Posts Tagged ‘contractor’
Florida’s New Energy Code
Well, the 2010 Florida Building Code becomes active this March. Here is a look at the energy conservation requirements as they relate to architects. This first blog will address the Residential Code, the second will address the Energy Code for Commercial Buildings, the third blog will feature suggested drawing notes architectural drawings regarding the residential energy code, and last but not least, the fourth blog will include suggested drawing notes for commercial buildings. You can access the new Florida Energy Code at: www.ecodes.biz/ecodes_support/free_resources/2010Florida/Energy/10FL_Energy.html The general intent of the new code is to require Florida residential buildings to be 20% more energy efficient than previous dwellings. I suspect future codes will push for even more energy efficient homes from here on out until we can’t possibly offer better buildings (zero energy buildings are actually getting built in the US now and technology will likely make such things more affordable in the coming years). Once again, air handlers are not allowed in attics (402.1.2.2). If you look at the definition of attic, spray foam ” attics” are not counted as attics since they are within the air barrier and thermal barrier of the building. While there are exceptions, the basics ...
Questionaire for architects, contractors, and building owners
1. How many engineers have you hired? 2. What influenced your decision to hire them? 3. How do you feel about engineers? 4. Are there any services you wish engineers offered? 5. Are you a building owner? 6. Are you an architect? 7. Are you a contractor? Thank you for participating in this survey. This survey has been a worthwhile experience so far. I was fascinated how the survey results I have gotten so far were different that I would have guessed.
Reasons to let an engineer select your geothermal pump
I have seen well pumps get selected for geothermal for some pretty strange reasons. On one occasion, the well driller reportedly insisted that he had ample commercial well experience to select the pump. The commercial experience he was referring to turned out to be agriculture. The geothermal heating/cooling system did not work right. Sometimes well pumps get selected because the same exact pump got used successfully on another project. It would be a coincidence if the same pump conditions existed on two different projects. Since flow measurement is not always provided for on systems that aren't engineered, it is difficult to say if "working right" means doing the job without wasting energy. Once an owner asked me to use a pump he found on the internet and liked. The pump wasn't capable of sucking water high enough out of the ground to work in the Florida aquifer application. The owner reported that the well flowed artesian so it didn't matter. Conferring with the well driller confirmed that the artesian effect of the well was only seasonal. This meant the pump would only be able to draw water out of the well during rainy season. Well pumps are the heart of the system. Oversizing ...
Why hire an engineering consultant?
Lawyers, and doctors advertise to the general public. In turn people learn more about them as professions. For some reason, consulting engineers remain obscure in society. So here is my own advertisement for our profession: Engineers solve specific problems for people by combining science, business, and economics. Dictionaries don't even know this. Many college graduates with engineering degrees are left to figure this out for themselves. Now you know it! Building engineers work with architects and contractors in order to help create the environments that life takes place in. As much as people love the outdoors; most of life takes place indoors. Children are conceived indoors (for the most part), children are born indoors, children are schooled indoors, we eat and sleep indoors, etc, etc. You are probably indoors right now reading this. So, creating the environment that life takes place in is a pretty big deal. I consider it an honorable, rewarding, and valuble endeavor. What do consulting engineers do for you? We sell our time to you. It takes time to prepare blueprints, specifications etc. Something that comes packaged with our time is experience. Someone who has spent 4 or 5 years studying ...
A History of New HVAC Technologies
I have had the good fortune of disussing the HVAC industry with old timers when I was right out of college. Back then, computers were rare commodities and only existed as main frames. One main frame per office with shared computer time. Software was all DOS. Drafting was done with ink pens. Old timers were people who were around when slide rules were the only computing instruments and drafting was sometimes done on coated linen sheets (these produced drawings with dark blue backgrounds that gave forth the name "blueprints"). These old timers had a mastery of steam engineering. Unfortunately, I don't think all of that body of steam and drafting knowledge got documented for future generations of engineers. Before anyone knew it, steam became less common than hot water hydronics and old timers were retiring. Originally, the old timers explained to me, HVAC engineering originally consisted of steam systems for heating and ventilation ductwork. Plumbing was done by the HVAC engineer or the architect. When Carrier invented air conditioning, HVAC consulting engineers were spectaters at first since the only people with mastery over air conditioning were the inventers. Back ...
