spinning rapidly shut the gas off. Whoever is designated to do this should know how fast the gas meter dial normally moves to have something to judge by. They need to know where the gas main is and how to shut it off. Designate and train someone to do this. Do not restore gas yourself. Leaks must be identified and repaired first. Gas should be restored by a professional.
GAS PILOTS: If the gas is shut off, make sure equipment with standing pilots are re-lit when gas service is restored.
DUCT WORK: Check the connections at the air handlers and make sure they haven't ruptured. While damage to duct work in concealed areas normally does not present a hazard, it needs to be located and repaired. The best way to detect this is to measure air flow at each of the supply and return vents.
REFRIGERANT: Check for refrigerant leaks in the equipment room and at the air-conditioning units. Do this by listening for a hissing sound like air escaping from a balloon. If you suspect refrigerant leaks, notify your mechanical contractor immediately. Refrigerant leaks can damage our environment.
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Stopping Refrigerant Leaks Before Your System Fails

It's hard to imagine a more expensive way to find an air conditioning refrigerant leak than a system failure. But that's exactly how most leaks are found. First, occupants complain that the air conditioning doesn't work. Then you call a repair technician who uses bubble soap to find the leak. The leak is found and repaired, the system recharged, and everyone holds their breath hoping there's only one leak.

Compare that to a fluorescent leak detection system. It works by injecting a fluorescent die into the refrigerant system. This die makes even the smallest leak clearly visible under ultraviolet light. Previously impossible-to-find-leaks are detected in minutes long before they represent a threat to system operation or the environment. Also, multiple leaks are found. With ultraviolet leak detection, regular inspections become a simple matter so leaks are found before the system goes down.

When you factor in the productivity benefits of stopping leaks before system failure, fluorescent leak detection becomes highly cost effective.

Ultraviolet leak detection is especially recommended when:

The system is older, making multiple leaks more likely
Access limitations make conventional leak detection impossible
Uninterrupted personal comfort is a high priority
The system cools temperature-sensitive equipment
Leak repair is legally required. This is true in all cases where there are 50 or more pounds of refrigerant in the system
The system is large and you can lose many pounds of refrigerant before you even know you have a leak
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MSDS Sheets for Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment

Air conditioning and refrigeration equipment contains oils and refrigerants which according to the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard require MSDS sheets. Often these sheets are not delivered with the equipment.

Typically refrigerants and oils do not pose a severe hazard but there is one important exception. When refrigerants which contain Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) are exposed to an open flame, a chemical reaction occurs which generates poisonous phosgene gas.

If you would like a copy of the MSDS sheets for refrigerants and oils found in most major brands of equipment, just give us a call or check the appropriate box on the enclosed reply card and drop it in the mail. We'll send you these MSDS sheets.

SUBSTANCES REQUIRING MSDS SHEETS IN AIR CONDITIONING AND REFRIGERATION EQUIPMENT

TRADITIONAL REFRIGERANTS	ALTERNATIVE REFRIGERANTS*	OILS
R-12 R-22 R-502	R-134A R-404A R-FX56 ELF Autochem	Mineral Oil Esters

*NOTE: Most alternative refrigerants do not contain CFCs. In a future issue, we'll talk about CFC management laws & timetables.

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Using Simple Payback to Select Energy Projects

A smart way to focus your building improvement and maintenance budget is to look at your energy consuming systems and evaluate projects based upon simple payback. As an example, let's replace a typical 15-year-old, five-ton rooftop air conditioning unit with a new high-efficiency unit.

The old unit operates 2150 hours per year at 12 cents per kilowatt hour. Electrical costs are $2,120.00 per year. Repair costs are averaging $400.00 per year. A new, high-efficiency, five-ton unit will save 34% of the electrical costs ($720.00) and all of the repair costs, for a total annual savings of $1,120.00.

If the high-efficiency unit costs $5,000.00, installed. Your simple payback is calculated as follows:

SIMPLE PAYBACK = $5,000 divided by $1,120 = 4.46 YEARS

Here are some other energy-based simple payback projects you may want to
look at:

Interior Space
Balance air distribution
Remove physical barriers to air circulation
Calibrate temperature and humidity sensing devices
Adjust temperature and humidity set points within comfort zones
seasonally

Mechanical Systems
Variable frequency motor drives (simple payback is 1.5 to 2.5 years)
Replace oversized motors
Replace fan belts
Grease bearings
Adjust outside air louvers
Replace air filters
Clean evaporator and condenser coils
Adjust maintenance schedules
Automated system controls

Building Envelope
Insulation in walls, ceiling and roof
Caulking and sealing windows and doors
Review changes in energy consumption

