Welcome To The ASHRAE Houston Hot Air Recorder

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President's Message

Hi everyone!  I hope everyone had a wonderful Spring Break!  With this great weather, it’s a perfect time to get out and play some golf.  Don’t forget about the Annual Spring Golf Tournament on Monday April 29^th at Longwood Golf Club.  I would love to see you out there!

On March 20^th,Tom Watson, the ASHRAE Society President , gave a speech on his vision of the future of ASHRAE.  He also gave a technical speech on refrigeration efficiency.   It was an honor to have him at our meeting, and I would like to thank all of you who were in attendance.  Please consider joining us for the next monthly meeting.  Please look on the website for the date to be announced soon.

The YEA group held a basketball tournament – Special thanks to Brennan Vierra for putting on this event and to Roessler Equipment for hosting it.  Congratulations to Team Trane for winning the tournament (Not that I am a sore loser, but good luck next year, you’re going to need it!!!  I’m starting to plan my team next year).

As I mentioned previously, The Board of Governors and all of the Committee Chairs are working very hard this year on our presentation for the Golden Gavel.  The last time the Houston Chapter won this prestigious award was in 1972.  It’s given to the best all-around Chapter within the Region.  I believe that we deserve this award, and I have been working hard to showcase everything the Houston Chapter has accomplished this year.  I just received notification that our chapter is now in first PAOE points, but we still have more to do.  If you know of anyone who would be interested in joining our organization, this would be the time!  Please have them contact me personally.  Thanks again to everyone who has helped us get to this point. 

Please register to attend the Chapters Regional Conference (the CRC) in Austin this year.  It will be held April 18-20 at the Hyatt Regency on Lady Bird Lake.  I hope to see you there! 

Take care,

Alan Neely / 2012-2013 ASHRAE Houston President 

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Last Month's Meeting

Our March Meeting had a very special guest - Mr. Tom Watson - ASHRAE Society President 2013.  

Tom spoke about the strategic direction of ASHRAE and some of the latest initiatives with respect to our sustainable future.

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Meeting Announcement

Student Night

April 17, 2013   MEMBERSHIP PROMOTION/STUDENT NIGHT April 17, 2013 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM St. Arnolds Brewery 2000 Lyons Avenue Houston, TX 77020 http://www.saintarnold.com/ ST. ARNOLDS BREWERY $35.00 student night $30.00 Earlybird rate before April 15 $40.00 student night $35.00 Earlybird rate before April 15

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING IS AT ST. ARNOLDS BREWERY AND NOT HESS!  PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE ANNUAL STUDENT NIGHT/YEA EVENT/Refrigeration Tour/ and Membership Promotion Night.  We will have the students with their displays and table tops avaialble for happy hour and after our main speaker.  We will also have 2 refrigeration tours starting at 6 pm of the facilitiy so people can appreciate the FLUIDS seminar.  The students are all HVAC indoctrinated so if there are any positions to be filled at your firm please come talk to these proficient in industry students.  We have a treat for our program speaker.  Pat Kiley will be our speaker for the evening and he will be discussing the Houston pipeline of activity and what's next for us in the construction industry and the economic certainty of how blessed  we are  to be working in the Houston market. BIO: Mr. Kiley is a founding principal of Kiley Advisors, a consulting firm that advises CEO’s and Senior Executives on matters of Leadership and Strategy. The firm is retained by General and Specialty Contracts to assist with market strategy, relationship strategy, and leadership development and succession.  They also conduct workshops and retreats with senior leaders of many companies and associations for the purposes of strategic planning, best practices evaluations and team building. In addition, they research and publish an annual forecast of the Houston commercial construction marketplace and speak to many groups about the market outlook.  Prior to founding the firm in 2004, Mr. Kiley served for 21 years with the Houston Chapter of Associated General Contractors of America, Inc., (AGC) a 1,000 member trade association representing General Contractors, Specialty Contractors, Suppliers and Service Firms. He was recognized for his work by receiving his own association’s highest honor, The Master Builder Award, in 2004 and by a named Scholarship Fund in 2006. Most recently, he was awarded an Honorary Life Membership to the Houston AGC. He was inducted into the Construction Hall of Fame at Texas A&M University, Department of Construction Science in 2007. He has also been honored by the Minority Contractor community. Most recently, he was awarded an honorary life membership to the AGC.  Today, Pat serves on three non-profit boards: Heritage Oaks School Board; Santa Maria Hostel, which provides shelter and recovery for addicted women with children; and CanCare, which provides support to people diagnosed with cancer.

