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Vol. 55, Number 1
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
17 | BUILDING SOLUTIONS
18 | Sizing domestic water pipes
Engineers should pay close attention to local code,
available water pressure, fixtures, and a host of
other factors.
26 | Achieving compliance
with ASHRAE 90.1
The 2016 edition hasn’t been adopted by all juris-
dictions, however, engineers should understand the
key elements of this important standard.
CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER (ISSN 0892-5046, Vol. 55, No. 1, GST #123397457) is published 11x per year, monthly except in February, by CFE Media, LLC, 3010 Highland
Parkway, Suite #325 Downers Grove, IL 60515. Jim Langhenry, Group Publisher/Co-Founder; Steve Rourke CEO/COO/Co-Founder. CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER copyright 2018 by CFE Media, LLC. All
rights reserved. CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER is a registered trademark of CFE Media, LLC used under license. Periodicals postage paid at Downers Grove, IL 60515 and additional mailing offices. Circulation re-
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NEWS&BUSINESS
CAREER SMART
How parental leave
VIEWPOINT 13 policies can benefit
your bottom line
9 New Year’s habits
Though Jan. 1 has come and gone,
Promoting a healthy work-life
balance aids recruiting and retention for
it’s never too late to start a habit
architecture and engineering firms.
that will benefit you in upcoming
Michelle M. DeCarlo
months.
Amara Rozgus
FUTURE OF ENGINEERING
LIFE SAFETY Addressing the
growth in the
53% of mission critical facility projects 15 energy-management
over the next 12 months are expected to industry
Meeting energy-management demands calls for
need emergency communication/mass training and continuing education.
notification systems. Robert Knoedler, PE, EMP, CxA
Source: Consulting-Specifying Engineer
2016 Fire & Life Safety Study
RESEARCH
2016 Fire, life safety ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES
11 in data centers Use the icons to identify topics of interest.
This highlights five engineering and design findings AUTOMATION & CONTROLS HVAC
as they relate to data center projects. COMMUNICATIONS LIGHTING
Amanda Pelliccione ELECTRICAL PLUMBING
FIRE, SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY
Value
Supported protocols include BACnet, Modbus, DHCP,
SMTP, SNTP, SMART-Net, I/O-Net, and Wi-Fi. Onboard
sensors include temperature, humidity, occupancy, and
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industry-recognized, Reliable Controls 5 year warranty.
Impact LISTview
The simplicity, flexibility, and reliability of the MACH-ProView
LCD controller will empower you to engage with your
building automation system and help you to reduce your
greenhouse gas emissions and improve your energy efficiency.
STATview
TRE
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input #5 at www.csemag.com/information
B&G
SOLVES
BUILDINGS
bellgossett.com
input #6 at www.csemag.com/information
NEWS&BUSINESS
VIEWPOINT
CONTENT SPECIALISTS/EDITORIAL
AMARA ROZGUS, Editor-in-Chief/Content Strategy Leader
630-571-4070 x2211, ARozgus@CFEMedia.com
EMILY GUENTHER, Associate Content Manager
EGuenther@CFEMedia.com
T
PETER ALSPACH, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Principal, Mechanical Engineer, Arup, Seattle
he start of the year is often the night for many weeks, commit to
JERRY BAUERS, PE,
Vice President, NV5, Kansas City, Mo. seen as a time of renewal. authoring one short item each month
MICHAEL CHOW, PE, LEED AP BD+C, New Year’s resolutions—fre- for a couple of months. Then, work at
Principal, Metro CD Engineering LLC, Columbus, Ohio
quently tossed aside in just contributing two items each month.
TOM DIVINE, PE,
Senior Electrical Engineer, a few weeks—remind us of ways to The resolution then becomes a habit,
Smith Seckman Reid Inc., Houston improve, things to change, or other not a daunting goal.
CORY DUGGIN, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,
Energy Modeling Wizard, TLC Engineering for
ways to “start anew” an idea that was
Architecture Inc., Brentwood, Tenn. tossed aside for some reason. • Share your goals with others.
ROBERT J. GARRA JR., PE, CDT, Each January, we’re reminded that You are more likely to gain the sup-
Vice President, Electrical Engineer,
CannonDesign, Grand Island, N.Y. it’s time to save more money port of colleagues and co-
JASON GERKE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, C X A, for the future, eat fewer workers when you share
Mechanical Engineer, GRAEF, Milwaukee “bad” foods and more good your aspirations with them.
JOSHUA D. GREENE, PE,
Vice President, JENSEN HUGHES, Framingham, Mass.
ones, and improve ourselves Be clear with yourself and
RAYMOND GRILL, PE, FSFPE, by learning something new. others on what you plan
Principal, Arup, Washington, D.C. All of these ideas are great; to do, and use the motiva-
DANNA JENSEN, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Senior Vice President, WSP, Dallas
however, we often resolve to tion of mentors, colleagues,
WILLIAM KOFFEL, PE, FSFPE,
add or subtract something and others to get closer to
President, Koffel Associates Inc., Columbia, Md. substantial in our daily lives. your goal. (In addition,
Amara Rozgus,
WILLIAM KOSIK, PE, CEM, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP, That’s hard to do, as we’re all building upon the article-
Senior Mechanical Engineer - Mission Critical, Editor-in-Chief
exp US Services Inc., Chicago creatures of habit. So how contribution example above,
KENNETH KUTSMEDA, PE, LEED AP, do we keep these promises forming relationships with
Engineering Manager, Jacobs, Philadelphia
and challenges going for more than your firm’s communications team and
JULIANNE LAUE, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP,
Senior MEP Engineer, Center for Sustainable Energy, just a few weeks? respected publications will help you
Mortenson Construction, Minneapolis The average person cannot main- work your way up to becoming a trust-
DAVID LOWREY,
Chief Fire Marshal, Boulder (Colo.) Fire Rescue
tain their resolution much past a ed resource.)
BRIAN MARTIN, PE,
month. But according to experts and
Senior Electrical Engineer, Buildings and Places, a host of online resources, there are a • Don’t give up—if you don’t
AECOM, Portland, Ore.
few ways to make and keep changes immediately achieve your goals, try
DWAYNE G. MILLER, PE, RCDD, AEE CPQ,
Chief Executive Officer, NV5, Las Vegas going well into 2018 and beyond. again. A different perspective or a
RODNEY V. OATHOUT, PE, CEM, LEED AP, My favorite suggestions include: slight shift in the goal might enhance
Principal, Regional Engineering Leader,
DLR Group, Overland Park, Kan.
your willingness to achieve it. Also,
FREDDY PADILLA, PE, ATD, • Make the resolution something working with someone who motivates
Principal/Senior Electrical Engineer, Page, Austin, Texas that you can incorporate into your you, such as a published colleague or
GREGORY QUINN, PE, NCEES, LEED AP,
Principal, Health Care Market Leader,
life somewhat seamlessly. In other senior member of the team, can be a
Affiliated Engineers Inc., Madison, Wis. words, don’t tell yourself on Jan. 1 big help if you hit a brick wall.
BRIAN A. RENER, PE, LEED AP, that you’re going to write 12 articles
Associate, SmithGroupJJR, Chicago
for technical publications by July 1. If you’re like me, you’ve proba-
SUNONDO ROY, PE, LEED AP BD+C,
Vice President, CCJM Engineers Ltd., Chicago While improving your resume and bly already set some yearly objectives
RANDY SCHRECENGOST, PE, CEM, sharing your knowledge with the on Jan. 1. Here’s an easy resolution to
Austin Operations Group Manager and
Senior Mechanical Engineer,
industry is laudable, authoring that add to your list: Share your knowledge
Stanley Consultants, Austin, Texas many articles while working 40+ with others by authoring an article or
MARIO VECCHIARELLO, PE, CEM, GBE, hours a week is a big commitment. So two. Drop me a note about what you’d
Senior Vice President, CDM Smith Inc., Boston
RICHARD VEDVIK, PE,
instead of planning to write late into like to cover.
Senior Electrical Engineer and Acoustics Engineer,
IMEG Corp., Rock Island, Ill.
MIKE WALTERS, PE, LEED AP,
Campus Energy Market Leader, MEP Associates, Verona, Wis.
JOHN YOON, PE, LEED AP ID+C,
Lead Electrical Engineer, McGuire Engineers Inc., Chicago
input #7 at www.csemag.com/information
Specifying energy
recovery systems NEWS&BUSINESS
RESEARCH
Never Always
9%
16%
2016 FIRE & LIFE SAFETY STUDY
20%
Fire, life safety in data centers
T
he Consulting-Specifying Engi- life safety systems specifications (83%)
55% neer 2016 Fire & Life Safe- for data centers, followed by prescrip-
ty Study indicated that 44% of tive specifications (66%).
engineers specify, design, or 4. Challenges: When working on
make product selections for data cen- fire and life safety systems for data cen-
Rarely Frequently ters—and the majority of these engi- ters, engineers are having the most dif-
neers are responsible for determining ficulty with code authorities’ subjective
requirements/writing specifications for interpretation of regulations (75%),
Figure 1: Seventy-one percent of
these projects. From that 44%, below are insufficient funding for quality design
engineers frequently or always five fire and life safety findings as they (66%), and designing for interoperabil-
specify energy recovery systems for relate to data center projects: ity and integration of systems (64%).
the projects they are involved on. 1. Systems specified: The top three 5. Comparing products: Over-
Source: Consulting-Specifying Engi- fire and life safety systems being speci- all product quality is most impor-
neer 2017 HVAC & Building Auto- fied into data centers are fire, smoke, tant (73%) when selecting a fire and
mation Systems Study heat, and linear detection systems (88%); life safety systems for a data center,
smoke detection, control systems, damp- engineers also look at service support
ers, etc. (83%); and network and intelli- offerings (52%) and manufacturers’
in the current industry. Source: Con- from fire and life safety systems specified
sulting-Specifying Engineer 2016
Electrical & Power Study
into new and existing data centers, with
30% bringing in more than $3 million
each year from these projects.
M More
RESEARCH
View more information at www.csemag.
