Efficiency - Case Studies

Manchester Underwriting Management Ltd (MUM Ltd), an insurance company occupying the first floor of a commercial office building in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, in the United Kingdom (UK), approached SFE Services to initially assist with installing a new mechanical ventilation system. Their goal was to improve the well-being and safety of staff, prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The client also advised that they had an old ceiling cassette air conditioning system, which was no longer working in t...

Located in Worcester Massachusetts, Doherty Memorial High School is typical of many schools designed in the 1960’s. With two classroom wings joined together by hallways and anchored by an auditorium and gymnasium, the red brick school is home to approximately 1500 students. After 40 years, the school needed to replace the original hot water boilers and unit ventilators serving the upper and lower classroom wings. To design their new heating and ventilating system, the school enlisted the...

Working alongside Sunflag Iron and Steel Company Ltd. in Bhandara, India, global technology company ABB has achieved successful integration of its ABB Ability™ Data Analytics Platform for metals, tying together all manufacturing and operational data of steel melt shop and rolling mills to improve production planning and plant performance optimization. The plant, which has a capacity to produce 500,000 metric tons of high-quality special steel per annum, now has the platform to integrate...

A mass spectrometer is an analytical device that detects, identifies, and measures the quantity of the molecules of a vaporized substance. It measures the molecules by first separating the ions based on their mass-to-charge ratio of charged particles in an electric and magnetic field. Ion separation To achieve ion separation, a heating element is utilized to vaporize a sample of the substance being tested. The sample is vaporized inside an extreme vacuum chamber. The vapors are then bombarded...

The mining industry uses a variety of corrosive chemicals in the extraction process of minerals such as gold, silver, platinum and other valuable raw materials. In the extraction of gold, for example, chemicals that are used in the process (ie., sodium hydroxide and sodium cyanide),  require to be constantly heated at certain temperatures in large containers (up to 50,000 gallons). Replaceable heating elements These temperatures also require precise controls in order to maintain their con...

Houston Methodist Hospital, a world-class hospital, and medical research institution require a constant, reliable, and affordable energy supply to meet its critical needs. That became even more obvious to administrators at Houston Methodist Hospital after Hurricane Katrina and other major storms from the following years. The hospital required the ability to create its own energy to maintain operations during the blackouts that can occur with major storms that regularly slam into the Texas gulf c...

Amid the sprawling cornfields of northern Iowa, the community of Fort Dodge is often subjected to brutal winters; low temperatures can easily dip below zero for days at a time. Yet, even in the midst of an arctic blast, some indoor environments require cooling. Such is the case at the Friendship Haven senior care community, where the server room in one of its buildings calls for cooling every day, year-round. Challenges Year-round cooling was a situation that, at one point, posed a significant...

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. was founded in 1980 in Chico, California, near the majestic mountain range that inspired its name. Since its inception, the progressive, resourceful brewery, known for creating some of the country’s finest craft beers, has been passionate about sustainability and consciously mindful of its environmental footprint. Challenges The brewery's old system was comprised of constant-speed, four-screw, and three-scroll chillers. Installed at various times, the equipment...

After numerous water leaks, compressor failures, and damper control problems, it was time for South High Community School in Worcester, Massachusetts to replace their 30 year old HVAC rooftop units. Not only had the units outlasted their expected mechanical life, but the ability to deliver fresh outdoor air and maintain comfortable heating and cooling conditions became increasingly difficult and expensive. To specify a state-of-the-art replacement HVAC roof-top system, the energy and environmen...

With help from celebrity investors like Dan Aykroyd and Aerosmith, House of Blues has been an iconic franchise in live music since 1992. The popular Boston location that opened in 2009 next to Fenway Park is a prime spot for concerts and private events. A packed schedule that leaves little downtime for the repair of the club’s HVAC equipment means that reliability and ease of maintenance are extremely important factors when making purchasing decisions. In 2016, energy recovery wheels in t...