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Meeting Minutes

ASHRAE

Technology for a Better Environment

REGION VIII HOUSTON CHAPTER MEETING MINUTES

ASHRAE Mission: To advance the arts and sciences of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world.

ASHRAE Vision: ASHRAE will be the global leader, the foremost source of technical and educational information, and the primary provider of opportunity for professional growth in the arts and sciences of heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigerating.

In Attendance (Meeting Held at HESS Club , Houston Texas 03/20/2013)

Alan Neely / President / Pittsburgh Corning Insulation
Mike Donovan / President Elect / Heat Transfer Solutions, Inc.
Elliot Millican / Vice President  / E&C Engineers & Consultants Inc
Michael Langton / Treasurer / Heat Transfer Solutions, Inc.
Kimberly Thompson / Secretary / Heat Transfer Solutions, Inc.
Keith Reihl / Past President 2010-2011 / Mitsubishi Electric
Brian Dunne / Sustainability / TD Engineers
Chad Wiginton / Membership / H.D. Grant Company, Inc.
Brennan Vierra / Young Engineers In ASHRAE / Heat Transfer Solutions, Inc.
Don Nye / Chaplain / E&C
Tom Watson / Society President 

Time Called to Order 10:12 am / Time Called to End 10:55 am 

Alan Neely / President:

• Proclamations have been received from Houston Mayor, Lt. Governor, and Governor of Texas – for each Texas chapter 

Mike Donovan / President-Elect:

• Starting work on CRC documents
• Tom Watson – Society President for today’s speaker
• Student night next month, Pat Kiley will present about why students should enter our industry 

Elliot Millican / Vice President:

• Golf tournament is going well with sponsorships
• 3 tailgate sponsors
• Donors will be recognized today
• Steve Steltzer with GBRC from City of Houston, green building tour on April 19
• Fall golf tournament – currently looking at Oct 28 or Nov 4.  Motion made by Mike Langton to hold it on Oct 28^th.  Seconded by Elliot.  All in favor. 

Mike Langton / Treasurer:

• All bills are paid 

Kimberly Thompson / Secretary:

• No report 

Paul Alexander / Past President 2011-2012:

• No report 

Keith Reihl / Past president 2010-2011:

• Submit project technology awards for CTTC
• Grassroots government advocacy 

Steve Roche / Refrigeration:

• No report 

Ken Shifflett / Student Activities:

• Scholarship applications – how many have been received?
• Max scholarship monies discussed and will be revisited next week. 

Stan Caplan – Elizabeth Glore / Honors And Awards:

• No report 

Brian Dunne / Sustainability:

• Articles coming soon 

Chad Wiginton – Kurt McCullough / Membership:

• Up 7 members for the year 

Chase Williamson – Bruce Flaniken / Historian:

• Display will be ready for CRC 

Nick Badke / Directory:

• No report 

Brennan Vierra – Christine Porterfield / YEA:

• BB tournament was a success, Trane’s team won
• Roessler provided the food, thank you to them
• April 17 will be student night/ YEA night at St Arnolds 

John Walik / HAR Editor/Website:

• No report 

David Schurk / PAOE:

• Golden Gavel , PAOE push 

Tom Watson will provide us a presentation for student night for how ASHRAE helps students and young engineers in our industry.

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Award-1

Houston CouncilWoman Helena Brown presenting a Proclamation to Tom Watson (ASHRAE Society President 2013) on behalf of the ASHRAE Houston Chapter. Also receiving the Proclamation is Alan Neely (ASHRAE Houston President 2012-2013) and Mike Donovan (President-Elect).