3. Specifications: Engineers are most com/2016FireLifeSafety. Amanda Pelliccione
Michelle M. DeCarlo,
PE, LEED AP BD+C;
Jaros, Baum & Bolles, New York City
T
he difficult hiring climate, average weekly wage (capped at 67% of one of the first of its kind in our busi-
combined with an emerging the state-average weekly wage) for 2021 ness community, that addresses these
workforce that highly values and beyond. issues in a more equitable manner. The
work-life balance, is driving goal is for this policy to serve as a model
the popularity of expanded Case study: JB&B’s new policy for other firms to implement.
paid family leave policies among pro- for parental leave
gressive companies. In March 2017, Jaros, Baum & Bolles Method for recruiting and
While critics argue that paid family (JB&B) implemented a new, forward- retaining employees
leave places an unfair burden on busi- thinking parental leave policy for full- The anticipated New York State fam-
nesses, the real-world experience of time employees who have been with the ily leave law is a momentous step in the
employers in California suggests other- company for at least 3 years. right direction, but it still falls short
wise. Eight years after California insti- With the goal of broadening access of adequately supporting professional
tuted paid family leave, the Center for to parental leave benefits by older par- architects and engineers. This is because
Economic and Policy Research con- ents and same-sex couples, the firm the wage caps included in the law will
ducted a survey and found that 91% included adoption and surrogacy in its likely limit their pay to an insufficient
of employers said the policy either policy. For example, a man or woman fraction of their normal rate.
increased profits or had no effect. in a same-sex relationship could quali- Firms should not wait for new family
The California survey also found fy for parental leave when adopting or leave laws to go into effect, nor should
that more than 95% of those who took using a surrogate. the industry accept their provisions as
family leave returned to work at the end JB&B now provides 4 weeks of full the absolute best that can be done. In
of the leave period. These results rein- salary for parental leave benefits. When the interest of hiring and retaining the
force the fact that paid parental leave combined with short-term disabili- most qualified and talented staff, every
promotes employee retention without ty, where applicable, the total parental firm should support new parents and
negative effects on a company’s finan- leave benefit equates to 7 weeks of full other employees facing a family hard-
cial performance. pay. When the New York State law takes ship by offering the financial and job
New York State recently passed a law effect in 2018, JB&B will extend its pol- security of a forward-looking family
that will mandate paid time off for par- icy by the new law’s terms, rather than leave policy.
ents to bond with a new child, including overlapping the two. Experience and data show that estab-
adopted and foster children. This new Unfortunately, JB&B is an exception lishing such a policy is the right move to
law also allows paid leave to either care when it comes to paid parental leave make. It is not only good for employees,
for a close relative with a serious health policies. The ASHRAE Women in Engi- but also for the firm’s bottom line. cse
condition or help relieve family pres- neering (WIE) Committee’s New York
sures when someone is called to active chapter queried other firms through
military service. an anonymous survey that included the Michelle M. DeCarlo is an associate
In 2018, the law’s first year, eligible question of parental leave. ASHRAE NY at Jaros, Baum & Bolles, a mechanical,
employees can receive up to 8 weeks discovered that parental leave policies electrical, plumbing, and building sys-
of paid leave at 50% of their average were largely nonexistent and that mater- tems engineering firm based in New York
weekly wage, albeit capped at 50% of nity leave was less than sufficient. Based City. She also serves as chairperson of the
the state-average weekly wage. This on these findings and JB&B’s internal ASHRAE New York Women in Engineer-
gradually rises to 12 weeks at 67% of policy goals, the firm crafted a policy, ing Committee.
OFFICES
MANUFACTURING MULTIFAMILY
FACILITIES HOUSING
Model EQD
T
here has been a lot of reflec- potential consequences associated with commissioning-based energy management
tion on how far we have growing energy dependence and consum- and new energy efficiency technologies.
come and where we are going ing an increasing amount of our natu-
in the energy-management ral resources, professional organizations Global energy management gains
industry. Two distinct themes and governmental entities continue to The U.S. has achieved remarkable
have emerged: energy dependence and develop (and tighten) standards, bench- gains in efficiency and productivity. The
diversification of the industry. marking ordinances, and auditing/com- American Council for an Energy-Ef-
With respect to dependence, ener- missioning criteria governing energy ef- ficient Economy report, “Energy Effi-
gy has become a form of vital econom- ficiency in buildings and building systems. ciency in the United States: 35 Years and
ic and social sustenance. Because energy Coupled with the need to reduce depen- Counting,” found that while U.S. energy
is conveniently available via plug, switch, dency on fossil fuels for climatic and polit- use increased by 26% between 1980 and
or valve, few people consider how critical ical reasons, many companies, institutions, 2014, gross domestic product increased
it is. The federal government has identi- and municipalities are pledging to be net by 149% during that same period.
fied energy as the most critical infrastruc- zero and use 100% renewable energy with- Global interest and investment in en-
ture in the United States, further noting in two decades. Meeting these demands ergy efficiency and renewable energy are
that all of the other critical infrastructures will require leadership and innovation. on the rise. The 2017 Johnson Controls
rely on energy. As society and technology For example, the Energy Manage- Energy Efficiency Indicator survey of
have evolved, the dependence on energy ment Association (EMA) has adopted a more than 1,500 facility and management
has increased exponentially. Thus, when commissioning-based approach to en- executives revealed that 70% of organiza-
interrupted by natural disasters, restor- ergy management. This is designed to tions are paying more attention to energy
ing these services is a paramount concern. assist building owners and tenants in efficiency than a year ago, with 58% ex-
achieving energy savings while main- pect to increase investments next year.
Energy management opportunities taining optimum system performance. This is a golden age for energy man-
However, challenges brought by en- The method is data-driven as opposed agement. It is at the nexus of techno-
ergy dependence also come opportuni- to making assumptions and calcula- logical advancement, innovation, and
ties. Foremost are increased jobs and ad- tions based on unreliable information. service to the well-being of the en-
vanced careers in energy management and The EMA’s Energy Management Profes- vironment and its inhabitants. cse
related fields of production and environ- sional (EMP) certification is preparing for
mental management (the U.S. Department the future by completing the process for Robert Knoedler is a vice president of
of Energy (DOE) estimates U.S. energy- ANSI accreditation, which will lead to ob- Hanson Professional Services Inc. He is a
related employment tops 7.58 million). taining recognition under the DOE’s Better professional engineer, energy-management
These related fields encompass a wide Buildings Workforce Guidelines program. professional, and certified commissioning
variety of tasks and responsibilities. While Future challenges and opportunities in authority. He also is currently president of
consulting engineers often equate energy energy fields need to be met by tomor- the board of directors of the Energy Man-
management to assisting clients with au- row’s energy managers, and EMA is com- agement Association.
dits and studies to reduce demand and mitted to training them. The technical-
consumption, other professionals have program portion of CxEnergy Conference
related roles in monitoring, generation,
distribution, research, sustainability, and/
or financing of various energy-related
& Expo (presented jointly by EMA, the
Associated Air Balance Council (AABC),
and AABC Commissioning Group)
M More
INFORMATION
Go to www.csemag.com to access a video
services. Recognizing the limits and features many presentations based on library of CxEnergy presentations.
FEATURE
Can data centers become
32 energy producers?
Recovering “waste” heat from servers in data cen-
ters opens the door to innovation and efficiency.
Bill Kosik, PE, CEM, LEED AP, BEMP
COVER STORY
18 Sizing domestic water pipes
When sizing pipes in nonresidential buildings,
engineers should pay close attention to local
code, available water pressure, fixtures, and a
host of other factors.
Emmett Willis, PE
FEATURE
Top ten overlooked
24 ASHRAE 90.1-2013
requirements
As energy efficiency is a growing concern, CODES AND STANDARDS
understanding ASHRAE 90.1 requirements Adopting NFPA 101
for energy-efficient buildings is vital.
Cory Duggin, PE, LEED AP BD+C, BEMP
38 in health care buildings
Explore the top 10 things to know about the
2012 edition of NFPA 101 for hospitals and
health care facilities.
FEATURE Brandon Finzel, PE, and
Achieving compliance
26
Samuel Flibbert, EIT
with ASHRAE 90.1
ASHRAE Standard 90.1: Energy Standard for
Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES
is one of the main drivers used in any building Use the icons to identify topics of interest.
design. The 2016 edition hasn’t been adopted by
AUTOMATION & CONTROLS HVAC
all jurisdictions, however, engineers should under-
COMMUNICATIONS LIGHTING
stand the key elements of this important standard.
Jeff Boldt, PE, FASHRAE, LEED AP, HBDP; and ELECTRICAL PLUMBING
Michael Rosenberg, FASHRAE, CEM, LEED AP FIRE, SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY
Sizing domestic
water pipes
When sizing pipes in nonresidential buildings, engineers should pay
close attention to local code, available water pressure, fixtures, and a
host of other factors.
D
esign professionals should consider these components affect the level of pressure that is
several factors to dictate how water available to the end user; therefore, design always
piping is sized for nonresidential starts at the source.
buildings, including occupancy type,
pressure availability from the source, Water-source considerations
specialized equipment requirements, and building Domestic water is typically provided by a
layout. This article looks at sizing methods outlined municipal water system or well, and each source has
in the International Plumbing Code (IPC), as well its own operational criteria. The most common sys-
as explanations to determine when it tem (municipal) will be considered here.
’
fixtures being in operation simultaneously is very small.
From the street to the building and pressure to all fixtures in the building. A prac-
When connecting to a public utility water main, tical method is to determine the most demanding
a typical arrangement will be a tapping tee, isolation fixture in the system. All fixtures require a mini-
valve, and then a water meter. Utility companies mum flow and pressure to operate properly. In a
have guidelines on meter type, sizing, and loca- typical building, the most demanding fixture will
tion requirements. They also will be able to provide either be a flush-valve-operated water closet or a
flow data on the required meters. It is important to specialized piece of equipment with some min-
size the meter appropriately, because utility compa- imum-pressure requirement established by the
nies often have tap fees that can vary by the size of manufacturer.
the meter. These fees can be accrued monthly, thus Great care should be taken in the piping design
oversizing a meter could end up costing the build- to minimize friction loss in the system. This is
ing owner an enormous amount of money over the accomplished by eliminating unnecessary changes
lifespan of the facility. in direction and by properly sizing piping. To keep
Downstream of the meter, the water main needs friction loss to a minimum, it is best to not exceed
to pass through a backflow preventer. The back- 5 psi of loss per 100 ft. Pressure drop is calculat-
flow-preventer location will vary based on cli- ed based on the inlet pressure available, the most
mate and the requirements of local authorities demanding fixture’s pressure requirement, and the
having jurisdiction (AHJ). It can be located inside piping length to the farthest run. Figure 2 shows the
the building or outside on the building site. When relationship of friction loss and pipe velocity for the
locating a backflow preventer inside the building, standard plumbing pipe sizes. Charts similar to this
it is important to have the least amount of piping can be found in the IPC, ASPE, and other sources.
possible between the water line entering the build- A couple of different criteria are devised out in
ing and the backflow. No taps can be made off the Figure 2. In blue, friction loss more than 2.5 psi per
water line that are upstream of the backflow pre- 100 ft is highlighted. This area should be avoided
venter. This is to prevent any contaminated water in pipe runs of any considerable length. The area
within a building from backflowing into the public in red highlights water traveling through pipe in
water supply. excess of 8 ft per second. Eight ft per second is a
maximum for cold water. Hot water cannot exceed
System piping inside the building 5 ft per second per the 2009 UPC section 610.12.1.