The YMCA Association of Greater Rochester, New York, is one of the oldest associations in the United States. They currently have fifteen thriving locations built over the last century that range in size from 50,000 to more than 70,000 square feet. While the size and age of the facilities vary, high standards for energy efficiency and indoor air quality (IAQ) are key objectives in the design, construction, and operation of these buildings. "Good indoor air quality is very important" notes Eastsi...

Ductless and VRF manufacturer, Samsung HVAC, headquartered in Roanoke, Texas, has collaborated with the developers of The Metroport Chamber located in downtown Roanoke to provide individual zone control, energy efficiency, and innovative indoor units to a brand-new office building in an up-and-coming area. Designed as a member-focused building, the new Roanoke location offers co-working space, lease space, and conference room availability for the Chamber’s membership and staff. The new of...

The underfloor system at the prominently positioned Mayfair offices was originally installed in the year 2000 for Japanese construction company Teisei and has proved to be an adaptable services solution for the building over the past 18 years. The system at Hanover Street is the CAM-C system with underfloor supply air and underfloor return air. Each floor is effectively one zone, with a single CAM downflow unit supplying conditioned air to the underfloor plenum. Access flooring system This co...

Honeywell announces that global natural and organic foods retailer Whole Foods Market has adopted its Solstice® N40 (R-448A) lower Global-Warming-Potential (GWP) refrigerant in its stores across the United States as it seeks to reduce refrigerant emissions under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s GreenChill program. Whole Foods Market will retrofit their commercial refrigeration systems at more than 100 stores with Honeywell’s reduced-GWP alternative, replacing high-glob...

Aggreko, the global pioneer in mobile and modular energy solutions, has delivered a smart battery storage system to Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The solution will expand high-power charging for electric vehicles (EVs) at the organization’s Smart Energy Plaza near Chicago, Illinois, USA. With this net-zero battery storage system, Aggreko is helping ANL to demonstrate EV grid integration efforts that leverage smart management of stored energy systems with co-located EV fast charging a...

Aggreko, the foremost global supplier of mobile and modular power, temperature control, and energy services, has installed a new Combined Heat and Power (CHP) solution at the CET Arad Power Plant, Romania. The solution will help to increase efficiency and stability at the plant, a key provider of hot water and electricity for the district heating scheme and grid at the regional capital Arad City, for the next four years. Challenges Aggreko’s skilled team of engineers had to contend with...

Care UK has selected a Remeha Combined Heat and Power (CHP) system as the most efficient and economical solution to meet the heating and hot water requirements at its BREEAM-accredited Chester care home. Luxury and quality care are the watchwords at Deewater Grange, which opened in February 2020 to provide an extensive range of care services for up to 58 older residents. The hotel-style surroundings include a café, hair salon, and cinema, while each of the bedrooms boasts its en-suite we...

Teknotherm is excited to announce that they have been awarded the contract to finalize the HVAC systems for RoPax ferry HONFLEUR. Back in 2017 Brittany Ferries ordered HONFLEUR at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellshaft (FSG) Shipyard in Germany. However, when FSG Shipyard went bankrupt in 2019, its Norwegian owner Siem Group signed a contract with Fosen Yard in Norway to complete the project. Supplying HVAC systems HONFLEUR – now named newbuilding 93 – was designed to become a 187.4 m...

Drury Southwest is a Missouri-based, family owned and operated hotel system with more than 130 hotels in 21 states. Founded in 1973, the Drury brands include Drury Inn & Suites®, Drury Inn®, Drury Plaza Hotel®, Drury Suites®, Pear Tree Inn by Drury®, and other brands. The company’s focus on exceptional customer service, spotless rooms, and best-in-class value earned the company a JD Power and Associates ranking of ‘Highest in Guest Satisfaction’ award fr...

Blalock Heating & Air, along with Johnstone Supply, Fujitsu and The Nixon Group, teamed up on a project at Speedway Ford in Griffin, Georgia, United States of America (USA). The team consisted of: Blalock Heating and Air – Justin Bishop, Johnstone Supply – Ty Rath, Fujitsu – Shawn Hill, The Nixon Group – Seth Nixon. Speedway Ford Speedway Ford has been a long time customer of Blalock Heating & Air Speedway Ford has been a long time customer of Blalock...

