As you may have noticed, this being an election year and all, social media hasn’t exactly built its reputation on things like unwavering reason, humility, and gratitude. So I was pleasantly surprised to see the black and white photo on this page in my newsfeed recently. The image had some text to go with it, along the lines of, “This is Willis Carrier — He invented the air conditioner” across the top, and then across the bottom, “Let us pause and give thanks.”

Not only was the creation equal parts deserved and unexpected in what has become a beast of a summer in some parts, but it had been shared over 13,000 times on the night I saw it. Pretty good for something that doesn’t involve a financial motivation, politics, puppies, or wine. And in a year where it seems like the extremes are grabbing all the headlines at times, it’s good to remember that there’s plenty of genuine appreciation left among the population for moderation — in indoor environments if nowhere else.

COGEN IN THE PRESS

Speaking of surprises in the newsfeed, a headline from Scientific American caught my eye the other day: “The Air Conditioner That Makes Electricity” with a deck of “A new hybrid device could significantly reduce the power required to cool commercial buildings.” Specifically, it was a July 19 entry at Robert Faren’s Plugged In blog (short link: http://bit.ly/2a7huJR).

As you might surmise, it’s an effort to move the cogen concept forward. I won’t get into the details here, in part because this particular product is not due out for a while yet, but the company is Be Power Tech, and its website does host their slides from a presentation at last year’s ASHRAE meeting, for those who keep up with the assorted endeavors in this growing area. It was nice non-trade-press exposure for this industry’s ongoing efforts to innovate.

THE OFFICERS ARE OFFICIAL

Speaking of ASHRAE meetings (the segues just keep on coming!), we’d like to congratulate Timothy Wentz, P.E., Fellow ASHRAE, HBDP, and associate professor at University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He is the newly installed ASHRAE president, and his theme is Adapt Today To Shape Tomorrow.

A look at the remaining slate of officers reveals quite an international flavor for the Society’s leadership, with Denmark, Colorado, Kuwait, Florida, Raleigh, and Hong Kong all represented. Best of luck to all.

THE TES UPSIDE

This issue features a great thermal storage project, and we have more about TES going up online this month as a bonus. “The Top 4 Ways To Capture The Energy And Cost Savings Of Thermal Storage” comes to us from ES feature author Khalil Kairouz, Ph.D., P.E. joined by co-authors Vincent Piolo, CEM, and Albert Rau.

Without giving away the plot, they’ll hit subtopics like utility incentives, rebates, energy usage, and energy demand charges. It’s a well documented effort and anywhere from relevant to extremely relevant depending on your location and circumstances, so drop by the website and search “Kairouz” to turn up this and his past articles. ES