When designing water piping inside a building, Water traveling too quickly through the piping
the primary requirement is to supply adequate flow system will cause water hammer, which results in
excess noise or, worse, damaged piping. Water ham-
mer is caused when water is forced to make a quick
change in direction. It can be a very destructive
force and should be avoided. Design considerations
to minimize water hammer are beyond the scope of
this article.
Assuming that in the previous example there is
no specialized equipment in the building and the
flush valves on the 4th floor are the most demand-
ing fixtures, let’s say the building’s top floor has
an elevation of 24 ft and the flush valves are locat-
ed at a 28-ft elevation abovegrade. Pressure loss
to elevation is typically referred to as “head loss”
and expressed in feet. The conversion is that 10 ft
of head loss is equal to 4.33 psi of water pressure.
Because domestic water systems are open systems,
this head loss can be a significant driver in system
design.
In high-rise buildings, it becomes necessary to
divide a building into different pressure zones to
supply adequate pressure that does not exceed 80
psi. Often this results in multiple booster pumps
and pressure-reducing valves on lower floors in each
pressure zone. A summary of the system pressure
loss for the example building is shown in Table 2.
Figure 2: Friction charts like the one shown are available for common The static pressure listed on the flow test men-
types of piping. Colors are added for clarity. tioned previously was 89 psi with a residual pres-
ate the equipment, which is far below the 50-psi rience times of very high but brief demand, which
requirement. include halftime, intermission, and class chang-
The previous example illustrates that one piece es. When designing for systems such as these, the
of equipment can affect an entire building’s design. designer should prepare for all fixtures to operate
To accommodate the 50-psi requirement, a pump is at the same time. Code officials are within their
needed. Depending on other occupants, the pump rights to—and often do—mobilize a team of people
NOTE: to operate all the fixtures simultaneously in these
cases. In these situations, it is easy to see how larger
While viewing the pressure requirements of an individual pipe sizes are necessary to accommodate a higher
demand.
piece of equipment, always keep in mind that the rest of Pipe sizing requires the designer to consider
the building is under operation. That is why water-meter the building’s current use, and its potentially more
demanding situations. When in doubt of the type
loss and pipe-friction losses have not changed. of tenants occupying the building, make sure the
owner is aware of the criteria expected in a design.
Best judgment is required to accurately predict
can either be a point-of-use unit or it can oper- future scenarios. The key is to design a strong foun-
ate the entire building. Design professionals must dation for the building’s water system to perform as
also keep in mind that city pressure is subject to intended to meet occupant needs. cse
change—safety factors should be considered to
account for such variances. Emmett Willis is a mechanical engineer and assis-
Another consideration that needs to be account- tant department manager with Dewberry. His expe-
ed for beyond system components is occupancy rience includes plumbing, medical gas, and fire
type. Building code diversity factors were men- protection design, and he has designed plumbing
tioned earlier, and there are cases where such diver- and fire protection systems for a variety of facili-
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E
nergy efficiency is a growing concern, requirements (Tables 6.8.1-12 and 13 in Section
and many associations are adopting more 6.8) are only mandatory for refrigerated display
requirements for energy-efficient build- cases (Section 6.4.6). The mandatory walk-in cool-
ings. ASHRAE Standard 90.1: Energy ers and freezers requirement (Section 6.4.5) does
Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise not mention these efficiency tables. Section 6.5.11
Residential Buildings and the International Energy sets the new prescriptive requirements for refriger-
Conservation Code (IECC) are codes that address ation systems.
the design of energy-efficient buildings. The follow-
ing are requirements in ASHRAE 90.1-2013 that 2. Fan-power limitation
tend to get overlooked during a building project. ASHRAE 90.1’s prescriptive fan power limitation
(Section 6.5.3.1) is a mandatory requirement in the
1. Commercial refrigeration IECC (Section C403.2.12), so it may be favorable to
equipment requirements use ASHRAE 90.1’s performance-based compliance
Requirements for commercial refrigeration path for projects with design limitations that cause
equipment were introduced in ASHRAE 90.1-2013, the fan-power limitation to be exceeded.
Sections 6.4.5 and 6.4.6. The minimum efficiency
3. Prescriptive window-to-wall ratio
The prescriptive maximum window-to-wall
ratio (WWR) is 40% in ASHRAE 90.1-2013, Sec-
tion 5.5.4.2.1, so buildings can comply prescrip-
tively with ASHRAE 90.1-2013 and have more
glass than those complying with 2015 IECC, that
has a prescriptive maximum WWR limit of 30%
(C402.4.1, without exceptions).
Achieving compliance
with ASHRAE 90.1
ASHRAE Standard 90.1: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise
Residential Buildings is one of the main drivers used in any building design.
The 2016 edition hasn’t been adopted by all jurisdictions, however, engineers
should understand the key elements of this important standard.
A
SHRAE 90.1-2016: Energy Standard for Most changes in Standard 90.1 are reflected in
Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential the next edition of the International Energy Con-
Buildings is an ANSI-approved, con- servation Code (IECC), which for many years has
sensus-based standard that establishes permitted compliance with either the latest edition
minimum energy efficiency require- of the IECC or Standard 90.1. Also, states and other
ments for buildings. Provisions in the standard are jurisdictions adopt different editions of IECC or
meant to be technically feasible, cost-effective, and Standard 90.1—most commonly IECC—so mini-
adoptable in the U.S. and international markets. The mum requirements may vary by location.
standard has progressively reduced building energy Regardless of the minimum code in force, com-
use since 1975, and the 2016 edition is no exception. pliance with the latest version of ASHRAE 90.1 will
This looks at the latest changes to Standard 90.1 save energy, and each change must meet the cost-
including provisions for: effectiveness criteria based on standard engineering
economics using a “scalar” method.
• The building envelope. Formatting has changed significantly. In 2013, the
• HVAC systems. standard was published in a two-column format and
• Power and lighting systems. was 278 pages long. In 2016, the standard is in single-
• Whole-building energy performance. column format for easier reading on computer mon-
itors, is 388 pages long, and has added shading of
alternate columns and italicizing of defined terms.
ASHRAE Standard 169-2013: Climactic Data
for Building Design Standards updated the climate
maps throughout the world based on warming
trends over the most recent 30 years of compiled
weather data. Because many of the criteria in Stan-
dard 90.1 are determined by climate zone, including
envelope insulation and many HVAC requirements,
this can be particularly impactful. Approximate-
ly 10% of U.S. counties moved to a warmer climate
zone. A perfect example is Wisconsin, where the
southern 40% of the state and most of the popu-
lation was moved from Climate Zone 6A, under
which Green Bay falls, to 5A—the same as Chica-
Figure 2: The definitions for energy-recovery Buildings larger than 50,000 sq ft can test only por-
efficiency have been updated in ASHRAE 90.1- tions of the building. If testing is not done, an air
2016. Courtesy: IMEG Corp. barrier installation and verification program is
required in addition to prescriptive air-sealing
go. This means less insulation is required for con- requirements, which was the only alternative in
struction in those areas. The standard also added prior editions of ASHRAE 90.1.
climate zones 0A (hot and humid) and 0B (hot Window U-values were reduced Standard 90.1-
and dry) because Climate Zone 1 is about as hot as 2016 for Climate Zones 6 through 8 (cold climates).
Miami, and there are warmer places on our plan- Solar heat-gain coefficients (SHGC) were reduced
et. IECC-2018 did not change its climate zones, so in Climate Zones 4 and 5. Shading-projection factor
different requirements will exist depending on the multipliers were eliminated for north-facing glass,
chosen compliance path (90.1 or IECC prescriptive) and formulas were added that limit the amount of
in many locations. glass facing east and west multiplied by its SHGC.
Efficiency requirements were added in the 2016 threshold for water-cooled plants is 1,500 tons in
edition for pool dehumidifiers based on the recently Climate Zones 3C, 4C, and 5 through 8, and 1,000
developed AHRI Standard 920. These use the met- tons in other climate zones. For air-cooled plants,
ric of moisture-removal efficiency (MRE), which is the threshold is 860 tons in Climate Zones 3C, 4C,
the ratio of the pounds of moisture removed to the and 5 through 8, and 570 tons in other climate zones.
energy input in kWh at a standard rating condition. There is no minimum plant-efficiency requirement,
Two tables were added for dedicated outside-air but the metric should be displayed in kilowatt per
systems (DOAS), one for those with energy recov- ton or COP. The intent is to give operators infor-
ery and one for those without. The metric used is mation to help them improve plant efficiency; with
integrated seasonal moisture-removal efficiency information that is easy to see, operators can experi-
(ISMRE) per AHRI Standard 920. Like MRE, ISMRE ment with setpoints, such as condenser temperature,
is the ratio of the pounds of moisture removed to the to find the optimum combinations under all weath-
energy input in kWh, but instead of at a single stan- er and load conditions. Because Standard 90.1 only
dard rating condition, it is a seasonal value based on regulates a building through design and construc-
a weighting of four different rating conditions. tion, it would not be within the scope of the standard
Hotels and motels with more than 50 guest rooms to require some operational efficiency, but provid-
must now have automatic setup/down of at least 4°F ing the monitoring capabilities ensures that building
for temperature setpoints and turn off fans or close operators will have a simple way to verify the perfor-
dampers for ventilation and exhaust systems with- mance of the plant.
in 30 minutes of all occupants vacating. Captive key In several places in the standard, the phrase
cards are acceptable for detecting occupancy. “must be capable of ” was replaced with “must be
There is a new requirement to monitor energy capable of and configured to automatically.” This is
use of new, large electric chilled-water plants. The intended to avoid the argument that “the direct dig-
G
reat River Medical Center in West Burlington, similar buildings. The ranking of 100 means in the 100th
Iowa, was completed in 2000. This Energy Star percentile, or lowest energy use of all buildings of that
100 hospital—which has perhaps the lowest site type in the program.)
energy-use index (EUI) of any hospital in the U.S. at 95 This greenfield replacement hospital is located on a
kBtu/sq ft/year—might not comply with the energy 100-acre site and is heated and cooled by the second-
code for new buildings under ASHRAE 90.1-2013: Ener- largest lake-coupled geothermal system in the U.S. The
gy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential system can produce more than 1,500 tons of cooling—
Buildings or the 2015 International Energy Conserva- enough energy to serve the equivalent of 500 single-
tion Code (IECC). (Energy Star is a Department of Ener- family homes. More than 5,000 gal of water per minute
gy program that rates building energy use compared to (depending on load) move through a 100-mile-long pip-
ing system throughout the hospital and other buildings
on the campus. Water passes through more than 800
heat pumps that help regulate temperatures in offic-
es, patient rooms, and treatment rooms. Each patient
room, and many of the offices and treatment rooms,
have individual controls that maintain the room’s tem-
perature to within four degrees of the setting.