To ensure swift and reliable maintenance and repair services, KKT chillers runs a close-knit global service network, and Adcock is KKT Chillers’ only UK service provider for the maintenance and repair of all their equipment. Thanks to this status Adcock was recently awarded a maintenance contract to look after climate control equipment at GAP Ice Ltd and was called to assist with emergency breakdown soon after. Standard packaged chillers The customer reported that one of their KKT chill...

A large manufacturer of steel cables from Detroit, Michigan contacted Wattco with a problem that the cables they manufactured were corroding in their warehouse and needed a solution to prevent this from happening. Steel products that often sat in inventory for long periods of time were more prone to corrosion. Traditionally, light lubricating oil was used to coat the cables, preventing rust from settling in. The cables were exposed to a steam heating tank, containing light oil at ninety-five de...

Carrier Commercial Refrigeration won orders in different countries in Europe to supply warehouse refrigeration systems for critical COVID-19 vaccine cold storage. While details of the projects are not being disclosed, Carrier Commercial Refrigeration is providing the critical temperature control components for a safe, effective cold chain thanks to its turnkey capability. Carrier Commercial Refrigeration is a part of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), the leading global provider of healt...

Carrier Commercial Service secured a three-year service agreement with Jefferson Regional Medical Center (JRMC) in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Under the BluEdge™ Elite service agreement, Carrier will maintain more than 100 heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) assets totaling 2,500 tons of cooling, as well as the hospital’s Carrier i-Vu® Building Automation System. Carrier is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the pioneering global provider of healthy, safe and sustain...

Like most North American cannabis industry grow-ops, Real Leaf Solutions (RLS), based in Kalkaska, Michigan, USA, is still refining its growing methods, but the two-year-old company may have finally found a state-of-the-art HVAC design that will help it reach optimum yields shortly. HVAC retrofit Tom Beller, RLS’ Co-Owner and Chief Operations Officer (COO), believes his latest HVAC retrofit for two 1,500-square flowering rooms is a major step toward optimum harvest goals. It consists of...

Aggreko has signed a seven-year contract with Brazilian energy company - EVA Energia for a 10 MW renewable power solution using landfill gas. The world’s renowned provider of mobile and modular power solutions will deliver a complete system, producing power from biogas derived from two locations: Seropédica (Rio de Janeiro State), the largest landfill site in Latin America, and Mauá (São Paulo State). Delivering cleaner energy Aggreko will provide a flexible, fast a...

Hawkes Place is a property like no other. Situated in Sevenoaks, Kent, one homeowner has created a truly unique building where every room is connected through home automation devices. Designed and built by Tony Gotts as a personal project, the three-bedroom, one-storey property was the first smart home he had built. The unique design sees each room completely curved, with no square corners in sight. With the entire house automated, including audio, lighting, heating, blinds, and front door acce...

An advanced gas-cooled nuclear energy consortium contacted Wattco to help them with their research and development team. The requirement is an industrial heater to heat up Carbon Dioxide (CO2). The gas is for use as a cooling agent with graphite- a neutron moderator – in their nuclear reactor. The nuclear reactor was developed for high gas temperatures for efficiency and additional testing was required to measure heat output as well as additional factors such as pressure drops and its rel...

AET Flexible Space has completed a Cat-B fit-out of underfloor air conditioning equipment on the second floor of 8 Waterloo Place for the new incoming tenant, a leading wealth management company. The Edwardian building with a grade II listed Portland Stone façade was fully refurbished in 2008, creating 3,000 sq. m of prime office space in the St James’ area of London, with the second floor becoming the first space to be occupied. CAM-C direct expansion system The system at 8 Wate...

It would be great if there was always a clear-cut sign to show that one needs something like furnace repair in Loveland, CO, wouldn’t it? Well, there actually are quite a few such signs, but they may not be quite as clear as one would like. The clearest need for furnace repair would probably be a completely broken down furnace, right? Well, sure—but obviously one doesn’t want to wait for the furnace to break down entirely before they have it repaired! That’s wh...