Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) News & Trends

Panasonic has introduced Voice Control with the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa interfaces, to its air conditioning portfolio. Panasonic’s solutions that are compatible with the Comfort Cloud app, including all its domestic air-conditioners and PACi systems, can now be voice-activated to provide simple and convenient control. Voice activation control This new functionality offers a wide variety of benefits for both the commercial and residential markets. For example, homeowners who are...

Reliable Controls® announced a new partnership with IR-TEC®. The IR-TEC product line consists of Passive Infrared (PIR), High Frequency Doppler (HFD) and Ambient Light Sensors (ALS) among others. These sensors are combined to make up a variety of ceiling and wall mount occupancy sensors, light sensors, and wall switching/sensing stations. IR-TEC offers products that are complementary to Reliable Control’s lighting controls line and will assist dealers to complete their lighting con...

The Big Ass Fans family continues to grow. The company announces Fontanesi & Kann Company as the distributor of Big Ass Fans products for the design and new construction market in Michigan and Northwest Ohio. Fontanesi & Kann started as an air distribution company in 1957 and has evolved into an award-winning company built on success by combining more than 50 engineers, electrical contractors, designers, programmers, and sales representatives. Solutions for comfortable customer spaces...

ECR International has announced the release of a new video technical support tool to assist contractors in the field. This powerful new tool, called Rescue Lens, will enable ECR Technical Support advisors to see in real time exactly what the technician is seeing on the job site. ECR Rescue Lens The only requirement for the dealer is to have a smartphone with internet access either over cellular data or Wi-Fi Occasionally, a technical issue comes along that isn’t identified immediately....

Coastal Pacific Xpress (CPx) has been partnering with its customers and continually looking for ways to improve its offerings for more than 30 years. Specializing in meeting stringent just-in-time requirements, CPx provides flexible and tailored solutions that encompass truckload and less-than-truckload services, as well as the warehouse and distribution capacities needed for companies throughout North America. Assisting the Canadian-based company to provide even greater service value to custom...

Good news for building owners, engineers/architects, and HVAC contractors who can now save energy, construction costs, and space in commercial facilities with this approved code addition. Doorway air curtains were approved as alternatives to vestibules on most commercial building entries in the upcoming ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2019 Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low Rise Residential Buildings. The professional association’s approved addition requires that the air curtain performance b...

Around the world, people are flocking from rural areas to cities. By 2050, there will be more than six billion people living in megacities, twice as many as now. Over the same period, the volume of urban traffic is set to increase threefold, not least because the continuing boom in online commerce will feed further growth in delivery traffic. A denser population and more traffic mean deteriorating air quality. Across the globe, from Paris to Shanghai, major cities face an enormous challenge, wh...

LIXIL Americas, pioneer of water and housing products that solve day-to-day, real-life challenges, have announced two new positions that will drive brand-led growth and market share gains. Effective immediately, Gene Barbato has been named the new vice president of brand management for American Standard and Matthew Farwell has been selected as vice president of brand management for DXV and GROHE for LIXIL Americas. American Standard, DXV and GROHE brands Both Barbato and Farwell are leading th...

Air conditioning and commercial refrigeration major, Blue Star Limited, has won a prestigious air conditioning and tunnel ventilation system order valued at Rs.253 crores from Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL). AC, tunnel ventilation and environmental control system The scope of this order includes design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the air conditioning, tunnel ventilation and environmental control system for nine underground stations and associated tunn...

“Evaporative cooling, direct, indirect, and two-stage solutions, are being used across the board in a wide variety of commercial and industrial solutions,” said Randy Niederer, Director of Marketing, Cambridge Engineering Inc. “It is currently experiencing a renaissance, as large manufacturing and distribution facilities are choosing this technology to provide cooling relief for employees.” This renaissance, along with several new technology factors, creates a backdrop f...