The lake also is used for stormwater retention and
lawn irrigation and provides a serene environment for
patients.
Today, however, this project would not comply with the compressor is off and only the fan runs to dis-
some of the prescriptive provisions in ASHRAE 90.1- tribute ventilation air. This is an efficient system, but
2013 or 2015 IECC, such as chilled-water pipe sizing, far from standard practice in a large hospital. So, this
leaving the energy-cost budget method (ECB) in Sec- extremely efficient hospital design, which is an Ener-
tion 11 as the only possible compliance path. In ECB, gy Star 100 building today, might not comply with
the baseline building system is mapped to the pro- the code without the change made to Appendix G in
posed building system and would include water-source ASHRAE 90.1-2016.
heat pumps (WSHP) with the loop temperature main- This change allows Appendix G to be used as a path
tained by a boiler and fluid cooler. for compliance. Instead of basing the baseline HVAC
In this application, the WSHP system is funda- system on the proposed design, the system is instead
mentally more efficient than a traditional variable set at “normal” construction practice for each build-
air volume (VAV) reheat system, because of the high ing type. In the case of a hospital, that would be a
code-mandated minimum airflow rates that cause VAV reheat system with many zones’ constant-volume
large amounts of reheat in the VAV system; where- reheat based on minimum air-change requirements.
as the heat pump system uses a dedicated outside- Under Standard 90.1-2016 Appendix G, the Great River
air system (DOAS) and almost never reheats air. Each Medical Center would easily comply with the standard,
heat pump either heats or cools, never both, or often as a current Energy Star 100 building should.
T
he amount and quality of recovered replaces the energy needed for the other pro-
energy originating from HVAC systems cess will reduce the overall energy use, conse-
depends on the building use and inter- quently reducing utility costs.
nal processes, from fume hood exhaust
air in laboratories, process exhaust in • Reduces cost of capital equipment: If the
industrial facilities, and toilet and other exhaust air overall energy use is reduced, primary equip-
in office buildings. The amount of heat recovered, ment, such as boilers, can potentially be
and the first cost of the recovery equipment are downsized. This will be driven by the calculat-
the primary components when analyzing the total ed peak load and the acceptable safety margin.
cost of ownership; it is important that this analysis
be completed in the planning phases of the proj- • Reduces impact on the environment: Equip-
ect. At a high level, the primary goal of an energy- ment that uses fossil fuels to operate can
recovery system is to transfer the recovered ener- potentially be operated at a reduced capacity
gy to a second system. This second system requires assuming the heat-recovery system can meet
energy to achieve the design objective. By using the the balance of the load. This will result in
recovered energy, less purchased energy is needed. lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
There are many advantages in using heat
recovery: Research on heat recovery
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) pub-
• Reduces energy costs: All waste heat that can lished a paper on the impacts of using heat recov-
be applied to another process that offsets/ ery in all kinds of applications, primarily in the
Figure 1: This
graph shows the
correlation of sup-
ply and return air
along with power
demand for air-
and water-cooled
servers. All graph-
ics courtesy: exp
U.S. Services
air-to-air heat exchangers. Each one of these • Much higher supply- and return-air temper-
configurations will have different heat-transfer atures when compared with an office build-
and efficiency characteristics and must be ana- ing (and even other data centers). This creates
lyzed based on the actual loads, climate, space greater opportunity for recovering both heat-
available, maintenance characteristics, etc. ing and cooling energy.
• Total energy wheel: Most energy-recovery • When the computers in the data center are
devices transfer heat (sensible) energy only. water-cooled, heating energy can be recovered
An enthalpy wheel, or total energy wheel, due to the high internal temperature in the
exchanges both heat (sensible) energy and computers.
moisture (latent) energy between the sup-
ply and return airstreams. This type of wheel Air-based energy recovery: Data centers that
can be coated with a desiccant (moisture- do not use water-cooled computers can still bene-
absorbing) material and is rotated between fit from recovering energy. As long as the outside
the incoming fresh air and the return air. Heat dry-bulb temperature is less than the return-air
and moisture in the return air are transferred temperature, cooling energy is recoverable from the
to the wheel. During cold, dry outdoor condi- outdoor air. For example, if the design supply-air
tions, the outside air passes over the rotating temperature for the data hall is 75°F and the return-
wheel, providing pre-conditioning, as the heat air temperature is 95°F, when the outside air is less
and moisture are transferred to the air stream. than 95°F there will be a reduction in cooling ener-
In the cooling mode, the outside air is pre- gy. And knowing there are many domestic and
cooled and the moisture content is lowered. international locations that have very few hours per
These processes reduce the amount of energy year that exceed 95°F, it becomes clear that this type
required by gas-fired heating equipment and of energy-recovery approach can be very efficient.
compressorized cooling equipment. Even more efficient, at 75°F outdoor air, very little
(if any) mechanical cooling energy is needed. Con-
Energy recovery in data centers sider that in Seattle, there are 8,516 hours below 75°F
Certain types of data centers (with specific types (97%); in Chicago, 7,614 hours (87%); in Miami,
of computer equipment) produce large amounts of 3,041 hours (35%). As with many other energy effi-
usable waste heat. Supercomputing centers are a ciency schemes, the climate plays a very important
prime example having extremely high power den- role in the overall effectiveness of the approach.
sities (greater than 1000 W/sq ft in some cases) Water-based heat recovery: Many of the ener-
and liquid (water mainly) cooled computers. Heat gy-recovery techniques discussed so far (both
recovery systems for these facilities prove to be very air- and water-based), are applicable to air han-
effective in reducing energy use. Because supercom- dling systems using exhaust/return- and supply-air
puting facilities are generally purpose-built, and arrangements. However, depending on the facility
undergo a major evolution in technology every few type, it also is possible to recover energy from other
years, there is room for the development of innova- types of processes that use water to cool the internal
tive solutions driven by the distinct characteristics components of equipment, then transfer the heat to
of these data centers: another process. Historically instead of recovering
Figure 3: The use of supercomputers will vary based on user demand and duration of computation. This graph is a simu-
lation of a supercomputer operating for a year.
‘
these solutions also work with refrigerant in lieu financial and commercial viability for the project to
of water): succeed.
ASHRAE Thermal Guidelines for Data Pro-
A foundational
• IT cabinets with integral chilled-water fan coil cessing Environments has a section on water- concept in
units (side cars). cooled computers and contains a table on
water-temperature classes, with each class hav- data center
• Rear-door chilled-water heat exchangers, with ing a facility cooling-water temperature range
or without fans, mounted on the back of the from minimum to maximum inlet temperatures. HVAC design is
IT cabinet. It is necessary to have this information when dis-
cussing data center temperatures with the technol- to “collect” the
• An IT cabinet and servers that have built-in ogy planners and thermal engineers. (Note that
thermal planes. When the servers are installed the temperature ranges for water-cooled com- heat, contain
into the cabinet, the planes contact one- puters are higher than the inlet temperatures for
another enabling heat transfer from the server air-cooled computers.) When the heat is removed
it so it doesn’t
to the circulating cooling water. directly from the motherboard components, the mix with cold
heat transfer is more effective and creates a more
• Internal heat sinks mounted directly to the controlled heat-removal process. supply air, and
server’s central processing unit (CPU), dual Figure 1 can assist in determining the inlet and
in-line memory modules (DIMM), and the outlet water temperatures of the heat-recovery get it out of the
graphics processing unit (GPU). The heat loops. The data shows how the inlet temperature
sinks are cooled directly by the water, with- and system power (which correlates to the work- data center via
out additional intermediate heat exchangers. load intensity) affect the discharge temperature.
Since the cooling water contacts the sources In this example, the discharge temperatures range
heat-rejection
’
of heat directly (via heat sinks) the process is from 100° to 130°F; if this computer were water-
very efficient. cooled, these values would change, but the concept
equipment.
still applies.
As an example, the water that cools the comput-
ers will be heated up to around 150°F. This tem- Energy, cost-reduction effectiveness
perature water can be used for a wide variety of A foundational concept in data center HVAC
things—increasing the feedwater temperature for design is to “collect” the heat, contain it so it
boilers, heating a swimming pool, supplementing a doesn’t mix with cold supply air, and get it out of
district heating system, and even providing heat to the data center via heat-rejection equipment. This
temper an indoor arboretum heat collection/rejection system will have three to
four separate points of heat exchange. At the end
Hydronic energy recovery of this chain, condensing units, dry coolers, or
When planning a heat-recovery system using cooling towers reject the heat to the atmosphere.
water-cooled computers, it is essential to determine There is a considerable amount of energy expend-
the expected temperatures in the energy-recovery ed moving heat from the computers to the outdoor
water loop. The temperature is a function of how environment.
“hard” the computers are working. Generally, as the Using the “heat-transfer chain” as a baseline in
workload increases, the temperature of the CPUs, the process of determining feasibility and financial
GPUs, and DIMMs begin to increase, resulting in viability of a heat-recovery scheme, the following
greater heat output. Ultimately, the water tempera- items need to be considered:
ture in the energy-recovery loop is determined by
several variables, and because the amount of ener- • What is the monetary value of the recovered
gy recovered from computers is not constant, care heat, in energy savings but also re-selling the
must be taken in estimating the amount of energy recovered heat?
that can be recovered.
