Dominion Power Rebate Program for Commercial HVAC Systems

Your contractor must be on Dominion’s approved contractor list.
The performance of each contractor and project will be closely monitored. Please allow for multiple visits by Dominion’s personnel and a third party Measurement and Verification (M&V) contractor.
Local governments do not qualify.
Customers with single meter loads greater than 10 megawatts do not qualify.
Dominion has $30 million dedicated to this program. Although it sounds like quite a bit, you can expect it to go fast in this economy.
http://www.altusmechanical.com/dominion-power-rebate-program-for-commercial-hvac-systems/

NOTES FROM AN AEE/NCC TOUR OF A LOCAL POWER PLANT

Gas turbine generators also add to the viability of wind and solar power generation. Conventional power plants use fossil fuels to fire boilers which create steam to drive the generators. Boiler plants can take one to two days to bring on line and do not handle fluctuations in load very well. Nuclear plants are also best run at a steady load. Gas turbines can be brought on line in a little as 15 minutes and easily modulate to handle the load fluctuations that wind and solar plants are susceptible to.

We also discussed PJM, the organization that manages power generation and distribution throughout our region. An upcoming AEE/NCC chapter meeting will provide additional insight into the complexities of keeping everyone’s electricity on so I will comment on that information at that time.
http://www.altusmechanical.com/notes-from-an-aeencc-tour-of-a-local-power-plant/

Keeping Warm and Cool: Commercial HVAC Systems

When working in an office, you want to be comfortable. One of the key components of comfort is being either warm during cold days or cool during hot ones. This is where having a commercial HVAC system installed in your building is useful.

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has strict standards for the HVAC systems that ventilate buildings. It specifies the comfort zone of 68 degrees F to 75 degrees F for the winter season and 73 degrees F to 79 degrees F during summer. The humidity levels of the air should be at 50%, and the air should be moving at 30 feet per minute or slower.

Why Air Conditioning is Crucial for Drug Storage

If you’ve ever taken certain medications in your life—say, conventional prescription cough syrups—you’ve likely read some instructions for proper storage on their labels. A lot of drug labels typically recommend that the substance be stored at room temperature and avoid exposure to high temperatures. But what happens when medicines are actually stored above room temperature?

They lose their effectiveness, as well as endanger appliances and furniture.

Serious Commercial HVAC Epidemics: Gone Underground or Gone for Good?

The term “building related illness” grew in use during the 1990s, starting with the sick building syndrome (SBS). Workers exhibit signs of dizziness, fatigue, and skin problems, among others, in the workplace for reasons unknown. The odd thing about SBS is that afflicted workers claim relief the moment they step out of the workplace.

Twenty years later, SBS has disappeared from media as mysteriously as it appeared back then. New indoor air quality (IAQ) standards and commercial HVAC equipment improved the working conditions a great deal, reducing the number of SBS cases, if any. Is SBS still a relevant notion today or merely an afterthought?

If the latter was the case, would there still be reason to maintain IAQ standards? ASHRAE 62.1, according to ACHR News contributing editor Joanna Turpin, was the industry’s response to SBS. It gave birth to a multitude of HVAC solutions still used by skilled commercial HVAC contractors like the Altus Corporation today.
http://www.altusmechanical.com/serious-commercial-hvac-epidemics-gone-underground-or-gone-for-good/

Installing Commercial HVAC Systems Needs Some Serious Heavyweights

Contractors like the Altus Corporation often use heavy machinery to hoist HVAC units to the roofs of commercial buildings. A helicopter may be a bit overboard, but there’s nothing wrong with it as long as it gets the job done. Cranes are the common choice for the job, their arms reaching up to almost 30 stories high.

Why can’t good commercial air conditioners be like their lighter residential siblings? The answer lies in their purpose.

As commercial HVAC systems need to heat or cool a wider area (supermarkets, workshops, and offices), they require more (and bigger) parts to provide satisfactory performance. The fan in a window-type air conditioner is anything unlike the one used in rooftop HVAC systems, with respect to size and performance.
http://www.altusmechanical.com/installing-commercial-hvac-systems-needs-some-serious-heavyweights/

Tips in Choosing an HVAC Contractor: Pre-Search

There are numerous HVAC contractors with glowing ads about their service in the market, and it can get tough just trying to pick out the right one for the job. Here are simple tips to narrow down your list.

Don’t assume that all contractors are pretty much the same

Why? Because they simply aren’t. Variations do exist in heating and air contractor competence and ethics. While many of them are reputable in their own right, some simply may not have the business systems in place to properly serve a consumer’s specific needs or demands. Before choosing one out of many, find out first what you need and the job that needs immediate attention, then narrow down your choices to the contractors that specialize on the problem at hand.

Air Conditioning Tips to Ensure a Cool Summer

Farmer’s Almanac predicts that the 2014 summer will be exceptionally hot across much of North America. Stay ahead of the curve by having your commercial air conditioner inspected and maintained by an HVAC professional to keep them from breaking down during the intense heat. After the HVAC professional does his job, there are a few rules of thumb to help you keep your unit from failing during the hot summer months:

The Benefits of HVAC Maintenance for Businesses

Almost every employee will tell their employers that they cannot─ and will not─ produce properly if they are not provided at least the most basic of comforts. These include a good chair, periods of rest, and good coffee among other things. Moreover, they cannot work properly if the air is too hot or humid, and that’s why a proper HVAC unit for the office will be important.

The HVAC will provide the ideal temperatures for employees to be able to work inside the building regardless of the weather outside. Machines are bound to break down, however, and so business owners will need to take regular HVAC maintenance seriously. Here’s a look at what employers can get out of doing so:

Financial Savings

A business owner who wants to make a profit will definitely want to have his HVAC systems regularly checked. A regularly maintained system means that there will be no immediate expenses to be made in replacing the unit. It will also make the HVAC system more efficient, which will surely bring down the company’s energy expenditures.

Peace of Mind

No one wants to constantly be thinking about when the HVAC unit will finally break. If the HVAC system uses a gas furnace, regular maintenance will ensure the safety of the unit since carbon monoxide will have exits to be directed through to. This protects the entire building and the people using it.

Is It Time to Integrate Commercial HVAC, Lighting, and Electronics?

What can integrating three of the most energy-hungry aspects of commercial operations bring in a world that’s increasingly stringent about efficiency?

The “Big Three” of commercial operations—HVAC, lighting, and electronics—account for almost 70 percent of a commercial building’s energy requirements. These modern-day conveniences are nothing short of necessities for a conducive and productive work environment.

Quality commercial HVAC repair and maintenance can indeed help lower energy costs. At the same time, many businesses want to make the most out of what they can do to cut their energy use. As it stands, HVAC systems operate separately from lighting and electronics. Yet some experts now see an opportunity to unify these aspects and further reduce energy consumption.
http://www.altusmechanical.com/is-it-time-to-integrate-commercial-hvac-lighting-and-electronics/