McLaren Health Care Center Invests in Better Light CREE Case Study Timing Is Everything When Keith Miller first heard about LED lighting nearly a decade ago, he was Facilities Director at McLaren Macomb Hospital in Mt. Clemens, Michigan. Miller figured it was a development worth watching—but simply too costly and not yet proven. Fast forward … Read more
Jeff Perkins, ERS, for Zondits Anyone who has ever felt the warmth of the sun on their face or covered their tomato plants to protect them from frost has, whether knowingly or unwittingly, experienced the power of radiative heat transfer. Traveling virtually unimpeded through space, the warmth of the sun reaches our skin – yet … Read more
Meet Li-Fi: Internet Using LED Light Waves Bloomberg, January 26,2017 Wi-Fi networks dependent on radio waves are growing more congested all the time—and can’t be used everywhere—so various researchers and companies are betting light waves from LED lamps and overheads can also stream data and connect people to the internet. So-called Li-Fi technology, which uses … Read more
Air Sealing Your Home Department of Energy Reducing the amount of air that leaks in and out of your home is a cost-effective way to cut heating and cooling costs, improve durability, increase comfort, and create a healthier indoor environment. Caulking and weatherstripping are two simple and effective air-sealing techniques that offer quick returns on investment, often one year … Read more
Silent and costly: how standby gadgets rack up energy bills The Telegraph, February 7, 2017 Beware of the gadgets silently running up your gas and electricity bills, probably at this very second. These quietly greedy gadgets are nibbling away at your electricity, quietly racking up what you pay. Energy efficiency is a hot topic, and … Read more
Bryan Kilgore, ERS, for Zondits Panasonic has released a new 30-horsepower CO2 refrigeration system that they created by linking their 20 hp and 10 hp CO2 systems already in production. This hybrid/cascade system is intended to meet the capacity needs of supermarkets, where their two smaller systems are popular with convenience stores. In Japan the size of … Read more
The Benefits of Harvesting Condensation Water Technology, February 17, 2017 It is a typical, muggy August afternoon in Houston, but Erik Knezevich, P.E., is feeling super-chilled. The former Rice University facilities project manager is standing inside the massive air conditioning unit that cools Brockman Hall for Physics on the north end of campus. The incoming … Read more
Intelligent HVAC Systems Through Smart Building Technology Facility Executive, January 23, 2017 So what will the smart building of the future look like? Since buildings hold a wealth of data that facility managers should track and use, the forecast includes new innovations in sensing, analytics, and real-time automation. BuildPulse’s co-founder Jason Burt believes smart sensors … Read more
Bryan Kilgore, ERS, for Zondits Natural refrigerant solutions are booming in Japan. The number of transcritical CO2 systems installed in convenience stores and supermarkets has grown to over 2,400 installations – up from 190 in 2014. Japanese companies such as Panasonic, Sanden, and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries have developed and installed CO2 systems with outdoor condensing … Read more
Focus on Energy Efficiency Shifting from Prescription to Performance Urban Land, February 13, 2017 One simple question changed the dynamic of the U.S. General Service Administration (GSA) energy efficiency contracts, says Kevin Kampschroer, GSA chief sustainability officer. The question: Is this the best you can do? “It was the best question we asked,” Kampschroer said … Read more