• Will the energy consumption of the heat-
External factors impacting rejection equipment be reduced?
the design approach
Recovering heat from computers will end up • How many hours per year can the reclaimed
as a purely academic exercise unless the recovered heat be used?
Figure 4: Hot water production from the supercomputing facility and heating demand, including snow-melting system.
The graph identifies times of year that the heat recovered from the supercomputer can be used, either partially or
totally, satisfy the heating load.
• Is there more than one use available for the Recovering energy from
reclaimed heat in the event of a change? What water-cooled servers
is the load profile for these uses? To demonstrate an application of recovering and
using waste heat from the data center, the following
The answers to these questions will feed into the analysis focuses on two hydronic-based building
overall feasibility study to determine the TCO of systems: a hydronic heating system and a water-
the heat recovery concept. based snow-melting system. These are common
hydronic building systems found in many buildings,
Operational profile and available heat especially in colder climates. Both of these systems
Use of servers and other computer equipment operate in a temperature range that is similar to
in data centers will vary based on several factors. the water loop temperatures serving the computer
Some will peak at certain times of the day, week, equipment; this is another aspect of why these are
or month depending on the type of operation they well suited to using recovered heat.
support. However, data centers that support high-
performance computing (HPC) or supercomput- • For the building heating system, adding a sec-
ers have a very different load profile and will often ondary source of heat into the water loop (via
have near-constant use (electrical load). In the sci- a heat exchanger) will augment the system
ence community, these computers are widely sought capacity and reduce the amount of fossil fuel
after because of the massive computational power (natural gas, propane, oil) consumed by the
and data throughput needed for complex, data- boiler. Typical water temperature ranges from
driven projects. Engineers, scientists, and research- 100° to 180°F.
ers from private industry often wait their turn
until the machines are free. So, other than sched- • Hydronic snow-melting systems work by cir-
uled downtime and when jobs have completed, the culating warm water through plastic tubing
machines run at near full capacity. embedded in the pavement; the water tem-
This type of operational profile is ideal for perature varies based on factors such as the
recovering heat for use in other applications, such rate of snowfall, wind speed, and outside tem-
as heating and snow melting. And because both are perature. These systems operate at lower water
weather-dependent, the building automation sys- temperatures, typically less than 130°F.
tem (BAS) can modulate the central heating plant
equipment (boilers, pumps) as to not under- or Climate analysis
over-compensate when making up for any heating The climate is one of the most important com-
shortfall that the heat-recovery system may encoun- ponents to understand the savings potential of
ter. Because heating a building is a critical opera- using a heat-recovery system. Buildings located in
tion, and considering the problems that will occur if colder climates will show the greatest benefit by
heating is lost, it is recommended the heat-recovery using a building heat-recovery system. Simply put,
system be designed as a supplement, rather than the there are many more hours per year that a build-
primary means of heating the building. ing will require heating. Minneapolis is used in this
‘
the building envelope. However, using a simpli-
fied analysis allows for a preliminary look at the
amount of heat that can be recovered from the A tremendous amount of electricity
computers to offset losses through the building
envelope and to provide sufficiently warm water
powers computer equipment
’
for a snow-melt system. This analytic method is
used as a starting point when first examining the
in data centers.
viability of implementing a heat-recovery system.
After this initial analysis, more detailed work is Displaying the building’s heating-requirement
required (see Figure 2). data with the data showing the availability of recov-
ered heat generated by the computers (Figure 4) on
Modeling and simulation approach one chart shows the operational interdependency
An energy model was developed to study the between the building heating system and the data
practicality of using recovered heat (in the form center’s heat-recovery system.
of warm water) for both snow-melting and build- Although the actual outdoor temperatures (the
ing heating; calculations were developed at a high primary driver of the building heating require-
level to simulate the operation of the systems. ments) will certainly vary from the weather data
The simulation accounts for changes in the use of used in the energy modeling, this analysis is a good
the computers, resulting in variations in the heat demonstration of when and how often the recov-
output. ered heat can successfully supplement the heating
One of the first steps in the simulation is to and snow-melt systems.
develop a heat-loss profile of the building and the Based on the simulation and subsequent analy-
heat required to make warm water for the snow- sis, the heat-recovery system from the water-cooled
melt system. Visualizing the data assists in develop- computers will be able to supplement heating the
ing a quick overall understanding of the magnitude building and the snow-melt system.
of the heat loss and how it changes over 1 year. As computers continue to get more powerful
The next step is to simulate the potential heat and, in some cases, consume greater amounts of
output from the computer equipment in the data energy, it is important to consider to investigate
center. Because the heat-recovery system is water- heat-recovery systems when water-cooled comput-
based and tied into the cooling loop for the com- ers are used. A tremendous amount of electricity
puters, a few considerations need to be taken: powers computer equipment in data centers. The
technology industry stands to benefit financially if
• Approximately 50% to 75% of the comput- heat recovery systems are used. By doing this, an
er’s heat output should be transferred to opportunity opens up to drive new innovation and
the cooling loop in the data center. In this demonstrate how reducing energy benefits both the
example, the power demand of the computer bottom line and the environment. cse
equipment is 500 kW; 375 kW will be dissi-
pated to the cooling loop while the remain- Bill Kosik is a senior mechanical engineer with exp
ing 25% (125 kW) is rejected to the air in the U.S. Services. He is a member of the Consulting-
data center. Specifying Engineer editorial advisory board.
I
n May 2016, the Centers for Medicare & • Failure of Category 1 systems is likely to
Medicaid Services (CMS) released its final cause “major injury or death.”
rule amending fire-safety requirements for • Failure of Category 2 systems is likely to
certain Medicare and Medicaid participating cause “minor injury.”
health care facilities. The goal of the adop- • Failure of Category 3 systems is likely to
tion was to reduce life safety risks for patients and cause “discomfort.”
caregivers who occupy these facilities while at the • Failure of Category 4 systems is likely to
same time modernizing requirements to reflect have “no impact.”
current health care needs. Effective July 5, 2016,
health care facilities must comply with the pro- While the CMS will confirm that facilities
visions of the 2012 edition of the NFPA 101: Life are using this type of risk assessment, it is not
Safety Code and the 2012 edition of the NFPA: required that facilities submit a formal assessment
99 Health Care Facilities Code, with some excep- to the CMS for review.
tions. Certain sections have been excluded from
adoption, most notably Chapter 7 of 2. Sprinkler protection
L Learning NFPA 99 on information technology
equipment. Previously, the 2000 edi-
Under the new requirements in NFPA 101-
2012, all existing high-rise health care occu-
OBJECTIVES tion of NFPA 101 and the 1999 edi- pancies must be fully protected by an approved,
• Identify the impact of the tion of NFPA 99 were the adopted supervised automatic sprinkler system. All
adoption of the 2012 edition of codes used for fire protection and new health care occupancies are required to be
NFPA 101: Life Safety Code by life safety purposes in health care fully sprinkled already, but this requirement
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services on health care design. occupancies. now requires existing buildings to retroactively
Since multiple code-revision cycles become fully sprinklered. Retroactive provisions
• Know the differences in the
various editions of NFPA 101. occurred between adopted versions, can be difficult and costly to comply with, which
facilities may face some challenges in is why a phase consisting of a period of 12 years
attempting to meet CMS requirements. is allowed to provide the required sprinkler sys-
Ten of the most salient differences are explored tem. This change in sprinkler requirements has
that should be considered between these code edi- also impacted the scoring system contained in
tions for health care occupancies. This is not an NFPA 101A for Fire Safety Evaluation Systems
exhaustive list, and further differences exist and (FSES). This change may cause facilities currently
must be considered when attempting to comply using an FSES for justification of an equivalency to
with this CMS rule. no longer achieve a passing score.
• Repair
• Renovation
• Modification
• Reconstruction
• Change of use/occupancy
• Addition.
‘
people is permitted to be open to the corridor pro- in the direction of opening, and the door-closing
vided it: method is approved by the authority having juris-
diction. Horizontal sliding doors are now permitted The new
• Exists in a smoke compartment with in health care occupancies, given that the room is
30 or fewer beds. of low or ordinary hazard and fewer than 10 occu-
CMS rule also
• Has a cooktop equipped with: pants are served by the door. Breakaway operation adopts
-A hood sized to the cooking surface. is no longer required. Corridor doors, however,
-A suppression system. must still latch positively and limit the transfer of all Tentative
-Grease collection. smoke.
-500-cfm minimum exhaust. Interim
-An interlocking mechanism that shuts 10. Normally unoccupied building
down fuel and electrical power. service areas Amendments
• Is protected with smoke alarms (no closer Normally unoccupied building service equip-
than 20 ft from the cooktop or range). ment support areas have a new definition and new
to each code
• Does not use solid fuel. requirements in the 2012 edition of NFPA 101. This issued between
• Does not perform deep frying. type of area is now defined as “a building service
• Has a locked switch that can deactivate equipment support area in which people are not Aug. 11, 2011,
the cooktop. expected to be present on a regular basis.” Examples
• Has a timed switch that deactivates the of areas like this include interstitial spaces, crawl and April 16,
cooktop automatically after no more than spaces, chases, tunnels, attics, and service vaults.
’
120 minutes of no use. Requirements are limited for areas of less than 2014.
• Has fire extinguishers located in the 45,000 sq ft and sprinklered spaces less than 90,000
cooking area. sq ft; however, Section 7.13 of NFPA 101 identifies
the requirements of spaces larger than these thresh-
As the use of alcohol-based hand-rub dispens- olds. Normally unoccupied building service equip-
ers within hospitals has shown to drastically reduce ment support areas exceeding these area thresholds,
infection-control issues, using them has become provided that they do not contain fuel-fired equip-
prevalent. NFPA 101 has provided very specific ment or allow storage, are now required to have at
requirements for their use to ensure that the fire least 80 in. of headroom, 28 in. of width, exit sig-
risk posed by the flammable liquids contained nage and lighting, and two exits from the space at
within the dispensers is mitigated. The dispensers minimum. Normally unoccupied building service
may only be placed in corridors with a minimum equipment support areas that contain fuel-fired
of 6 ft in width. Maximum capacity of dispensers equipment or allow storage do not fall under the
in rooms, corridors, and areas open to corridors is allowances of Section 7.13.
