» News: Counterfeit R22 and R134a refrigerant puts engineers at risk says DuPont
DUPONT Refrigerants has expressed anger over the existence of potentially harmful counterfeits of R22 and R134a refrigerants in the Middle East and has set up a taskforce to help local authorities police the problem. ...

» Feb. 3, 2010: MCAA Adds New Speakers for 2010 Convention
Click here for full story

» Helix ESG Announces Joint Venture With Clough Limited for Subsea Services in the Asia Pacific Region
HOUSTON, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Helix Energy Solutions Group (NYSE: HLX) announces the formation of a joint venture with Australian based engineering and construction company Clough Limited, to provide a range of subsea services to offshore operators in the Asia Pacific region. Services pr

» Exhausto Inc.: In-Line Draft Inducers
Patent-pending in-line draft inducer, the IPVB power venter, is a line of true inline fans, says the company. It can be installed in a vertical or horizontal stack section. They are available in four sizes with capacities up to almost 6,000 cfm. The inducers can be installed indoors as well as outdoors.

» T3 Series Electric Vehicles by T3 Motion Featured as 'Green Police' in Super Bowl XLIV Audi A3 TDI(R) Commercial
COSTA MESA, Calif., Feb. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- T3 Motion, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: TMMM) received worldwide exposure for its iconic clean-energy T3 Series Electric Stand-up Vehicle (ESV) in last night's Super Bowl XLIV broadcast.  Four of the vehicles were featured in a 60-second commerc

» If You Can't Stand the Heat ... Manage the Humidity: ASHRAE Heads to Florida for 2010 Winter Conference
If You Can't Stand the Heat ... Manage the Humidity: ASHRAE Heads to Florida for 2010 Winter Conference

ASHRAE ?10

ATLANTA? ?It?s not the heat, it?s the humidity,? is often used to explain the less-than-comfortable temperatures in Florida. With that in mind, there seems to be no better place to discuss this winter?s conference theme: Building Sustainability from the Inside Out. Whenever the temperatures outside are too hot or humid to handle, ASHRAE ensures that indoor environments are comfortable and, most important, sustainable.

ASHRAE?s 2010 Winter Conference will be held in Orlando, Fla., from Jan. 23-27, at the Rosen Shingle Creek hotel. The International Air-Conditioning, Heating, Refrigerating Expo, held in conjunction with the Conference, will run Jan. 25-27 . The Expo will take place at the Orange County Convention Center, a short distance from the Conference headquarters hotel.

The technical program will feature more than 90 programs and 300 speakers addressing challenges and solutions to such industry issues as key ASHRAE standards? impact, humidity control applications, sustainable buildings? performance, energy conservation and alternative energy practices and professional skills improvement. The complete technical program will be posted online Sept. 30 at www.ashrae.org/orlando.

In keeping with ASHRAE?s goal of continuing education the Conference offers over 200 Professional Development Credits, as well as Continuing Education Units, which can be applied toward a Professional Engineering license.

Full-day Professional Development Seminars will include the new Energy Management in New and Existing Buildings: A Sustainable Activity, as well asComplying with Standard 62.1-2007, Complying with Standard 90.1-2007, The Commissioning Process in New and Existing Buildings and Data Center Energy Efficiency. An additional 17 Half-day Short Courses are also being offered, including the new District Heating & Cooling Systems and Basics of Cleanroom Design courses.

The Conference will also serve as the launch of ASHRAE?s newest certification program, the Building Energy Modeling Professional certification. For information on the four other certifications offered by ASHRAE visit www.ashrae.org/certification.

This winter?s technical tours will spotlight how technology developed by ASHRAE members is practically applied in buildings and includes Darden Restaurants? new headquarters, the University of Central Florida?s Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, the Climate Change Education Center at the Orange County Convention Center and the Florida Solar Energy Center.

When members are not attending courses at the Conference, observing the technological advancements featured at the AHR Expo or touring the local sustainable buildings, they are encouraged to explore popular Orlando destinations, such as the Kennedy Space Center, by taking a general tour or dominate the competition at the Wii Tourney being held as part of Members? Night Out.

Those who take advantage of the early-bird registration before Oct. 31 have the opportunity to save up to $180. Complete information is available at www.ashrae.org/orlando.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.

» Role of HVAC&R Systems in Infectious Disease Transmission Addressed by ASHRAE
Role of HVAC&R Systems in Infectious Disease Transmission Addressed by ASHRAE

ATLANTA ? As health and school officials deal with a second wave of the H1N1 virus, commonly referred to as swine flu, new information is available on health consequences of exposure to such airborne infectious diseases and the implications on the design, installation and operation of HVAC&R systems.

?While the long-standing public health view is that influenza transmission occurs through direct contact or large droplets, newer data suggests it also occurs through the airborne route, meaning HVAC&R systems may contribute far more to transmission of the disease and, potentially, to reduction of that same transmission risk,? said Gordon Holness, president of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineering (ASHRAE) that developed the guidance.

ASHRAE?s Airborne Infectious Diseases Position Document addresses the impact of ventilation on disease transmission, the disease for which ventilation is important for either transmission or control and the control strategies that are available for implementation in buildings. The paper can be read at www.ashrae.org/positiondocuments.

Since the first reported case in the spring of 2009, the H1N1 virus has spread to nearly 170 countries, resulting in 1,154 deaths and some 160,000 illnesses. With a better understanding of ventilation?s effect on the transmission of disease, future incidents of the H1N1 virus may now be easier to prevent, according to Holness. He said several technical solutions are available to assist in avoiding transmission. These include: dilution ventilation, airflow strategies, room pressurization, personalized ventilation, source control, filtration and ultraviolet germicidal irradiation.

Airborne transmission through building ventilation systems can be significantly reduced by provision of adequate air filtration and pressurization, Holness said. ASHRAE?s other guidance of relevance includes Standard 170, Ventilation of Health Care Facilities, and Standard 161, Air Quality Within Commercial Aircraft.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is an international organization of some 50,000 persons. ASHRAE fulfills its mission of advancing heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education.

» Lennox International Reports Fourth Quarter Results
DALLAS, Feb. 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Lennox International Inc. (NYSE: LII) today reported fourth quarter and full year 2009 results. For the fourth quarter, revenue was $733 million, down 1% from the prior year, including a 5 point positive impact from foreign exchange. Segment profit margin was