How Long Will Your Building Last?
-How much money should you have saved up for building repairs? -How much life is left in your building under current trends? -Can your building’s life be extended? -Can you upgrade to a Sustainable Green building when it comes time to replace materials and equipment? -Is deferred maintenance going to disrupt your organization’s financial plans? Offering you an un-biased professional report on your building’s future. Contact Us for details.
How Geothermal is Different in Florida
As geothermal air conditioning and heating gains popularity; a large and sometimes confusing amount of data is surfacing regarding geothermal techniques. I get asked a fair amount about what types of geothermal systems and I also hear a few reports of geothermal-gone-bad. To help clarify why Florida has a unique geothermal system compared to other parts of the US-- let's start above ground. Climate-wise, Florida has far more cooling demand than heating demand. This has a double impact. First, geothermal systems during a Florida summer pump more heat into the ground than they take out in winter (for space-heating purposes). This tends to make geothermal systems relying on surface temperatures unstable through time. Second, the winters in Florida are short and mild to the point that they are not able to "recharge" the ground temperatures. This is not to say that there aren't a few buildings in Florida with relatively matched heating and cooling loads though. I am referring here to buildings that use a lot of hot water for industrial processes or domestic purposes (such as factories, heavily used kitchens, and laundrymats). Cases like this warrant special consideration. Now, let's look below ground and see what else makes Florida different geothermally. The second thing that makes Florida unique geo-thermally ...
reducing energy bills through long range planning
For commercial buildings, it is not uncommon for some buildings to consume twice as much as other comparable buildings. New buildings, for example, are typically designed to consume about 30% less energy that comparable buildings of old, wether the building owners request it or not. New buildings in the future will be, across the board, even more energy efficient. But what about buildings that are already built? Often times building owners hire their utility provider to produce free energy studies on how to save money on their electric bills. Common results from such efforts are expensive replacements of light fixtures, and in the end, nothing much happens. Large foreign owned energy firms typically produce expensive studies that offer expensive solutions (with attractive paybacks). Expensive and complicated plans often don't always get followed through. This article is about other alternatives to saving on energy bills. For example, a less expensive study which produces a long range plan to replace aging equipment (when it needs replacement) with more cost effective solutions in terms of energy bills. Often, comfort increases in the process. Additionally, there are low cost ways to reduce your ...
What is an Engineer?
This was the first thing I learned in Engineering School and it is worth repeating. "Engineering is the simultaneous combination of science, business, and economics towards solving a particular problem." Since our industry doesn't advertise itself the way lawyers and dairy farmers do... most people don't even know what we do or why we exist. An engineer works for you in a professional sense, with no financial bias. Salesmen and contractors necessarily have vested financial interests. Good engineering pays for itself.
Celebrating One Year Anniversary of Consulting Practice
Although I have been a consulting engineer for 27 years; last month marked the one year anniversary of Guy Van Meulebrouck PE (going out on my own). I would like to thank all the clients who have helped make the first year possible! It has been an interesting year with a fascinating variety of projects: -Church remodels -problem solving -studies, second opinions -energy calculations -geothermal advising and feasibility -industrial piping design -energy bill reductions -geothermal design -office buildings -theater -commercial design -industrial air conditioning And a special thanks to my repeat clients! Your continued support is very much appreciated! I have enjoyed giving your projects 100% senior engineer participation through every step of design and construction. As usual, I worked for a variety of different types of clients: small business owners, international conglomerates, government, contractors, and churches. I covered a broad region of Florida from the panhandle down to Naples. Thanks again! Looking foward to year two.