0.32 gal, or 0.53 gal in suites. Dispensers must be This list highlights important changes to the
spaced at 48 in. from one another. No more than requirements for the design and construction of health
10 gal of hand rub may be stored in any single care occupancies due to the adoption of the 2012 edi-
smoke compartment outside of storage cabinets. tions of NFPA 101 and NFPA 99. However, it is not
In determining the aggregate, one may exclude an extensive or complete list of changes. The new
the capacity of one dispenser per room. Storage of CMS rule also adopts all Tentative Interim Amend-
more than 5 gal in a single smoke compartment ments to each code issued between Aug. 11, 2011,
requires compliance with NFPA 30: Flamma- and April 16, 2014. These standards also reference
ble and Combustible Liquids. Dispensers cannot other NFPA standards with varying applicable edi-
be installed over or adjacent to ignition sources. tions. cse
Dispensers may only be installed over carpets in
sprinkler-protected smoke compartments. Aero- Brandon Finzel is the operations manager for JEN-
sol containers of alcohol-based hand rub may be SEN HUGHES New York and New Jersey region.
no larger than 18 oz and shall be Level 1 aerosols Samuel Flibbert is an associate with JENSEN
per NFPA 30B requirements. No more than 1,135 HUGHES.
PRODUCTS
New Products for
MEP ROUNDTABLE
51 Engineers
Designing efficient office
44 buildings with visual appeal
Office buildings can be highly complex, with com-
plicated features and advanced technology. Expe-
rienced engineers share advice on how to handle
these structures and identify trends impacting
such structures now and in the future.
M More
INSIGHTS
Find more research www.csemag.com/research:
• Thirty-one percent of firms earn more than $5 million
annually from electrical or power systems specified into
new and existing office buildings. Source: Consulting-
Specifying Engineer 2016 Electrical & Power Study
16%
24% 60%
ENGINEERING DISCIPLINES
Will specify in Use the icons to identify topics of interest.
the
h next 12 to 24 months
h Currently
l specify
f
AUTOMATION & CONTROLS HVAC
Six in 10 engineers specify pumps and pumping COMMUNICATIONS LIGHTING
systems; 24% expect to specify these products over ELECTRICAL PLUMBING
the next 12 to 24 months. Source: Consulting-Specifying
FIRE, SECURITY & LIFE SAFETY
Engineer 2017 HVAC & Building Automation Systems
Study
CSE: What’s the biggest engi- thoughtfully managing their waste streams, credentials, to reserve amenity space, to
neering trend you see today in and demanding controllability in their modify light levels and temperature of their
office buildings? building’s operations. Property owners space, and to interface with their office
and developers have responded to tenant building.
Jason Gerke: Many of the projects demands by requesting that, we as engi- John Yoon: Not an “engineering” trend
we are currently designing include no or neers, design HVAC, lighting, and plumb- per se, but there are significant trends in
very open ceiling systems. This deviation ing systems that can respond to unique corporate office design that can have a dra-
from a more traditional lay-in ceiling sys- tenant requirements. As one of the leading matic impact on the supporting mechan-
tem has caused us to rethink the layout of consulting engineers in Washington D.C.’s ical, electrical, plumbing (MEP) systems
ductwork, locations of variable air volume very active commercial real estate market, that we specify. A major driving force in
(VAV) boxes, and potential HVAC break- we are also responding to these demands office design is a need to use space more
out noise. While this is not an engineer- by specifying systems that have monitor- efficiently. There is a real cost associated
ing-specific trend, it does require all of the ing, ongoing accountability, and increased with that space and the resources needed
building engineers to be more thoughtful controllability, as opposed to maximizing to support the employees using it.
in the design of their respective systems. capacity and providing over-redundancy. The elimination of a standard worksta-
Without ceilings, the layout of ductwork, Tyler Jensen: The biggest trend I see tion in favor of bench-style seating allows
piping, conduit, cable trays, and the build- is that clients are looking to use their office significantly greater density and is com-
ing steel and concrete must have an aes- buildings to differentiate themselves and monplace in “tech” companies. “Hotel-
thetically pleasing aspect to it, besides create a competitive advantage. Office ing,” where employees aren’t permanently
being functionally sufficient for the build- buildings are no longer just a place to assigned desks or offices but rather move
ing. This is a trend that some engineers house employees, but a means to attract around on a day-to-day basis, also isn’t
have an issue with because they do not feel and retain top talent and increase pro- a new concept. It is regularly employed
it is their responsibility to create a design ductivity. Owners want office buildings where a significant percentage of the
layout that works with the architect’s plan that provide access to daylight and views, workforce works remotely. Hoteling helps
for the building’s visual appeal. proper ventilation and thermal comfort, “rightsize” the quantity of workspaces to
James Hansen: Providing tenants and a healthful environment for their more closely match the actual need. Tech-
with a customizable building experience is employees. I also have seen more intelli- nology is enabling the hoteling concept
becoming increasingly important, from an gent building systems employed that cre- to go to the next level. It is still standard
architectural and engineering standpoint. ate a positive, interactive experience for practice to assign offices/workstations/
In the Washington, D.C., metropolitan- employees, guests, and operators of office benches to permanent employees who
area office market, tenants are now tak- buildings. End users want to be able to generally don’t work outside the office
ing ownership of their utility consumption, use their smartphones for access-control on a one-to-one basis.
However, in very large corporate envi- office spaces with unusually high popu- 5 to 10 years. Not surprisingly, this inter-
ronments, it is understood that there is lation densities and little to no diversity. val mirrors the lease terms for most ten-
always a certain percentage of the perma- As such, the engineered factor of safety in ant spaces.
nent workforce that isn’t in the office for our MEP systems has to be reconsidered In the dot.com era of the late 1990s
whatever reason (sickness, vacation, etc.). for these types of office environments. to early 2000s, having extremely robust
Also, many employers recognize a need for This can be a challenge when renovating base-building MEP infrastructure with
flexible seating to accommodate grouping older office buildings in which the origi- high levels of power and cooling capacity
employees together on a temporary basis nal engineers never anticipated this type was that holy grail. Then, when the U.S.
for certain projects. But there is always a of usage. Green Council’s LEED v2009 was intro-
level of uncertainty regarding how many duced, we saw a frenzy of LEED CS- and
workstations/offices are actually need- CSE: What trends and technol- EB-certification activity to make build-
ed. To address these issues, we’re seeing ogy do you think are on the hori- ings stand out from the pack. But eventu-
the deployment of computerized “seat- zon for office building projects? ally, after several years, the markets that we
management systems” that use statisti- worked in reached saturation; it became
cal analysis of employee-attendance pat- Yoon: Building owners are always more or less an expectation that Class A
terns and project staffing requirements to looking for a way to gain a competitive properties would already have LEED cer-
dynamically assign seating on a day-to- edge and distinguish their property from tification. In the last year or two, the “next
day basis and put more people in a smaller the competition. For Class A, multiten- big thing” was to offer increased building
quantity of work areas. ant office buildings, the market for ten- amenities to prospective tenants. These
The traditional diversities that are ants remains unusually competitive and shared amenities took the form of Wi-Fi
often factored into our MEP system finding that special something to set a lounges, party decks, fitness centers, res-
designs for office buildings are quickly building apart is something of a holy grail. taurants, etc. However, it is expected that
eroding. The combination of benching Unfortunately, this usually devolves into this too will quickly reach saturation—and
and automated hoteling concepts creates a “me too” attitude, where every building may not be sustainable in the long term.
has to offer more or less the same feature The capital expense associated with con-
set to attract new tenants. Often, there is structing the supporting MEP infrastruc-
John Yoon, minimal consideration as to the actual ture and the ongoing operational expenses
PE, LEED AP value of what’s being installed. For exam- (that may or may not be recoverable based
Lead Electrical ple, you would be amazed at how many on how the tenant leases are structured)
Engineer fireplaces we’ve designed for new shared- are not insignificant. With the new norm
McGuire
tenant lounges just because another build- being ever-increasing density in commer-
Engineers Inc.
Chicago
ing had that particular feature. The office cial office buildings, the primary question
building market is cyclical, with major is when will we reach that critical threshold
trends developing at intervals of roughly where it becomes detrimental to employee
FROM productivity? The expectation is that the zero office buildings at a few different sites
CORE
next major trend will be a renewed empha- across the U.S. It has been valuable for the
sis on the health and well-being of building client, architect/engineer design team, and
occupants to help offset this eventuality. contractor to work together from the onset
While the International WELL Building of the project. This collaborative approach
DRILLING!
Institute (IWBI)’s WELL Building Standard allowed the project team to effectively bal-
is still in its infancy, it appears to foreshad- ance the programming and aesthetic needs
ow these next major MEP design trends. with the sustainability goals for the proj-
Expect to see increased requirements for ect. We were also able to take an iterative
indoor-air quality well beyond ASHRAE design approach and get timely budget-
62.1: Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air ary feedback on various options. Since we
Quality, an emphasis on the quality of illu- were engaged early, we were able to run
mination, and numerous other criteria that energy models to optimize the building
are incorporated into the WELL Building massing and orientation and to advise
Standard. passive-energy-reduction strategies. The
Hansen: We’re seeing the Washington IPD method is critical for designing high-
D.C. market grow increasingly saturated performance and net zero office buildings.
with Class A office buildings. Energy effi- Gerke: While our team has not been
ciency is very important in our area. The involved in a project specifically using an
office buildings that get (and stay leased) IPD contract, we have been involved in
are the properties with highly efficient, many projects that include the subcon-
customizable HVAC systems. Typically, tractors early on. These projects include
the systems also have negligible aesthetic input from the general contractor or, typ-
impact and low first costs for installation. ically, subcontractor early in the design
We’re seeing variable refrigerant flow sys- phase, once we move into design develop-
tems satisfying these requirements for a ment plans. Early involvement must start
variety of owner and project types. before plans and specifications move past
Jensen: Forward-thinking owners the 15% or 20% phase in order to maxi-
will look beyond minimum energy code mize the impact the early involvement
requirements and consider highly sustain- will allow. Design teams need to be recep-
able and even net zero energy office build- tive to the involvement of contractors ear-
Connectrac ® wireways ings. Net zero office buildings can create lier in the design due to the fast pace of
a powerful story around strong corporate most projects and to minimize construc-
provide a proven power and values for employees and the public. tion-phase questions and issues. Reducing
IT alternative to expensive Gerke: There are so many networked construction issues will result in lower
communication systems in buildings costs for the design team and will mini-
and disruptive core drilling, today that it is surprising companies have mize the risk of having any claims during
not developed a breakout technology that construction.
trenching and unsightly power
combines cabling systems. While some Hansen: GHT Ltd. is close to comple-
poles. Our ultra-low profile companies do offer project-development tion of the 2112 Pennsylvania Ave. project
services to consolidate communication in Washington, D.C. This project used sev-
wireway is so discreet it’s systems (ranging from HVAC controls eral IPD methods including working with a
barely noticeable as to lighting controls and security/surveil- design-build mechanical contractor in the
lance to servers), there is no one disruptive earliest stages of design under a “design-
it elegantly blends in to any technology solution that has combined all assist” application with the owner, Skanska
these systems on a single cabling backbone USA, who also happened to be the gen-
environment while linked to a single networked control sys- eral contractor. Working within the own-
accommodating power tem. Today’s solutions still include multi- er’s budget, our team collaborated with
ple controllers to individually handle most the mechanical contractor to rightsize
and data. systems. and right-specify HVAC systems that met
the owner’s and occupants’ requirements,
®
CSE: Have you designed any such while also creating a set of construction
projects using the integrated proj- documents that Skanska and the mechan-
Connect without core drilling ect delivery (IPD) method? ical contractor could build. The project
was delivered under budget, and the team
Jensen: I have used the IPD meth- continued to collaborate during construc-
1.877.357.7535 od for a Fortune 500 client designing net tion to address field-installation concerns.
