Honeywell announced a facility infrastructure modernization project at 21 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)-operated facilities across the U.S. The project will create 95 related jobs over the course of the program and is expected to help the FAA reduce the energy use in those facilities by nearly 10 percent.
Secretary of Energy Rick Perry took part in a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of Petra Nova, the world’s largest post-combustion carbon capture project, which was completed on schedule and on budget. The large-scale demonstration project, located at the W.A. Parish power plant in Thompsons, Texas, is a joint venture between NRG Energy (NRG) and JX Nippon Oil & Gas Exploration Corporation (JX).
On March 21, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued Federal Register notices announcing further delays in the effective date of the final rules on test procedures for walk-in coolers and freezers and for residential central air conditioners and heat pumps.
The Hydraulic Institute (HI) announced that Taco Comfort Solutions’ pump test laboratory in Cranston, Rhode Island, recently received approval through HI’s Pump Test Lab Approval Program.
There are over 5.6 million commercial buildings in the U.S., comprising 87 billion square feet of floor space. Air moving, heating, and cooling systems account for the largest amount of electricity used in these buildings. The industry has made intensive efforts to improve the efficiency and productivity of motors and driven equipment. However, the belt drive connecting these components is critical to achieving maximum efficiencies. Two simple solutions for improved HVAC system performance are the use of energy efficient belts and proper drive installation.
— National business groups representing the range and breadth of clean energy companies in the U.S. cheered government statistics showing their industries support more than 3 million American jobs — equal to the employment of retail stores across the country and twice as many jobs as involved in construction of buildings. This is based on 2016 data recently released by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in its second annual“U.S. Energy and Employment Report.”
On Jan. 6, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) published concurrent and identical proposed and direct final rules amending energy conservation standards for consumer central air conditioners and heat pumps.
White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus, issued a memorandum declaring a government-wide freeze on new or pending regulations. The HVAC industry has generally reacted positively to this news, feeling that this freeze gives HVAC organizations more time to explain to the administration why these regulations should not be published.