Seresco NV: Dehumidification Through Ventilation

Seresco NV: Using naturally dry outside air to remove moisture
Not every project requires compressors for dehumidification. That’s why we’re proud to offer the Seresco NV: dehumidification through ventilation.

The NV uses naturally dry outdoor air to remove moisture, unlike other Seresco products that use refrigeration technology to do the job. It’s also capable of providing up to 70,000 CFM supply air, making it a good fit for lots of different applications.

Product Features and Benefits

  • Plenty of airflow — approximately 4,000 to 70,000 CFM of supply air.
  • Automatically adjusts outdoor air usage for best possible conditions and lowest cost, using CommandCenter® control system.
  • Save money on outdoor air pre-heat during cold weather with heat recovery through a highly efficient glycol runaround loop.
  • Auxiliary heat options, including gas Residential Furnace Replacement Service for packaged unit needs.
  • Sensible cooling is possible with a chilled water hookup.

Let’s take a look at some application examples for the NV.

Dry Climates
Any pool facility in a dry climate is a candidate for the NV because it can maintain space conditions for a higher percentage of the year, simply by using the air outdoors to ventilate the natatorium.

Indoor Water Parks
These facilities, with their great expanses of water coupled with lots of patrons and plenty of splashing, are often too much for traditional dehumidifiers to handle. The NV can handle this load while satisfying the facility’s excessive outdoor air requirements because of the large number of patrons.

Where Control Isn’t Everything
The NV is great for bringing in lots of outdoor air, but during extreme conditions that isn’t enough to control the conditions of the space without additional treatment of the air.

But what if it’s not an issue?

A facility, for example, may have a retractable roof and French doors that can open when it’s very hot and humid out to turn into an outdoor pool. When it does that, the unit is off and the owner has given up control of the space.

In situations like this, the NV is fine for the cooler parts of the year where it has an easier time maintaining conditions.

While it works best in dry climates, the NV can be used anywhere – as long as its limitations are understood.

Pros and Cons to Remember
The NV presents a lower upfront cost than a compressorized unit. Additionally, it needs less electricity to run as there are no compressors, so facilities in places where electricity is very expensive or in short supply (like remote areas) may also find this product attractive. The lack of compressors or refrigeration system also means maintenance is simpler and less expensive.

However, facilities with ventilation-only units typically expend more on energy costs. This is because a compressor unit uses a minimum of outdoor air and recycles energy into the pool water and into the air. A ventilation unit throws that away and brings in a modulating amount of fresh air — you must heat the air and the water (the NV comes standard with a glycol runaround loop for cold air pre-heat, to reduce these costs.)

The Bottom Line
The NV has many benefits, applicable to specific situations. When looking at the NV, it’s a good idea to understand the costs and the benefits between choosing it over a refrigeration-type dehumidifier.

Please contact us to discuss your dehumidification applications.

Featured manufacturer:
Seresco

For More Information - askRick

 

Three Key Advantages of AGronomic IQ’s Dry Coolers

AGronomic IQ’s dry coolers eliminate refrigerant leaks in grow rooms.

What you may not know about grow rooms is that a refrigerant leak can kill the entire crop in under 24 hours, so it’s really important to minimize the risk of that ever happening. 

Agronomic IQ virtually eliminates the risk by using its proprietary dry coolers as the outdoor heat rejection devices. They offer the ultimate in redundancy and scalability for customers, allowing you to place one, two or 20 (or more!) in one job to meet the demands of the facility. 

Here are three big advantages to Agronomic IQ’s dry coolers:

They save money

AGronomic IQ’s dry coolers have many elements that are attractive to potential customers, but one is undoubtedly their ability to save money. Because they use glycol as their coolant, refrigerant charge is dramatically decreased. You can also use PVC to virtually eliminate on-site refrigerant work, cutting installation costs. Finally, the dry cooler couples with their patent-pending economizer cooler, saving more than 30% in energy costs in cool climates!

They’re good for the environment – and the crop

Environmental stewardship is something we know customers in the indoor agriculture market care very deeply about. That’s why they love that AGronomic IQ’s dry coolers don’t use environmentally-harmful coolant. As well, their equipment virtually eliminates the risk of a plant-killing refrigerant leak! 

Superior cooling even in winter

Agronomic IQ’s dry coolers do not suffer from low-ambient concerns which plague the air-cooled condensers found in conventional split DX systems. This industry is unique by requiring 100% cooling capacity in the dead of the winter – AGronomic IQ’s dry cooler units have no problems providing it!

Please contact us to discuss your climate control grow room applications.

