Most buildings, new or old, do not perform anywhere near their most efficient potential. HVAC systems deteriorate with time, beginning from the first day they are put into operation. New design and installation concepts and new codes and standards are continually being introduced – at an ever-increasing pace. Energy audits and Retro-Commissioning or Re-Commissioning can help a facility manager figure out what needs to be done to improve the operating efficiency of the HVAC systems in a cost-effective manner – and to maintain that efficiency with proper Operating and Maintenance (O & M) techniques.
There are many methods of improving operation of older equipment, as well as new methods of cleaning, repairing and optimizing older equipment rather than replacing it. Energy efficiency as well as better indoor environmental quality (IEQ) are only two of many areas to be looked at to make a building more attractive to employees as well as to existing or potential tenants.
We will look at these and then discuss what needs to be done relative to using HVAC to make buildings safer for their inhabitants during – and after – a pandemic.
Jim Newman is one of the USA’s most experienced energy efficiency and green building experts. Known as the “Dean of Green,” Jim regularly speaks across the U.S. and internationally to professionals, student groups and the media about sustainability and green technology. Today he uses his career expertise to help new and existing buildings improve indoor air quality and energy efficiency – even more critical since the COVID-19 pandemic started.
Jim is Owner/Managing Partner of Newman Consulting Group, headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. He is a CEM, a LEED AP BD+C, an ASHRAE OPMP & BEAP, a Fellow of the Engineering Society of Detroit (ESD), and will be inducted as a Fellow of ASHRAE in February of 2021.
Jim is a trainer for ASHRAE Energy Standard 90.1, the basis for building codes in most states in the U.S., and has trained hundreds of architects, engineers, code officials and contractors on the use of the Standard. He was Co-Chair of the IAQ committee for the new chapter on Climate Control that will be published in the 2021 ASHRAE Fundamentals Handbook. He is also a trainer for the BOMA High-Performing Building Certification.
Jim received a BSME from Tufts University, Boston, MA, and continued his education for an MBA degree at the University of Detroit and Wayne State University in Detroit, MI.
Newman Consulting Group (NCG) is an EPA Energy Star® and Rebuild Michigan® Partner. The Group works with architects, engineers, building owners and contractors throughout the world to design and construct more energy-efficient buildings to LEED® and other sustainable guidelines. NCG also helps commercial and industrial building owners retrofit existing buildings so they use less energy – and save money – while maintaining or improving the indoor air quality.