Free2Specify.com
input #14 at www.csemag.com/information 46 • January/February 2018 CONSULTING-SPECIFYING ENGINEER
FREEDOM
TO MOVE FORWARD
Connectrac® In-Carpet Wireways deliver power and data with an elegant and flexible, floor-based cable management
solution unlike complicated and expensive methods such as core drilling, trenching or power poles. Our ultra-low profile
wireway integrates with any furniture and can be moved or reconfigured as work environments evolve.
CSE: Each type of project pres- oversaturation of Class A office build- new office building or commercial-office
ents unique challenges—what ings. To attract and retain the best ten- interior build-out, there’s usually a cor-
types of challenges do you encoun- ants, MEP systems must be modular, responding, existing office building or
ter on office building projects that controllable, and efficient—all while tenant suite of similar size that has sud-
you might not face on other types maximizing ceiling heights, reducing denly become vacant. That vacant space
of structures? noise, and keeping first costs low. For has to somehow be reabsorbed into the
any two planned office buildings enter- local commercial real estate market. If
Gerke: Depending on the level of ing the market, the one that can support the building is thought of as a financial
completion, sound reduction from HVAC a 2-ft taller ceiling or twice as many asset to the owner, how do you maintain
equipment is one of the primary concerns control zones is likely the property that the value of that asset once it is empty
for our projects. The lack of ceilings and wins our area’s competitive leasing bat- and not generating revenue? Given the
requirements for aesthetically pleasing tle. Our challenge and ultimate respon- evolution of commercial-office design
ductwork layouts does not always allow sibility as MEP engineers is to assist over the last 20+ years, that often means
for the best measures for sound con- clients in designing and constructing substantial base-building MEP infra-
trol. Smaller mechanical rooms result in the building that is marketable, attracts structure upgrades to maintain its com-
equipment spaces that are squeezed to the high-quality tenants, and ensures a petitiveness with other commercial real
limit. Therefore, electrical transformers profitable return on investment (ROI). estate offerings in that market. However,
that might otherwise be located in clos- Yoon: With a few notable excep- those upgrades still represent a capital
ets are out in the office areas, producing tions (i.e., the proposed Amazon HQ2 expense that must be recovered some-
noise. Other building infrastructure may project, which is projected to include 8 how through those new-tenant leases or
be spread throughout the building instead million sq ft of new office space), large property-sale proceeds.
of consolidated in a single location. businesses don’t materialize out of thin
Hansen: Competition in the Wash- air. Most commercial office building CSE: Is your team using BIM in
ington D.C. commercial office buildings projects are driven by the incremental conjunction with the architects,
market is the biggest challenge owners expansions, consolidations, and reloca- trades, and owners to design a
and designers currently face, due to tions of existing businesses. For every project?
est. 1973
specialtyLED offers colorful and Growlite offers indoor and
dramatic lighting solutions for greenhouse horticultural lighting
indoor and outdoor architectural products including reflectors,
and decorative applications. ballasts and lamps.
800.533.3948 barronltg.com
input #16 at www.csemag.com/information
Yoon: No, although we do use BIM, we haven’t seen extensive use of the BIM Hansen: Flexibility is key, and over-
the level of detail (LOD) that we typical- models for long-term O&M or M&V— engineering is not a luxury. Gone are
ly develop our models to (LOD300-350) indeed, we have seen quite the opposite, the days where an owner could afford
doesn’t include the amount of information where M&V efforts have required the sus- to build an office building, with HVAC
necessary to adequately perform these tained involvement of the architect and systems designed to support a conserva-
types of functions. The expectation is that, engineer, essentially prohibiting the exclu- tive 7 W/sq ft, and let it sit unoccupied as
to perform these types of O&M functions, sive use of BIM by the owner. These trends they marketed to potential tenants. Flex-
the model has to accurately reflect the as- may shift in the future, but for now, suc- ible HVAC systems, like VRF, are becom-
built attributes of the installed equipment. cessful M&V is achieved as a team effort. ing increasingly common as they allow
Therefore, the make, model, serial number, Gerke: Our entire firm designs all rightsizing for tenant needs, individual
installation dates, warranties, etc. must be building-related projects in Revit as a metering and control, and the ability to
included. BIM definitely has potential as a BIM product. We use BIM files to coor- offset initial core-and-shell construction
converged building lifecycle tool, but the dinate amongst our internal disciplines as costs until tenant fit-out occurs.
primary limitation is the additional incre- well as other subconsultants on the project Gerke: One important advancement
mental cost associated with that last as- team. Using 3-D modeling is a must, due has been using wireless controls for some
built documentation step. Building owners to today’s tight project deadlines, to reduce building systems. Using wireless systems
typically don’t want to pay for that extra clashes amongst systems in the field. allows for appropriate temperature control
documentation without a clear under- to meet zoning requirements or for light-
standing of the potential ROI. I haven’t CSE: It seems owners constantly ing-level controls required by energy codes
seen any white papers that provide a con- want more features, but with a that must function as designed for ener-
vincing/compelling ROI business case. tighter budget. How are engineers gy efficiency in buildings. Using wireless
Hansen: Our firm has been using Revit designing office buildings to keep sensors reduces the amount of wiring,
MEP for nearly a decade, and many of our initial costs down while also offer- thus may reduce the cost of installa-
local contractors use 3-D BIM programs to ing appealing features, complying tion. Another benefit of wireless-control
create as-builts and bill-of-materials based with relevant codes, and meeting options for lighting and HVAC is how
on our coordinated Revit models. To date, client needs? simple it is to modify the systems at a
Electromechanical Relays, Single and 3-Phase Single and 3-Phase Scroll Compressor Soft Current-, Voltage- and 3-Phase Monitoring
Solid State Relays, Definite Purpose Contactors, Starters featuring auto-adaptive algorithms, Relays, Current Transformers and an extensive
IEC Contactors, and UL489/UL1077 Mini-Circuit which greatly reduce high starting currents, light range of Single and 3-Phase Energy Meters and
Protectors flickering and voltage disturbances Enterprise-Wide Monitoring Solutions
For over 85 years, CARLO GAVAZZI has designed and Contact us today for a free evaluation sample and find
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NovaMAX ™ EC
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M More
ROUNDTABLE
AHR Booth #4945
GO ONLINE
See www.csemag.com for additional content:
Regal, Marathon and NovaMAX are trademarks of Regal Beloit Corporation or one of its
affiliated companies. • Automation and controls
©2017 Regal Beloit Corporation, All Rights Reserved. MCAD17081E • SB0084
• Codes and standards
input #18 at www.csemag.com/information • Electrical/lighting/power.
Thin surge
HVAC media system protection
DriSteem Wetted Media Systems provide evaporative The 3.5-mm Termitrab
cooling and humidification for a wide variety of applications Complete is a thin surge
while taking advantage of the free cooling and energy savings protection device (SPD). It
inherent with this technology. These systems work by using caters to unique require-
the heat that is already in the air to evaporate water as it ments for maintaining and
passes through saturated media, saving on energy costs increasing system availabil-
compared with alternative evaporative-cooling equipment ity for measurement and con-
or steam humidification. In addition, the Wetted Media System can effectively man- trol signal applications. These
age shoulder-season cooling load, as well as assist on peak cooling days to avoid pur- small SPDs provide optimum
chasing additional cooling equipment. In retrofit situations where the cooling load system protection for input
has increased, installation of the Wetted Media System is significantly less costly than and output signals. This thin
adding a chiller. device allows for protection of up to
DriSteem, www.dristeem.com #201 at www.csemag.com/information 572 signals in 1 meter of DIN rail. The
SPDs can be easily installed and wired,
without using a screwdriver, through
the push-in terminal connection option.
LED high bay
The 3.5-mm module is part of the Ter-
LSI Industries’ Alliance LED high bay has max- mitrab Complete product line. Other
imum efficacy across 2-ft and 4-ft fixtures with 163 SPDs in the range allow for easy trouble-
lumens/W. Numerous configurable attributes make LSI shooting and diagnosing a system from
Alliance high bays easy to specify, such as 16 standard lumen any location using the innovative opti-
packages, programmable drivers for custom lumen packages, and cal monitoring capabilities. With local
multiple distributions, lenses, mounting alternatives, emergency back- and remote status indication, main-
up options, and controls choices. This makes LSI Industries’ Alliance LED taining and troubleshooting systems is
high bays flexible to use in applications from school gymnasiums to industrial simplified.
facilities and more. Optional decorative end caps also expand the settings in which Phoenix Contact,
the Alliance LED high bays can be an ideal choice. www.phoenixcontact.com
LSI Industries, www.lsi-industries.com #202 at www.csemag.com/information #203 at www.csemag.com/information
Distributed-intelligence
lighting control
The distributed network architecture of NX elimi-
nates common operational dependencies on software,
gateways, and servers found in other lighting control
systems by distributing control logic to each lighting
control device. NX was purpose-built to provide cus-
tomers with unmatched flexibility across a wide range
of lighting control applications. NX is available as a wired
and wireless solution, a stand-alone luminaire-based con-
trol, a small-room network, or a buildingwide system
across indoor and outdoor commercial, architectural, and
industrial spaces. NX devices simplify installation and
are capable of automatically self-configuring to address energy code requirements and provide “out-of-the- box” functionality.