The European F-gas Directive is all about the restriction of fluorinated greenhouse gases, which includes hydro-fluorocarbons (HFCs), commonly used as refrigerants for air conditioning. This is a regulation that has been adopted by the European Union to phase-down the usage of refrigerants, which have a high Global Warming Potential (GWP). Since the most common refrigerants used (e.g. R410A, R134a), by individuals and industry wide, are affected by this regulation, there has been a drive lately...

PCI Membranes, globally-renowned provider of custom crossflow membrane filtration systems, has completed the strategic acquisition of Pentair’s X-Flow Classic Membrane. X-Flow Classic Membrane PCI Membranes will now be the exclusive provider of this technology, expanding its already unique offering of process and separation solutions. PCI Membranes and Pentair closed the product line acquisition deal, which includes hand over of existing assets and customers, earlier this spring. This a...

The data center industry’s rapid expansion in recent years is well documented and shows no sign of abating. A recent report suggests that by 2025, data centers will consume one-fifth of all the electricity in the world. Stats like this have served to bring the sector under the spotlight and it has come under increasing pressure in recent years to reduce its carbon footprint and operate more efficiently. Primary Source Cooling The primary source of energy consumption in most data centers...

More than 60 women business leaders from companies like Toyota, Procter & Gamble, BASF and ALCOA will convene at GE Appliances, a Haier company, in Louisville to discuss efforts to attract, engage and retain women in manufacturing during the Women in Manufacturing (WiM) Summer Leadership Conference July 22-23. “We’re excited to have WiM in Louisville this summer,” said Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, Chief of Louisville Forward and a conference featured panelist. “GE Applianc...

DENSO Corporation, the world’s second-largest mobility supplier, celebrated the grand opening of its Seattle Innovation Lab, which will strengthen the company’s development of connected technologies and advance its Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform. software-based solutions The lab supports DENSO’s recent expansion into software-based solutions to complement its hardware expertise, bolsters its North American R&D strategy, and helps actualize its long-term plan aimed...

Reliable Controls Corporation is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Thomas Leslie Zaban, P.Eng, LEED Green Associate, to the office of President for the headquarters and worldwide operations of the company. Mr. Roland Laird, founder of Reliable Controls, will be retiring at the end of 2019. Mr. Laird founded the company in 1986 and has remained active in leadership and technical roles. He leaves the company in a position of strength, fulfilling his vision to earn the reputation of havin...

Depending on where one lives, summer’s energy bills can be as brutal as the temperature outdoors. Here are some simple things one can do to reduce their cooling costs: Close the shades and drapes. Keeping the sun out can reduce the temperature inside the home by several degrees. Use the unit’s fan settings wisely. When it’s humid, keep the unit’s fan running, even if the air conditioner is off. It will circulate the air and keep the surroundings more comfortable. Ceil...

General Filter announces that they will participate in MCE Expocomfort 2016. They look forward to welcome visitors to their ‘green space’ (Pavillon 13, booth C20) inspired by their sustainable philosophy. A great opportunity to ‘touch and feel’ General Filter’s comprehensive assortment of filters, ranging from an efficiency class G2 up to U15, accessories and systems for filtration, included the latest Energy Saving line, that maximizes efficiency, and Nanowave, th...

General Filters Inc. has announced launching NanoWave, a new line of filter pockets in synthetic nano fibers that substantially improve the technical performance of the classic fiberglass products. In recent years, the development of nanotechnology has achieved remarkable results in many industrial applications – such as the chemical, pharmaceutical, electronics, medicine, construction, sport sectors – and they are now also used to enhance the performance of synthetic filters. Grow...

Reliable Controls has become the first manufacturing-based and software/hardware-related organization certified as an Accredited Employer as part of Engineers and Geoscientists BC’s Member-in-Training (MIT) Program. As an Accredited Employer, Reliable Controls is now able provide their engineers-in-training (EITs) with a training program that facilitates an expedited pathway to professional engineer (P.Eng.) designation. To achieve accreditation, Reliable Controls, in collaboration with E...

