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Roanoke Chapter of ASHRAE - March Newsletter
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March Dinner Seminars


Speaker

Bob Hockett, PE

Topic

Testing and Balancing
 
Tuesday, March 31st - Dinner
Fralin Center for Science and Health Professions @ VWCC
Room HP208


Schedule

5:30 Doors Open
6:00 Dinner ($20/member, $10/student)
6:30 Business Meeting and Presentation
 

RSVP by Noon Friday March 27th

Sign up here,
Drop us an email
or call Paul Holloway at 540.342.1816

President's Corner

Greetings!

I hope this newsletter finds you well and warm!  It has been a very cold and snowy winter and I look forward to official start of spring in a couple weeks.  Soon high heating bills, long nights, and ice on windshields will be a distant memory.  I am excited about spring and the events we have planned.  This month will be having our annual student night at Virginia Western Community College.  The meeting will be on Tuesday March 31 at 6:00pm.  I am excited to welcome Bob Hockett of Mechanical Balancing as our speaker.  Bob has a wealth of knowledge on testing and balancing and I am confident all will find his presentation both informative and enjoyable.

I would like to thank Zac Cates who has served as our student activities chair for the past two years.  Zac is a pleasure to work with and has done an outstanding job coordinating annual meetings with Virginia Tech and Virginia Western.  I look forward to continuing to work with Zac in the future.  I would also like to thank Lance Lewis for his help with scholarships.  Each year Lance works with VMI and VWCC to identify and present scholarships to students who excel in HVAC coursework.  Please join me in thanking these two gentlemen. 

Be on the lookout for two tours coming in April and our golf tournament on May 4th.

Thank you!  

Wesley 
Look for a separate announcement on the Golf Tournament that supports our student scholarships soon! The date is confirmed as May 4th at Ashley Plantation

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

Early April - Central Plant Tour
 
April 23rd - ASHRAE Webcast
Late April - Brewery Tour

May 4th - Lew Evans Golf Tournament

May 12th - Lunch Blue-5

2014– 2015 OFFICERS


President - Wesley Southall
Wesley.Southall@aecom.com
Pres.-Elect - Patrick Castelvecchi
jpcastelvecchi@burnsmcd.com
Vice Pres. - Paul Holloway
pholloway@lpa-inc.com
Treasurer -  Dan Lieber
dan.lieber@gjhopkins.com
Secretary - Wesley Southall
Wesley.Southall@aecom.com
Governor - Roger Jones 
rjones5632@aol.com
Governor - John Mann
jmann@mannassociatesinc.com
Governor - Tom Brannen
tebrannen@cox.net

2014 – 2015 COMMITTEE CHAIRS

 
Shenandoah Section - Dave Miller
david.miller@daikinapplied.com
Membership - Kyle Waltz
kylewaltz@waltzengineeredsales.com
Student Activities - Zach Cates
zcates@SFCS.com
CTT - Paul Holloway
pholloway@lpa-inc.com
Government Grassroots - Patrick Castelvecchi
jpcastelvecchi@burnsmcd.com
Historian - Patrick Murdock
pmurdock@trane.com
Research Promotion - Patrick Murdock
pmurdock@trane.com
Newsletter - Patrick Castelvecchi
jpcastelvecchi@burnsmcd.com
Webmaster - James Sledd
jesledd@burnsmcd.com
Roanoke Chapter Website
ASHRAE Region III Website
ASHRAE Website
Chapter LinkedIn Group
Chapter Facebook
Chapter Twitter
Chapter Google+

Speaker Info...

Robert D. Hockett joined Mechanical Balancing in June, 1989. He graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1971 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering. He is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Virginia (No. 7749). He has over 35 years of experience in the design of HVAC systems and was the former department head of Mechanical Engineering with Smithey & Boynton. He became a NEBB certified supervisor in August 1990. Mr. Hockett is currently President of Mechanical Balancing.

Research Promotion Update...

We are over halfway through the ASHRAE year and quickly approaching June 30, 2015, the last day to get donations into headquarters for inclusion into the 2014/2015 RP year.  If you haven’t been contacted yet, then I will be getting some help with a calling campaign.  If you have received an email or phone already, hopefully this reminder will spur you to go online and contribute.

Patrick Murdock
2014/2015 RP Chair

Mission:  To improve the quality of life and to answer tomorrow’s questions through research TODAY.
2014/2015 Roanoke Chapter Goal = $15,300
2014/2015 Scholarship goal = $200
2014/2015 YTD Contributions $2,726

Directions to Website:
The easiest way for you to contribute is online by following the address below:
 
www.ashraerp.com
 
From there you will click on the “Donate”(upper right hand corner) and then will be directed to a form to fill out.  Please make sure you “mark” ASHRAE Research and put the Roanoke Chapter as your “Assigned ASHRAE Chapter.”  
 
If the online process is something you would rather not do, I can also send you a letter and form to fill out and will even include self-addressed envelope for you to send with a check.