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Award-2

Special Thanks To Mike Donovan (not pictured) for securing Resolution Number 223 (left) from the Senate of the Texas State Legislature signed by the Senate President David Dewhurst and witnessed Houston Area State Senator Dan Patrick / Proclamation (center) signed by the Mayor of Houston Annise Parker / Proclamation (right) signed the Governor of Texas Rick Perry.

Holding the Proclamations and sporting a vogue pose is Alan Neely (ASHRAE Houston President 2012-2013)

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Welcome New Members

New ASHRAE Houston Members for the April HAR Issue:

Submitted by Chad Wiginton – Membership Chairman

Student Members

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Local Houston Chapter Member Goes National

Paul Alexander, ASHRAE Houston President 2011-2012 has been nominated and has accepted the position of RVC RP (Regional Vice Chair for Research And Promotion.  His first official function will be the upcoming CRC in Austin. 

Paul’s Bio: In the recent past, I have served as a leader in several of our workshops and in years gone by, I participated in our product shows and meeting programs. My employer is Straus Systems where I serve as Vice President, Operations Management. Straus is one of the city's larger mechanical contractors, self-performing both piping and sheet metal, and is also a registered engineering company. It has been in existence since 1933. Straus Systems acquired METCO in 2003 where I had served as President and CEO for the previous 20 years.

In addition to my ASHRAE involvement, I serve on local and national committees for both the SMACNA and MCAA organizations. I received a Master of Science in Engineering from Texas A & M University and am a Fellow of the Graduate Teaching Academy. I also received an MBA with a Specialization in Finance from Sam Houston State University, and hold degrees from LeTourneau University and North Harris College.

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In Memoriam

Harry Eugene "Gene" Curry of Willis, Texas was born January 1, 1924 in Udall, Kansas and passed away April 3, 2013 in Conroe, Texas. Gene was a decorated WWII Veteran receiving the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He was member of First Christian Church, Conroe, Texas and co-founder of Hug-A-Bear ministry. He was a professional Engineer for over 50 years and former owner of Curry Inc (Mechanical Contractor).

Gene is survived by his loving family, daughter: Brenda Hartman and husband Steve, and daughter: Lugene Curry; son: Wally "Buster" Moore and wife Anita; 5 grandchildren; 3 great grandchildren. Harry was 89.

Visitation was from 5:00 to 8:00pm Friday at Metcalf Funeral Directors. Funeral services were held 11:00am Saturday at First Christian Church. A private burial followed.

In lieu of flowers Contributions can be made to First Christian Church Conroe Hug-A-Bear.

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Refrigeration

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Seminar

Carrier Corporation presented “Energy Modeling for the LEED Energy and Atmosphere Credit 1” at Texas A&M Student Chapter of ASHRAE on March 7, 2013.

The presenter was Rudy Romijn who is the Western Regional Sales and Training Manager for Carrier Comfort, Controls and Security, based in Phoenix, AZ.

The meeting was attended by nearly (40) student members, graduate students,  and faculty.  The topic was popular with the audience and our 1-hour meeting lasted nearly 2-hours with interactive participation.

Carrier also provided Rudy’s Bar-B-Q for dinner which was enjoyed by all.

Carrier ( a global supporter of ASHRAE) enjoyed participating at the meeting and interacting with our future industry leaders.

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History Section

Please check your file cabinets, desk drawers, Grandma’s sewing basket… anywhere you might have an old copy of a Houston Chapter Roster and Product Directory for the years 2000-2001, 2001-2002 & 2006-2007. Please call me on Cell @832-473-1989 or email me at [email protected] 

Thanks.
Bruce Flaniken / Historian Chair

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Research And Promotion

Many Thanks to all the local Houston Folks and Companies who donated to Research & Promotion. We are VERY grateful for your patronage.

PS… Don’t forget to sign up for our Golf Tournament Monday April 29^th. 