Hubbell Lighting Inc., www.hubbelllighting.com #204 at www.csemag.com/information
You drive your accomplishments and dictate your career success, and those achievements
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Today’s indoor air requirements are
far more complex than simply moving
fresh air in and exhausting stagnant air
Anthony
manufacturer of energy-efficient air out. An integrated strategy for mov- Rossi
movement, control and conditioning ing, controlling and conditioning air is
Vice President
equipment for nonresidential build- essential for today’s high performance Marketing,
ings. Today, our wide range of products buildings. The expectations of building Greenheck
keeps building occupants comfortable, owners, architects, mechanical engi-
productive and safe. neers and contractors for a comfortable,
reliable and energy-efficient indoor
Our founders Bob and Bernie air environment can all be met when
Greenheck, embraced two important a variety of top performing HVAC products and to enhance performance
values—continuous improvement products and systems are selected and of existing products.
and being the easiest company to do installed. That’s why Greenheck engages
business with. That’s still our commit- in extensive product research and Greenheck also invests heavily in
ment to our customers, and it remains development and continuously expands educational resources to help guide
the fundamental driving force behind and improves its vast and varied line of the future of HVAC system design.
our company’s success. HVAC products. Our free, online design software
“CAPS” and cloud-based “eCAPS”
quickly and accurately selects the
“best value” product for a specific
application. Engineers can earn
Professional Development Hour (PDH)
credits through Greenheck’s HVAC
University that covers the latest HVAC
trends, applications and codes.
In addition to the industry’s best- Greenheck’s on-site laboratories Today, Greenheck is much more than
selling rooftop, wall-mount and inline ensure compliance of both new and a fan company—we’re a single source
fans and ventilators, Greenheck also existing products to critical perfor- air company.
manufactures super-efficient energy mance requirements issued by AMCA,
recovery ventilators, dampers, louvers, ANSI, ASHRAE, UL and other third- Find out more at www.greenheck.com
make-up air units, variable-volume party certification organizations—and
kitchen ventilation systems, centrifu- the Robert C. Greenheck Innovation
gals and vane axials, high-velocity Center inspires product engineers to
laboratory exhaust systems and more. continuously develop reliable new
www.greenheck.com
info@greenheck.com • 715-359-6171
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N oritz has been developing and
manufacturing the finest gas-
operated water heating products in
• Modulation: Noritz fully
modulating technology tracks and
meets any hot-water demand with
the world since 1951, when it was pinpoint accuracy, matching energy
founded in Japan. Today, the company consumption to present requirements.
is the number one global manufactur-
• Intelligent Performance: In a
er for tankless technology. Increased
multi-system setup, the Noritz
environmental awareness, with the
commercial units will communicate
conservation of energy and space
with one another and work in
worldwide, has encouraged Noritz to
unison to even out the load on
expand across the globe.
each individual unit, maximizing
output and system life.
• Redundancy: If, in a
multi-system setup, one unit
happens to go offline and
needs to be serviced, the CPVC, or PP venting. The unit can
remaining units will split the vent up to 60 feet with 2-inch vent
BTU demand to maintain set piping; and 100 feet with 3-inch
point temperature. materials. The premix, fully modulat-
ing burner has a nitrogen-oxide
Noritz U.S. headquarters in emissions level of only 14 parts per
Fountain Valley, California The latest Noritz commercial
million (ppm), far exceeding the
product to incorporate these
South Coast Air Quality Management
Discover the Noritz Commercial advantages is the NCC199CDV
District requirement of 20 ppm.
Tankless Advantage condensing tankless water heater,
The Noritz Commercial line is the approved for common-venting up to
The NCC199CDV is built to last,
most precise and efficient method six units in commercial applications.
manufactured with 316L grade
of heating water for any commercial stainless steel for high durability and
project, offering the following With a 98-percent thermal efficiency,
corrosion resistance. It represents
advantages for engineers: the unit is both Commercial ENERGY
the latest and best that the Noritz
STAR® & AHRI-certified. Up to 24
• Modularity: The Noritz modular Commercial line has to offer.
of these units can be linked together
system is based on a single self-con-
using a Multi-Unit System Controller.
tained, interchangeable unit that can For more information on the
The resulting, modular system would
combine and communicate with like NCC199CDV and the Noritz
offer a BTU input range from 18,000
units to meet any hot water demand. Commercial line, please call
to 4.8 million, yielding a turndown
1-866-766-7489 or visit
• Multi-System Capability: Up to 24 ratio of 266:1.
www.noritz.com.
Noritz units can be linked together
with a single system controller. This In addition, flexible venting
allows outputs of 9.1 million Btuh and options allow for vertical or
316 gallons per minute. horizontal termination with PVC,
By manufacturing these valves from solid brass bar stock to the finished product
gives Red-White Valve Corp. a strong advantage in the HVAC market.
The flow rate range goes up to 55.63 GPM. It also has an Integral Memory Stop to ensure the valve is
returned to its set-point after using the positive Shut-Off function. Connections are available in FNPT, MNPT,
Solder and Press. The Fixed Aluminum Tag with Valve Model, Cv and blank space dedicated for GPM Flow
Rate serves as an easy identification that will not deteriorate on jobsites. The 9510 series qualifies for BAA.
To assist Engineers and Contractors on the simple procedure of operating the 9510 Balancing Valves,
a Utility Software and Smart Phone app have been developed and made available for downloading.
Other HVAC products include Commercial Flanged Balancing Valves 2" thru 12",
Automatic Balancing valves from ½" thru 12", Pressure Independent Control Valves
(PICV), Actuated Balancing valves, and Coil Kit Hook-ups that are fully customizable.
T
Jenny Abney Sivie
itus leads the charge, and in more ways than one. Industry LEEDers
For the people who inhabit or use the buildings AP BD+C, Director
LEED has become an of Advanced Business
and facilities that employ our equipment, we offer our important standard in Development at Titus HVAC
Comfort Zone — a pleasant, healthy indoor environment. the construction industry.
Our products are studies in innovation: the innovative I’m proud to be part of a team of experts in the field of air
VENTUS LUX air distribution system, combining the distribution technology and to help an important industry
benefits of chilled beam and lighting; and the Helios move deeper into the digital age responsibly. Titus has a
variable air volume diffuser, which is powered by number of speakers and LEED APs to help you and your
ambient light. These products help make life easier and customers succeed. You’ll find a list on our website.
more aesthetically pleasing.
Mobile and IRL
Many engineers know and appreciate Titus University,
with classes and seminars on every level and topic
relating to HVAC. We also offer webinars, training videos
and more. I myself am the host of a popular weekly
podcast — “Titus Timeout” — which covers very specific
training topics.
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C onnectrac® wireways are the best floor-based
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communications to all interior commercial
and In-Carpet wireway, or a sturdy, versatile option
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ability to be moved or adjusted. Need to change the
applications without core drilling, trenching, location of your cable pathway or add more cabling?
or unsightly power poles. Corporations, Perfect! Connectrac wireways can simply be moved
government agencies, and universities are faced
Clint Strong
to where you desire with the ability to add or change
CEO, Connectrac
with retrofitting their facilities to keep up with the any cabling you need.
demands of technology. Easy connectivity has
become critical in the world of cable management. For the last decade, Connectrac has dedicated itself Dallas, Texas-based
to providing its customers with cable management Connectrac, is a privately
that is easy to handle and gives a subtle and elegant owned company whose
look to a workspace. With core drilling or trenching products are available
come the hassle of disruptive installations, intrusions throughout the US,
on employees or neighboring tenants, and additional Canada, and increasingly,
costs. Connectrac gives you the look and feel you around the world.
desire in your workspace at an affordable price.
Additionally, Connectrac’s non-intrusive wireways are simple to understand and
easy to install. Within a couple of hours, our wireways can be laid down and ready
for use, all without disrupting the workflow of your office or having to schedule
Connectrac allows any workspace to transform installation at inconvenient hours.
elegantly and seamlessly. Providing a variety of
options and finishes, Connectrac gives you a near- info@connectrac.com • 877-480-5637
invisible, no-bump aesthetic with our Under-Carpet https://connectrac.com/
MEDIA SHOWCASE FOR ENGINEERS
CORD DROP MOTOR
PLUGS
DISCONNECT SWITCHING
SIMPLIFY DESIGN & STARTUP
Switch-rated plugs and receptacles
are ideal for cord drop applications. QUICKLY CONNECT
Technicians can easily deenergize & DISCONNECT POWER
equipment without having to wear
cumbersome PPE and without
having to climb a ladder to OFF
disconnect power. Button
OFF Button
Provides push button
circuit disconnection
Safety Shutter
(on receptacle)
Safety Shutter
Simplifies NFPA Rated up to 200A, 75hp
70E compliance
4 Connector + Switch in 1 device
UL Switch-Rated:
Up to 200A, 4 Maximizes Arc Flash Protection
75hp, 600V 4 Minimizes PPE Requirements
meltric.com meltric.com
800.433.7642 800.433.7642
Input #100 at controlengineering.hotims.com Input #101 at controlengineering.hotims.com Input #102 at controlengineering.hotims.com
On-Demand Webcasts
West, TX, OK
Reliable Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6, 7 . . . . . . . . 5. . . . . . . .www.reliablecontrols.com Tom Corcoran TCorcoran@CFEMedia.com
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Titus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 . . . . . . . . 10 . . . . . . .www.titus-hvac.com Richard A. Groth Jr. RGroth@CFEMedia.com
12 Pine Street 774-277-7266
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Brian Gross BGross@CFEMedia.com
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REQUEST MORE INFORMATION about products and advertisers in this issue by using International
the www.csemag.com/information link and reader service number located near each Stuart Smith stuart.smith@ssm.co.uk
SSM Global Media Ltd. +44 208 464 5577
item. If you’re reading the digital edition, the link will be live. When you contact a company Fax +44 208 464 5588
directly, please let them know you read about them in Consulting-Specifying Engineer.
Complete power. Greater operating productivity. More energy savings. The new Z1000U HVAC Martrix Drive
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