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For contractors working to improve the HVAC functionality in Class A buildings, there has never been a time with more opportunity for upgrades, retrofits, and innovative equipment replacement.

Gas appliances are divided into four venting categories based on vent operating pressure and whether they are condensing or non-condensing. Category I is negative pressure, non-condensing. Category II is negative pressure, condensing. Category III is positive pressure, non-condensing. Category IV is positive pressure, condensing.

One thing is certain in small- to mid-sized businesses today: the need for sales force automation is top of mind. Too many small- to mid-sized companies — HVAC contractors, specifically — are facing the challenge of implementing streamlined, sales-friendly software to aid customer relationships.

A supercomputer created by Hewlett-Packard (HP) and the U.S Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) that uses warm water to cool its servers, and then re-uses that water to heat its building, has been honored as one of the top technological innovations of the year by R&D Magazine.

Over time, HVAC systems can become inefficient. Energy logging at the biggest loads can help identify wasted energy and potential savings. Most HVAC professionals understand that energy is wasted by inefficient systems or by operating non-critical loads at peak utility rate periods.

It is an alarming fact that many building energy management systems (BEMS) have either never been serviced or have received little or no maintenance in years. To enable users of its systems to address this potentially costly problem, a comprehensive BEMS audit should be carried out.

While workers performing electric arc welding are subject to hazards related to the inhalation of toxic fumes, eye hazards, burns or fires, the most potentially perilous hazard they face is electrical shock, which can result in electrocution and other horrific physiological problems.

This multiple-part article series will discuss the basics, codes and standards, and the science behind chimneys. It will show how back drafting affects chimney performance, while explaining the principles of positive pressure. It will explain how to create and use positive pressure so chimneys will draft for safety and performance.

A growing number of household and building operations can be managed via the Internet. Today’s smart homes and smart buildings promise convenient, efficient building management. But often these systems are not secure. Scientists are working on a software product that defends against hacker attacks before they reach the building.

Thirty-nine percent of the total energy used in a building is wasted. But 84 percent of a building’s total energy consumption could be efficiently controlled through an effective building energy management system (BEMS).