Titus HVAC AHR Expo - Day 2 Coverage

We return with coverage of day two at AHR Expo 2013. Tuesday was filled with award presentations, educational sessions, networking, training facility tours and showcasing our latest products with the HVAC community.

We kicked off the day by proudly accepting the AHR Expo Green Innovation Award for Solar Plexicon. It was a proud moment as Titus HVAC’s Rob Copeland accepted the award on behalf of the entire Titus team.  

Our dedication to innovation has led to some truly exciting launches at AHR Expo 2013, including the LSC Terminal Unit that provides an alternative solution to addressing ASHRAE 62.1 ventilation requirements. The Low Profile Series (LSC) is a fan powered terminal unit that features a sensible cooling coil and is designed to work as part of a dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS).

In addition to sharing the latest products, we attended educational sessions to learn about the latest trends affecting the industry. We entered a full room during Retro-Commissioning for Existing Facilities, presented by National Environmental Balancing Bureau (NEBB).

The session began by highlighting the importance of the topic. Nearly 66 percent of buildings were constructed between 1960-1999 – stressing why retro-commissioning is important as there is less new construction occurring today.

The NEBB presenter shared that all forms of building commissioning share the same goals, including developing a building that meets the unique needs of its owners and occupants while operating as efficiently as possible, in addition to providing a safe, comfortable work environment.

According to the presentation, building performance is dependent upon ‘four legs of a stool,’ including design, construction, commission and operation. Unfortunately, the ‘stool’ becomes unbalanced as most buildings are not operated properly after turned over to the owners, and because construction is driven by schedule and costs, not performance.

The presenter shared that retro-commissioning process should include an initial site review, pre-site investigation, thorough plan and a post analysis to be effective in optimizing building systems, so that comfort and costs (energy, maintenance and reliability) are optimal for occupants and owners. Some tips include:

• Find the cause and fix it instead of reacting to symptoms

• Document any temporary measure taken and change them back as soon as the issue is resolved

• Measure performance often, includes energy and comfort

• Collect data consistently, such as utility bill or submeter data

• Compare data to baselines, including last year’s data and national database (Energy Star)

Along with attending education sessions at the show, it is fitting that we had the opportunity to highlight our new training center and 2013 training schedule during AHR Expo. Our new facility and classes will provide engineers with training resources and CEU credits.

The Titus HVAC training schedule contains a mix of free webinars, as well as Consulting Engineer Seminars, both of which give engineers the option to earn CEU credits. As a focal point for the classes, instructors will use the Titus Research Laboratory, dubbed “The Comfort Zone” to enhance the learning experience with hands on demonstrations.

We wrapped up the day by sharing the new Comfort Zone with members of the trade media, who were eager to see how we will foster training interactivity with the use of touch screen technology and live demonstrations of the latest innovations in air management.

Check out photos of the tour and other show highlights on our Twitter (@TitusHVAC) and Facebook pages to keep abreast of all things HVAC at AHR Expo 2013.