Lighting
Timers
Adjust lighting schedules
Replace inefficient lighting (simple payback is 1 to 1.5 years)
Use natural lighting
Replace incandescent lighting with fluorescent

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What to do when the power is switched off during a heat wave

Marina foreman, Kevin Stout, offers these rules for keeping the customer happy when you work in a busy office:

Don't get in people's way.
Be polite, courteous, quiet and watch your language
Answer questions and explain the system
Coordinate schedules
Do assembly work elsewhere
Whenever possible schedule work for when the business is closed
Keep a nice, clear pathway
Clean up every night
Don't leave smudges
Leave the ceiling tiles as clean as you found them
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Inspecting an HVAC Job

A project manager or general superintendent who is worth his salt knows how to inspect an ongoing project. He or she looks at installed work, safety hazards and housekeeping. But what about the not-so-obvious items that are specific to that discipline? Here’s how to inspect a Heating and Air Conditioning project.

Is ductwork and strapping of the specified gauge? The gauge is stamped on the sheet metal.
Is ductwork straight and level?
Look at duct straps. Are they straight and not at an angle?
Is sheet metal free from bowing that results from forcing it to fit?
Are metal seams hammered and closed smoothly?
Are square-to-round fittings used with Flex Duct? Never bend round flex to square.
Is the layout of mechanical systems coordinated with other trades so that it does not present unnecessary obstacles?
Is seismic bracing in place?
Is equipment mounted with isolators to prevent vibrations and noise?
Is equipment and curb secured properly with bolts and anchors?
Are balancing dampers identified and tagged?
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How to Evaluate an HVAC Service Department

There can be more than meets the eye in selecting an HVAC service supplier. Too often selections are made based solely on the least expensive hourly rate, rather then the qualifications of the contractor.

To initiate the process try them out for a service call. Make your initial call during off hours to test their ability to respond when the office is closed. Introduce yourself to the technician and ask a few questions. Ask about his training and how he feels about his company.

Here’s a list of things to consider as you evaluate candidates:

Does the supplier offer an integrated product mix? If you need any of these additional services, ask to meet a representative of that department.

Product mix
Automated temperature controls
Indoor Air Quality
HVAC Engineering
HVAC Construction
Wet side piping
Service coverage
How many service vehicles does the prospective supplier have in your area?
Do they offer offsite monitoring services with automated dispatching?
Do they offer 24-hours 7-days-a-week service?
Do they guarantee their work in writing?
Do they guarantee a response time in writing?
Technicians
Did the technician have a professional manner?
How well did the technician answer your questions?
Were you comfortable with the responses?
Were you comfortable with the person?
What kind of training and certifications do the technicians have?
Initial tryout
How quickly did they respond to you?
If they recommended new parts or additional work, did they take the time to explain the reasons for the recommendations?
Management Team
Did you meet the management team?

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Your thermostat is a great little moneymaker

Today’s thermostats are great examples of intelligent digital appliances. By choosing a user-friendly model which is well-suited to your energy consumption
patterns, a thermostat can do amazing things for an energy cost manager and for occupants who need to work in comfort.

Yet it is amazing how building occupants still tend to think of the thermostat as a kind of gas pedal for their heating and air conditioning. Actually, putting the set points very high or very low doesn’t affect air flow rate or how hot or cold the air coming through the register is.

Here is what the new thermostats can do.
• Self-diagnostic systems with built-in feedback learn from recent experience and determine the time to start your system so it is at the set point when workers arrive.
• Anticipatory adjustments shut the gas valve off before reaching set point and run the fans, providing heat while the exchanger cools down.
• Intelligent recovery with battery backup retains your program if you lose power in the building.
• Flexible lockout allows occupants to keep the system running if they work late.
• Flexible lockout allows occupants to adjust set points within a range (two degrees is typical).
• Runtime recorders notify you when it is time to replace your filter.
• Built-in time delay protects your equipment from expensive repairs by preventing rapid shutting on and off of compressors.
• The best location for a thermostat is below the return air register and away from heat sources such as office machines.
• For your home, there are thermostats with a wireless remote that you move from room to room. The system knows where the remote is and adjusts room temperature accordingly.

Dollar savings depend on the individual circumstances, but the payback tends to be very quick. Much depends on the model you choose. It is often a good idea to have a trained technician help you select the right model and do the programming.

We would love to hear from you if you have questions about programming or upgrading your thermostat. Just call and ask for Denny or Robyn. It can be a simple, quick and painless way to put a great little moneymaker to work for you.

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How to Inspect a Sheet Metal Job For Safety

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