Thank You To Our 2014/2015 YTD Donors:    
    Mr. Patrick Castelvecchi                Mr. Zac Cates                Mr. Paul Holloway
    Mr. Dan Lieber                              Mr. Patrick Murdock       Mr. Wesley Southall
    Mr. Tom Brannen                          Mr. Jeff Perry                 Mr. Bill Hamill
    Buffalo Air Handling Company      Mr. Tom Watson            Aerofin Corporation
    Mr. Boyd Headley                         Mr. John Mann               Mr. Dave Pierson
    Mr. Dave Miller                             Mr. Ron Bessette
    
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ASHRAE RESEARCH PROMOTION
1.    There are 4 separate areas that RP dollars help to fund:
       a.    Research
       b.    Education (ASHRAE Learning Institute)
       c.    ASHRAE Foundation (Research Endowed Funds)
       d.    General Fund(Contributions support special Board approved projects)
2.    Unlike many non-profits (or not-for-profit) organizations, 100% of RP dollars go directly to research (not a portion, for example you’ve heard $0.92 of every dollar you give goes to….)

Chapter Technology Transfer News...

ASHRAE Publishes Revision Of Ground Source Heat Pump Book

ATLANTA – When ASHRAE’s original book on ground source heat pumps was published 17 years ago, such systems were used mainly in residential settings and designers who used them were seen as risk takers.

Today, the technology is much more widely used having been recognized for its benefits. The lessons learned during that time are incorporated in a newly published book from ASHRAE, “Geothermal Heating and Cooling: Design of Ground-Source Heat Pump Systems (GSHP).” The publication is a complete revision of “Ground-Source Heat Pumps: Design of Geothermal Systems for commercial and Institutional Buildings,” published in 1997 and recognized as the primary reference for non-residential GSHP installations.

The new book was written by Steve Kavanaugh, professor emeritus at the University of Alabama, and Kevin Rafferty, a consulting engineer, Klamath Falls, Ore. Both have spent the last 25 years focused on geothermal/GSHP work.

“One of the realities of the GSHP industry is that, to some degree, it has been a victim of its own success,” Rafferty said.  “Years ago the struggle was to simply get design teams to consider using the technology. Though this is still an issue in some areas, nationally it is far less of an issue than 20 years ago.  There is now fairly wide recognition of the benefits of GSHP systems, particularly on the part of building owners in the schools and office building sectors, where the technology has achieved its highest penetration rates.  However, there also is a widely held view that anything bearing the name ‘geothermal,’ ‘ground source’ or ‘earth energy’ will produce the desired high efficiency/low operating cost.  As a result, poorly designed systems are often installed and building owners expectations are unmet.”

The book provides benchmarks, design strategies and information necessary for engineers to configure the most efficient and cost effective systems and avoid problems such as inefficient pumping, high cost ground loop designs, inadequate outside air provisions, unnecessarily complex control schemes and other common design errors.

In addition to cost and performance data, Kavanaugh provides building owners and their architects the information necessary to ask the right questions and accurately evaluate potential engineering consultants.  The net effect is a more cost effective and efficient design and satisfied building owners.

“GSHP produces superior HVAC system performance and when properly implemented can be cost competitive with many (but not all) conventional systems,” Rafferty said. “They can be operated with far simpler controls than traditional HVAC systems, and also can reduce equipment building space requirements, reduce duct work requirements and eliminate the need for external building mechanical equipment.”

As part of the revision, seven of the original eight chapters and appendices were completely rewritten and now include coverage of close-loop ground (ground-coupled), groundwater, surface water, GSHP equipment and GSHP piping.  Additional information on site characterization has been added including a new hydro-geological chapter. The final chapter was replaced and the new section contains results of recent field studies, energy and demand characteristics and updated information to optimize GSHP system cost.

The cost of “Geothermal Heating and Cooling: Design of Ground-Source Heat Pump Systems” is $128 ($109, ASHRAE members).

To order, contact ASHRAE Customer Contact Center at 1-800-527-4723 (United States and Canada) or 404-636-8400 (worldwide), fax 678-539-2129, or visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore.

Government Grassroots News...

Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act Reintroduced in the Senate

For additional information on federal issues, please contact Mark Ames, ASHRAE’s Senior Manager of Federal Government Affairs, at mames@ashrae.org.

Earlier this week, long-time leaders in energy efficiency, Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) reintroduced their Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act (S.720). The bill, which is largely identical to the version that was most recently introduced last year, addresses several areas including:

Building Energy Codes
Workforce Training and Capacity Building
Energy Efficiency and Helping to Improve Indoor Air Quality in School Buildings
Encouraging the Alignment of Tenants and Building Owners Concerning Energy Efficiency
Valuing Energy Efficiency in Mortgage Underwriting
Industrial Energy Efficiency
Federal Green Buildings
ASHRAE supports this bill, which is projected to save consumers $16.2 billion a year, significantly reduce CO2 and related emissions, and create more than 190,000 jobs.

“By establishing a national energy strategy, we can create jobs, save taxpayers billions, make manufacturers more competitive, and protect the environment,” said Senator Portman. “Our bill is the equivalent of taking 37 million homes off the grid, and I look forward to renewing our efforts to promote this commonsense legislation.”

“Energy efficiency is the cheapest and fastest way to address our energy challenges,” Senator Shaheen said. “Our bipartisan bill will create jobs, save consumers billions, and drastically reduce pollution in a smart, effective and affordable way – that’s why it enjoys broad bipartisan support. A vote to pass our legislation is long overdue and I hope the overwhelming support behind this bill will help carry it through the Senate.”

The bill is supported by over 250 businesses and nonprofit organizations. The bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Chris Coons (D-DE), Al Franken (D-MN), John Hoeven (R-ND), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

The next step is for the Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act to be considered by the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee, and then brought to the Senate floor for a vote. Timing for these stages has not yet been determined, but is expected to begin sometime in April.
Copyright © 2015 Roanoke Chapter of ASHRAE, All rights reserved.


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