Featured manufacturer:
AGronomic IQ

For More Information - askRick

 

ACEEE 2018 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard

Massachusetts Ranks #1 as Most Energy Efficient State for 8th Year in a Row 


As the US government loosens environmental rules, states are investing more in energy efficiency and delivering increased power savings, according to the 2018 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard. This 12th annual report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE), identifies the leaders and once again, Massachusetts came out on top.

The scorecard offers mostly good news about energy efficiency — the nation’s third-largest electricity resource. In response to federal efforts to freeze US vehicle and appliance standards, quite a few states worked to retain their own standards and to promote zero-energy buildings. Many states unveiled plans to boost investments in efficiency and clean energy, often driven by concerns about climate change.

The scorecard, which ranks states based on 32 metrics in six areas, had these key findings:.

  • Massachusetts continued to rank #1 overall. It launched a plan to set new three-year energy savings targets and approved utility spending for grid-scale modernization. A close second is California, which led efficiency efforts in three areas: buildings, transportation, and appliances. These leaders are followed by Rhode IslandVermontConnecticut, New York, Oregon, Minnesota, Washington, and Maryland.
  • More states pushed for zero-energy construction (buildings that produce as much power as they use) largely through tougher building codes.  Vermont, Rhode Island, Oregon, Washington, the District of Columbia and Massachusetts have incorporated net zero-energy construction into long-range plans.

Massachusetts’ Governor Charlie Baker said: “We are proud Massachusetts leads the nation in energy efficiency for the eighth year in a row, and we will continue to adopt and pursue measures that deliver billions of dollars in savings to our residents and businesses each year. Massachusetts remains committed to leveraging energy efficiency and clean energy to meet climate goals, reduce costs and grow the Commonwealth’s economy.”

Preview the ACEE 2018 State Energy Efficiency Scorecard

For More Information - askRick

 

Amherst College Science Center | Pumped Glycol Energy Recovery System

Project Name: Amherst College Science Center
 Architect: Payette Associates Inc.
Mechanical Engineer: Van Zelm Engineers
Mechanical Contractor: Harry Grodsky & Company
Equipment: Glycol Energy Recovery System with 20 AHU coils, 16 HRU Coils and Steam Humidifier
Manufacturer: Konvekta
DAC Sales Engineer: Rich Clarke

Project Overview:

During the past 15 years, enrollment in STEM classes increased 85 percent and to meet this demand, Amherst College has built its new Science Center.

In Fall 2018, the school opened the four-story, 250,000-square-foot New Science Center with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities. The center includes a science commons that unites the five wings of the building.  It also includes classrooms, teaching labs, a library, café and informal learning areas for students. In addition to the new building, improvements were made to the infrastructure that serves the building as well as the Greenway Dorms. These upgrades include chilled beams in all laboratory spaces, radiant ceiling panels in offices and classrooms, displacement ventilation in all non-lab areas, radiant heating/cooling floor system in the atrium area, a high efficiency glycol run-around system, daylight dimming capability in all areas with natural light, and a storm water recycling system.
Learn more about the Science Center

Designed with Sustainability in Mind

Amherst gathered a world-class team of industry leaders to design a new type of science building. Leveraging new technologies, our team of architects, engineers and sustainability experts developed sophisticated solutions, using computational modeling to explore various options and refine the designs. Their resulting innovations set the stage for the Science Center to perform at an unparalleled level of energy efficiency. The average science building uses about 370 kiloBTUs per square foot per year. We intend to reduce that by 73 percent or more through a variety of features: highly efficient systems for everything from the building HVAC down to individual lab hoods; a state-of-the-art insulating building envelope; and careful floor plan design so that sensitive and specialized lab systems are grouped together.

Konvekta:   Unique Cost Transparency Concerning Energy Efficiency 

The HVAC system at the Amherst College Science Center was supplied by Konvekta and incorporates their glycol heat recovery units

Konvekta AG, founded in 1949, is one of the leading manufacturers of air/liquid lamellar heat exchangers.   The heat exchangers are custom designed for each application and manufactured in Switzerland.   They are primarily suitable for utilization in HVAC energy recovery.

Dartmouth College Burke Hall - Konvekta System

The Konvekta system is based on three core elements of a high-efficiency energy recovery system at their disposal:

• Highly efficient heat exchanger

Hydraulic assembly unit

System Controller – After installation of a Konvekta heat recovery system, the system controller continuously records the system operating parameters and transmits the data via the internet to Konvekta headquarters in Switzerland.  The Syskom software calculates the investment cost as well as the annual operating cost of entire HVAC systems (air-conditioning system, refrigeration plant including re-cooling). Depending on the customer’s interests, the system can be optimized through changes in operating conditions and variations of components. This computing service is free of charge for Konvekta customers.

