Building-Integrated Solar HVAC on the Rise

According to data released today by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), a growing sector of the industry has reached a major milestone, with 5 million square feet of building-integrated solar air heating collectors now installed in North America.

SEIA President and CEO Rhone Resch says these systems represent 250 megawatts (MW) of thermal energy and displace nearly 100,000 tons of CO2 each year from the atmosphere.

Solar air heating systems work by heating incoming ventilation air before it is brought into a building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC), using wall-mounted collectors that are typically made of metal and have 30-plus year lifespans.

HVAC Energy efficiency plan advances

The Washington Island School Board unanimously approved awarding Johnson Controls a performance contract for the district’s upcoming energy conservation and facility improvements project during its Monday meeting.

The board OK’d the company installing a HVAC system with an air handling unit and a liquid petroleum boiler. Sevastopol, Southern Door and Gibraltar have undertaken similar energy-efficient projects with Johnson Controls in the last few years.

According to Superintendent Tim Raymond, the cost for those three projects is $568,573. The board plans to exceed state-imposed revenue limits to pay for the upgrades.

County Board OKs sponsoring For HVAC upgrade at museum

NEW ULM Brown County commissioners unanimously approved sponsoring the Brown County Historical Society's (BCHS) application for a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (Legacy) grant to upgrade the museum HVAC system on Tuesday.

The BCHS will apply for a $170,000 Legacy grant and would receive $20,000 from Brown County for phase one of the project estimated at$209,000. Improvements taking place in 2015 would include HVAC controls, chiller, water pumps and control valves.

The museum was originally built as a post office in 1910 and operated as a post office for 66 years. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

Commissioners consider BCHS grant for HVAC upgrade

NEW ULM Brown County commissioners on Tuesday will consider sponsoring the Brown County Historical Society's application for a Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage (Legacy) grant for the Brown County Museum.

The BCHS seeks acceptance of a March 18 heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) study and its recommendations. In addition, BCHS hopes to receive a $170,000 Legacy grant and $40,000 in cash matches for the $210,000 project, according to a letter from BCHS Director Bob Burgess .

The request includes Brown County committing $20,000 towards the local match required for Phase 1 of the Legacy Grant HVAC system project.

Commissioners will also consider:

Planning Commission recommendations including a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to continue to allow a KNUJ Radio transmission tower not to exceed 500 feet in the A-1 Agricultural Protection Zone, Section 18, Home Township.

The 2014 County Health Rankings released March 26, by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. Among the state's 87 counties, Brown County ranked 22nd in health outcomes and 37th in health factors, according to the report.

Health outcomes include the collective years of life lost due to people dying before age 75, the percentage of people who report being in fair or poor health and the rate of low-birth weight infants. Health factors include health behavior, clinical care, social and economic factors and physical environment.

The low number of low-birth weight babies and teen pregnancies are areas where Brown County ranked better than the state average. Brown County also ranked favorably in the number of primary care physicians.

Although Brown County maintained an obesity rate above the state rate of 26 percent, over the past three years, the obesity rate fell from 31 to 29 percent.

"I consider this a success and a result of the hard work by communities making changes in schools, restaurants, grocery stores, lifestyles, SHIP (Statewide Health Improvement Plan, the Heart of New Ulm, Heart of Brown County, and other organizations that promote health like the Springfield Wellness Task Force," Brown County Public Health Director Karen Moritz wrote.

"An area of concern is the rate of excessive drinking and alcohol-impaired driving deaths in Brown County," Moritz said. "We report 23 percent of adults engaged in binge or excessive drinking compared a 19 percent state average. The conversation of how to promote moderate alcohol vs. excessive alcohol consumption is ongoing."

The county board meeting starts at 9 a.m., Tuesday, April 15 in the courthouse commissioners room.

UAE-based HVAC firm signs distribution deal

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) coil manufacturer Oasis Coils & Coatings (OCC) has announced the signing of an exclusive distribution agreement with Heat Pipe Technology (HPT) at the 2014 AHR Expo in New York.

The agreement was signed between OCC’s CEO Navin Valrani and Mazen Awad, senior vice president of sales and marketing for HPT, in the presence of Gene Toombs IV, president of HPT.

OCC will serve HPT as their exclusive distributor within the markets of the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait.

“This exclusive distribution agreement will have a significant impact with OCC as it delivers HPT’s energy-saving heat pipe systems to all its customers within the GCC region and beyond,” said OCC’s Navin Valrani.

“OCC and HPT are joining forces to seize the opportunity to lead the industry towards a sustainable and greener future, and we are convinced this partnership will allow OCC to take a leading position in the GCC region,” he added.