» September 30 Is Deadline for Filing for State Home Heating Credit
JACKSON, Mich., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Consumers Energy reminds qualifying residents that September 30 is the deadline to file for a State of Michigan Home Heating Credit. "Qualifying Michigan residents can get help paying their heating bills through a Michigan Home Heating Credit," said

» CertainTeed: ‘Extreme Challenge’ Kit
HVAC insulation distributor salespeople and their contractor customers can obtain a free kit explaining the details of CertainTeed's Extreme Challenge sales incentive program.

» ASHRAE Research: Laboratory Test of Five Non-Chemical Devices Used in Cooling Towers Showed No Effectiveness in Preventing Biological Growth
ASHRAE Research: Laboratory Test of Five Non-Chemical Devices Used in Cooling Towers Showed No Effectiveness in Preventing Biological Growth

April 7, 2010 - ATLANTA ?New research supported by ASHRAE indicates that non-chemical devices (NCD) marketed to control the growth of biological agents, such as Legionella in cooling towers, may not materially reduce biological growth.

Research project No. 1361, Biological Control in Cooling Towers Using Non-Chemical Water Treatment Devices, a two-year project recently completed by Dr. Radisav Vidic at the University of Pittsburgh, evaluated five non-chemical devices using different technologies to control biological activity in a model cooling-tower system. The devices studied included a hydrodynamic cavitation device, pulsed and static electric field devices, an ultra-sonic device and a magnetic device.

In Dr. Vidic?s research, none of the non-chemical devices measurably reduced planktonic or sessile microbial populations in comparison to no-treatment tests and to a conventional chemical microbial control treatment protocol. The findings appear to be inconsistent with previous research by non-chemical device manufacturers and some independent researchers on some of the same devices tested in the ASHRAE study. Those other studies reported measurable degrees of biological control within the parameters of testing conducted.

?These results suggest that equipment operators, building owners and engineers should consider taking more frequent water sample tests for their systems that rely on NCDs for biological control. If the testing shows an issue, one possible measure is to add chemical treatment capability to their system to prevent a potential health hazard from developing until additional research and field testing can resolve this question,? according to Dr. Vidic .

The study results are still subject to final approval by the sponsoring technical committee, TC 3.6 ? Water Treatment. ASHRAE anticipates formal approval and the release of the final report for this project at its 2010 Annual Meeting Conference in June.

» China Recycling Energy Corporation Announces Funding Projects & Executing of Strategic Cooperation with China Cinda Asset Management Co. Ltd.
XI'AN, China, Aug. 23 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- China Recycling Energy Corp. (Nasdaq: CREG or "the Company"), a leading industrial waste-to-energy solution provider in China, in conjunction with China Cinda Assets Management Limited Corporation ("Cinda"), one of the largest state-owned fina

» Aug. 17, 2010: DOE and Department of Defense Announce Energy Efficiency, Renewable Energy Agreement
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» Commodity Weather Group Forecasts a Warmer Winter
BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The Commodity Weather Group, LLC (CWG) released its latest winter 2010-11 outlook for its energy clients this morning, and it tells a notably different story from last winter. The core heating season in the U.S. is forecast to be 29% warmer year-on-year from De

» A.O. Smith Electrical Products Co.: Condenser Fan Motors
The line of 4-in-1® multiple-hp motors has expanded to include 1/2-hp ratings. The line of condenser fan motors now includes three 1/2-hp ratings for the 4-in-1 HeatMaster® motor series for high ambient temperature applications. The motors replace hundreds of 1/2 - 1/5-hp, 208-230 and 460 V, 825 or 1,075 rpm motors.

» Block Engineering Introduces Family of Quantum Cascade Laser Mid-IR Spectrometers
MARLBOROUGH, Mass., Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Block Engineering, a leading developer of mid-infrared spectroscopy sensors, announced today the launch of a family of next-generation, revolutionary spectrometers based on widely tunable quantum cascade lasers (QCLs). Daniel Cavicchio, chairman of Block E