Konvekta Pumped Glycol Coil

Konvekta Energy Recovery Coil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Featured Manufacturer:
Konvekta

For More Information - askRick

 

 

 

Coils — Repair or Replace

Coils – To Repair or Replace
(Credit to Guest Blogger: Dan Jacobs, Capital Coil & Air)

There are multiple reasons why coils can fail prematurely. Sometimes, they simply freeze and can never be repaired. Other times, the coil was selected incorrectly, which in turn, made the coil significantly under-perform. Many times, there is substantial corrosion or something else in the system that causes the coil to fail. However, most coils, when selected correctly, and in systems that are properly maintained, can last anywhere from 10-30 years!  While 10-30 years is also a pretty wide range, there are many variables in how long you can expect a coil to perform. Factors, such as on-going maintenance, air quality, and water/steam quality all have an effect on a coil’s lifespan.

But what happens when you try to extend the life of a coil that has obviously reached the end of its usefulness?

Why Do Coils Fail of Old Age?

  • While the coil’s tubes are considered the primary surface, 70% of all coil performance is performed by the finned area on a coil, which is known as the secondary surface. The fin/tube bond is easily the most important manufacturing feature in any coil. Without the bond between the tubes and fins, the coil could never properly function. Like all things however, over time the fin/tube bond becomes less efficient with constant expansion and contraction. While the construction of the coil, as well as the fin collars, does not allow the fins on the coil to move, that fin/tube bond naturally weakens a coil’s life over time after installation. Because of this, it is not a stretch to say that a coil is easily 30% less efficient after (20) years.
  • Cleaning coils often pushes dirt to the center of the coil, and this occurs even more so on wet cooling coils. Just remember that coils can become great air filters if not properly maintained otherwise you find yourself needing ac repair. The BTU output of any coil is in direct proportion to the amount of air going through the coil. If you decrease the CFM by 20%, you are also decrease the BTU’s.
  • Cleaning agents often corrode aluminum fins. Since every square inch of fin surface matters in performance, corrosion of the fin surface is always detrimental to the coil’s performance.

To learn more, read entire article by Dan Jacobs, Capital Coil & Air, 12/11/2018

Related Blogposts:
Coils – Construction vs. Performance
Cooling Coils and Moisture Carryover

Featured Manufacturer:
Capital Coil and Air is the leading manufacturer of commercial OEM HVAC replacement and custom design/build booster coils, fan coils, condenser coils, and DX Coils.
For More Information - askRick

 

 

Klimor EVO – Evolution of Air

Please contact us to discuss your Klimor EVO applications.

Featured Manufacturer:
Klimor

For More Information - askRick

 

ASHRAE 180-2018 Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of HVAC Systems

Standard Practice for Inspection and Maintenance of Commercial Building HVAC Systems

For the public good, it’s essential that the HVAC systems in buildings where people work, visit, or reside support a high-quality indoor environment. In addition, sustainability mandates that those conditions be maintained in a manner as energy efficient as possible by a certified hvac contractor.

Developed in collaboration with Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA), ASHRAE Standard 180-2018 provides much-needed procedural consistency to improve the thermal comfort, efficiency, and indoor air quality of commercial HVAC systems.

The 2018 revision includes changes that make the standard easier to implement; adds new definitions to differentiate between inspection, air conditioning maintenance, service, and repair tasks; and modifies the process section to better clarify how to initiate and implement a maintenance program.

Whether a commercial building’s HVAC systems have a state-of-art maintenance program, or no maintenance program at all, Standard 180 is formatted to serve every segment of ownership and all methods of inspection and maintenance work.

Preview the ASHRAE Standard 180-2018

For More Information - askRick

 

What’s so special about Konvekta?

We have represented Konvekta for nearly eight years now.  In that time, we have designed and delivered over 34 separate projects.  We have supplied Konvekta equipment to a very impressive User Group including key owners like UMass Medical, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard, Dartmouth, Yale, Novartis and Millipore.

In those eight years, there have been some key reasons why owners ask for, and mechanical engineers specify, Konvekta.

What’s so special about Konvekta?

Here is what we know is true.