Greenheck, a globally renowned company in manufacturing and distributing air movement, conditioning and control equipment, has announced the release of heavy duty, rectangular industrial isolation control damper, Model HCD-221, incorporates the square-blade design found on Greenheck’s bubble tight damper. Model HCD-221 isolation control damper The square-blade design enables the damper to provide shutoff with very low leakage in HVACHCD-221 or industrial process control systems. With a f...

The AHR Expo (International Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigerating Exposition) announces its call for entries for the 2020 Innovation Awards Competition. The annual competition honors the most innovative and original products, systems and technologies showcased at each year’s AHR Expo. Exhibitors are encouraged to submit new or upgraded products for consideration through August 6, 2019. 2020 Innovation Awards Competition The Innovation Awards debuted in 2003 to highlight the HVACR...

ASHRAE installed its 2019-2020 presidents, executive committee officers and directors during its 2019 ASHRAE Annual Conference, June 22-26, in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. ASHRAE’s 2019-20 president is Darryl K. Boyce, P.Eng., Fellow Life Member ASHRAE. During his inaugural presidential address, Boyce announced that the new Society theme will be ‘Building for People & Performance - Achieving Operational Excellence’. The theme focuses on overcoming the challenges associated...

The Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) announced that it has submitted comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), in opposition to a fourth round of Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports. Section 301 tariffs on Chinese imports The comments, which were in response to a May 17 Federal Register notice, echoed AHRI’s previous opposing comments (Round 1, Round 2, Round 3), re-emphasizing that the tariffs limit member company access to...

ASHRAE has announced a call for papers for the IAQ (Indoor Air Quality) 2020 conference, September 14 - 16, 2020, in Athens, Greece. Organized by ASHRAE and the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC), the theme of the conference, ‘Indoor Environmental Quality Performance Approaches’, focuses on the metrics, systems, sensors and norms necessary to implement performance approaches. Indoor Air Quality “Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has been the core of ASHRAE’S IAQ ser...

DENSO, the world’s second-largest mobility supplier, has partnered with Honeywell, a Fortune 100 company and aerospace manufacturer, to develop hybrid-electric and fully-electric propulsion systems for urban air mobility. By converging their automotive and aerospace expertises, DENSO and Honeywell seek to create propulsion systems that make air travel cleaner, quieter, more efficient and easier to maintain. Air mobility vehicles Urban air mobility is intended to provide more efficient m...

ASHRAE is pleased to announce exciting details regarding its new global headquarters, located at 180 Technology Parkway, Peachtree Corners, Georgia. A new web presence will provide updates on the design and renovation of ASHRAE’s net-zero energy-efficient headquarters building just 10 miles north of its current location. Comfort And Indoor Air Quality Standards “We are excited to share up-to-date progress on our new ASHRAE global headquarters,” said 2018-2019 ASHRAE President...

With over 50 years as a Burger King franchisee, Bennett Management Corporation has a long list of industry-changing firsts, like introducing the drive-thru concept to Burger King corporate. With a motto of, ‘People Pleasing People’, the family owned and operated franchisee with 25 restaurants and over 1,000 employees in the US States of Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, prides itself on being an ‘amazing and inventive company’ with a people and community focus. Mark Peterson,...

AAON, Inc., announced that its Board of Directors has declared its next regular semi-annual cash dividend. The next cash dividend will be payable on July 1, 2019, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on June 3, 2019. Norman H. Asbjornson, CEO, stated, “We continually work to create meaningful value for stockholders and are pleased our strong capital position allows us to do so through our cash dividend.”

The Big Ass Fans family continues to grow with the announcement of Haldeman Inc. as the distributor of Big Ass Fans products, the design and build construction market in Southern California, USA. HVAC products distribution Since 1933, Haldeman Inc. has provided industry-renowned HVAC products to the best engineers and architects on the West Coast. With 40 premium vendors, Haldeman is a one-stop shop for everything a project, large or small, may need. “Haldeman has the experience and kno...