Elliot Millican  / Research & Promotion

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Golf Tournament

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Chapter Regional Conference / Austin TX / April 18th thru 20th

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Job Posting

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Gulf Coast Green

It is that time again! 

Gulf Coast Green 2013 is being held May 2, 2013 at the historic
 and newly renovated Julie Ideson Library in downtown Houston.

For more details on the Event or to be an Exhibitor
go to the website below

https://aiahouston.org/v/site-home/Gulf-Coast-Green/35/

This is our 8th year and we are expecting another successful event.
We look forward to seeing you there!

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YEA

YEA HOUSTON

We are proud to say that the Houston Young Engineer’s in ASHRAE Chapter is the largest YEA chapter in the U.S. and continues to grow daily.

Just 3 years ago Houston created a YEA chapter, and since then we have grown significantly and more than we could’ve imagined.  We have grown not only in the number of members, but in the development and progress of the group and chapter as a whole.

Our goal is for everyone 35 and younger to get the full experience of being a young engineer and worker in this industry and in ASHRAE.   Being a member of YEA is a great way to expand your knowledge, get involved, meet fellow young engineers and workers in the industry, and have fun along the way!

We welcome all those who are 35 and younger in the industry to join us for the monthly meetings and happy hours.  The events will be posted monthly in the HAR.

Please let Christine Porterfield or Brennan Vierra know if you would like more information on becoming a member:

[email protected] /  [email protected]

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ASHRAE National News Releases

For Release:                                                                                     

March 28, 2013   

Contact: Jodi Scott

Public Relations

678-539-1216

[email protected]

26 Proposed Addenda to ASHRAE/IES Energy Standard Open for Public Comment

ATLANTA - With the 2013 version of the ASHRAE/IES energy standard scheduled for publication later this year, many changes are being proposed to strengthen its requirements.

As such, 26 proposed addenda to ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1-2010, Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings, are open for public comment.

"As we move toward publication of the 2013 standard, the 90.1 committee is considering many changes to reduce building energy use and cost," Steve Skalko, chair, said. "The proposed addenda reflect a variety of changes to the standard, many of which are the result of earlier public review comments. These changes contribute to our goal of making the standard 40 to 50 percent more stringent than the 2004 standard."

The energy cost goals for the 2013 standard are:

.         Regulated Loads only - 50 percent target includes only regulated energy end use loads as included in the Standard 90.1-2004 baseline.

.         Whole building - 40 percent target,  which includes all energy end uses

Twenty-two proposed addenda are open for public comment from March 22-April 21, 2013. For more information, visit www.ashrae.org/publicreviews. They are:

.         aa mandates direct digital control (DDC) for certain applications in both new buildings and retrofits where cost effective and defines the minimum capability of mandated DDC systems. 

.         bo adds requirements for use of gas condensing service water heaters in newly constructed buildings.

.         bs reduces the occupancy threshold for demand controlled ventilation from greater than 40 people per 1000 square feet, with exemptions for certain occupancies, to equal to or greater than 25 people per 1000 square feet, expanding the occupancies where demand controlled ventilation is required. 

.         co corrects the calculation of hotel and motel type guestroom spaces based on an error in applying the room geometry of the space type, which then changes the associated whole building lighting power densities (LPDs) for hotel and motel.

.         cr modifies the designation for the types of facilities eligible for the higher LPDs based on use of space for those needing additional lighting for age and other related eye issues. 

.         ct corrects an error for the addition of HVAC systems to heated only storage areas in Appendix G. The single zone systems would be assigned to a single thermal zone vs. being grouped with the multiple zone systems.

.         cw uses the new SS-EN ISO 25745-1:2012 to add a movement energy efficiency requirement for elevators.