  • Energy Savings – Konvekta systems achieve 75 to 90% effectiveness.
  • Flexibility – Konvekta systems provide more design flexibility than any other energy recovery device.
  • Safety – Konvekta systems are the safest possible option in any critical exhaust environments.
  • Sole Responsibility – Konvekta supplies the entire package.  They manufacturer their own coils, pump packages and controls.
  • Exceed Code Requirements –  Konvekta systems are the only pumped glycol energy recovery system that will meet the new minimum efficiencies in the revised ASHRAE code.
  • Complete Control Package –  Konvekta provides a complete control package on every project.  The Konvekta control system makes sure system data is recorded, analyzed, and available for factory and customer review.
  • GUARANTEE – Konvekta is the only manufacturer that guarantees Energy Savings.  They monitor the system to make sure that it meets or exceeds the guaranteed energy recovery efficiency.  if the system falls short they guarantee to pay the difference to the owner.

 

 

 

Contact Us to help design your next energy recovery project with Konvekta.

AGronomics IQ’s Evolution Series for Grow Rooms

AGronomic IQ’s best selling unit, the Evolution Series is the ultimate solution for grow rooms.

Designed from the ground up, AGronomic IQ’s Evolution Series provides a highly effective and efficient environment control solution for most grow rooms. We can also provide the air conditioning repair service for this type of unit.

It also comes in a wide range of sizes and options to provide the most space efficient, energy efficient and cost-effective solution possible while delivering the most stable and scalable performance in the industry. There is simply no other system on the market that provides more capacity, value or performance in a smaller footprint!

Redundant, Scalable Performance

The Evolution Series is engineered as two complete systems in one. It’s designed to provide two-stage efficiency with dual circuit reliability and redundancy. When dehumidification loads are low, only one system operates using half the energy. When loads increase, the second circuit kicks in and only runs when necessary, providing not just ideal performance and energy consumption, but also built-in redundancy should anything happen to one of the compressors or fans.

No Refrigerant Risk

Even better, the Agronomic IQ Series is designed to operate using proprietary fluid coolers and glycol as a heat exchange media, which virtually eliminates the high risk of a refrigerant leak killing plants.

Capacity Ranges

  • 45 to 170 lbs/hr moisture removal capacity
  • 3,000 to 16,000 CFM of air handling

Competitive Advantages

  • Dual-circuit, scalable performance to suit every stage of growth with ultra-conservative energy consumption
  • Fully modular system – 2 compressors, 2 supply air fans, 2 cabinets, one package
  • The security and reliability of dual, parallel, staged compressors
  • Provides precise control of the variable humidity requirements for each growing phase
  • Patent-pending design incorporates “Economizer Cooling” to save tens of thousands in electricity costs annually
  • EC blower motor technology for lowest operating costs and sound levels on both the fluid cooler and main AHU
  • Highest quality and efficiency, for dehumidification and cooling performance with fully modulating reheat coil for optimum room temperature control
  • Wide range of auxiliary heating options available
  • Combines compact footprints and premium quality components into 3 physical model sizes from 8 to 45 tons
  • Utilizes proprietary fluid coolers in a sealed system with exceptionally low refrigerant charge, no field refrigeration work and minimal risk of refrigerant leak
  • Includes no cost, 24/7 real-time Internet monitoring via proprietary GrowSentryTMTechnology to ensure peak performance plus remote system access and control for ultimate peace-of-mind and the lowest service costs in the industry
  • Service vestibule outside of the air stream for ease of service and quiet operation
  • Delivers a competitive first cost, followed by extremely low total cost of ownership and an exceptionally long service life

Download AGronomic IQ brochure here.


Please contact us to discuss your climate control grow room applications.

Featured manufacturer:
AGronomics IQ

For More Information - askRick

 

UVM – STEM Complex | Pumped Glycol Energy Recovery System

Project Name: University of Vermont STEM Complex
 Architect: Freeman, French & Freeman, Inc.
Mechanical Engineer: BR + A Consulting Engineers
Mechanical Contractor: VHV Company
Equipment: OA Intake and EA Discharge Plenums
Manufacturer: Konvenkta,
Size: 148,300 CFM
DAC Sales Engineer: Brad Carpenter

Project Overview:

The University of Vermont’s $104 million investment in a new Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Complex, will feature the design and development of state-of-the-art 21st century learning and research facilities, with the goal of attracting and retaining world-class students and faculty.

Sustainable building design standards include a commitment to LEED Silver certification or better, for
the more than 250,000 square feet of new construction and renovation projects. The integration of Konvekta‘s intelligent, highly efficient, energy recovery system into the design of the STEM Complex heating and cooling systems has proven to be a critical element in achievin
g the high efficiency standards necessary for the development of the state-of-the-art STEM facilities.  Read more

The system at the the University of Vermont was supplied by Konvekta and incorporates their glycol heat recovery units WHAT GOES HERE .  The design WRITE MORE HERE

Featured Manufacturer:
Konvekta