We work with clients to apply market-driven and proven approaches, such as high-performance HVAC design, building commissioning, and measurement & verification, to ensure that our buildings perform optimally and reliably for years.
How to Improve MEP Subcontractor Bids
Here are some tips for helping owners hire qualified MEP contractors that can build their projects on time and on budget.
How to Future-Proof your New Building (for Owners, Designers, & Contractors)
A lot can happen to a building over time—technologies change, space usage changes, even the climate can change. The goal is to build resilient buildings that can easily adapt to these changes over time.
How Well Does an ACCA Manual J Load Calculation Predict my Own Home’s Performance?
I have found Manual J to be fairly conservative in estimating cooling loads both in my own house and in other residential projects I’ve completed, which is in line with many studies that show Manual J to slightly oversize equipment on average.
How to Increase Ventilation for Reduced Viral (COVID-19) Transmission
Increased ventilation is part of an overall HVAC strategy of mitigating COVID-19 transmission. This article gives practical examples of how to safely increase building ventilation.
Updated ASHRAE guidance on Infectious Aerosols
Suggestions on building operation to minimize virus transmission.
Four Burning Questions about Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization, Answered
Should you add needlepoint bipolar ionization to your HVAC design toolbox?
Critical Zone Reset – Dealing with Rogue Zones
For most modern variable-air-volume systems (VAV), codes and best practice now mandate critical zone reset, such as static pressure reset (fan pressure optimization), primary supply air temperature (SAT) reset, or both. Critical zone reset strategies can save significant fan energy and reduce the need for reheat, but should have an easy and effective method in place for dealing with “rogue zones”.
Seven Ways to Improve your Commissioning Functional Performance Testing
Functional performance testing (FPT) is the bread and butter of the commissioning process. These tests serve as a final check of building systems to make sure they meet the owner’s needs.
Here we discuss some ways we have found to make our functional performance testing more effective.