.         cy revises the requirements for the use of exhaust air energy recovery as defined in 6.5.6.1. In 2012, addendum bt expanded down the range for the use of exhaust air energy recovery to 10 percent ventilation rates. In addition, energy recovery was removed for climate zones 3B, 3C, 4B, 4C, and 5B for >70 percent outside air. These changes were based on  the latest performance and economics analysis,

.         cz  ensures revisions to a table and new footnotes are consistent with Section 303 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (EISA 2007), which increased the federal minimum efficiency standards for residential-sized boilers.  Section 303 increased the minimum annual fuel utilization efficiency for gas and oil-fired boilers, and established design requirements for certain types of new boilers manufactured or imported for use in the United States.  All of the efficiency and design requirements took effect for equipment built on or after Sept. 1, 2012.

.         da provides two compliance paths for high speed doors within the Mandatory Air Leakage requirements.  It also clarifies which test glazed overhead doors are to follow.

.         db addresses an error in addendum bb contained within Table 5.5-3, under the category "Floors, Steel Joist" and in the cells assigned to the "residential" occupancy.

.         dc clarifies that rooms within suites should be handled individually when one becomes empty.

.         dd clarifies the exception to re-roofing and roof re-covering.

.         de revises the design point for waterside economizers in computer room applications.

.         df replaces current minimum performance requirements for packaged Computer Room Air Conditioners shown in Table 6.8.1k with a new table based on Standard 127-2012. The standard had referenced the 2007 version of Standard 127, Method of Testing for Rating Computer and Data Processing Room Unitary Air Conditioners.  AHRI and member companies have agreed to test their equipment under the new standard. The test configurations were increased and the performance values updated accordingly.

.         dg changes the reference to the 2012 ANSI/CRRC Standard from the 2010 version.

.         di prohibits use of fossil fuels and electricity for humidification above 30 percent RH and dehumidification to 60 percent RH, except in special circumstances.  Where control is required within the 30-60 percent region, a deadband is required. Where even tighter control is mandated, the system is exempted. 

.         dj offers an increase in electrical/mechanical rooms in cases where the current proposed allowance of 0.42 W/sqft is not considered sufficient to provide needed vertical and horizontal illuminance given the varied configuration of electrical/mechanical rooms.  The additional allowance would have to have separate control and could not be traded off to other spaces in the building.

.         dk eliminates the exemption for wattage used in spaces where lighting is specifically designed for those with age related or other medical condition related eye issues where special lighting or light levels might be needed. 

.         dl corrects the calculation of hotel and motel type guestroom spaces based on an error in applying the room geometry of the space type and combines them into a single value since the calculated value are determined to be the same for code purposes.

.         dn revises the requirements for the use of hot gas bypass as defined in section 6.5.9 and table 6.5.9.

.         do is updating referenced standards in various provisions covering mechanical systems in 90.1-2010.

In addition, three addenda under review that received public comments in earlier reviews have been revised and are open for public comment from March 22-May 6, 2013. They are:

.         ac provides for two compliance paths with regard to utilizing air spaces in conjunction with reflective surfaces.  

.         bm makes the baseline building in Appendix G equivalent to 90.1-2004 for interior lighting design.

.         cl modifies IEER requirements for the air cooled air conditioners ≥65,000 Btu/hr and < 135,000 Bu/hr to increase the IEER from 12.8 to 12.9 for electric resistance heating units and 12.6 to 12.7 for gas fired units. It also revises air cooled heat pumps ≥65,000 Btu/hr and < 135,000 Bu/hr for electric resistance heating units from 12.0 to 12.2 and from 11.8 to 12.0 for gas fired units. 

In addition, one addendum opens for public review on March 29, closing April 28.

.         Addendum cv develops baseline energy use guidance for public assembly spaces toward assessing energy performance achievement of a proposed building. Public assembly spaces are typically designed and operated differently than surrounding spaces.

ASHRAE, founded in 1894, is a building technology society with more than 50,000 members worldwide. The Society and its members focus on building systems, energy efficiency, indoor air quality, refrigeration and sustainability within the industry. Through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education, ASHRAE shapes tomorrow's built environment today.

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Photo Gallery

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Past Presidents Night Sponsors

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Technical / Business / Legal / Management

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Grass Roots Advocacy

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