Saving energy costs
Daylighting rehabilitates school hallway and saves lighting and HVAC costs
Kalwall. About 20 miles north of downtown Houston, the unincorporated community of Klein shares the city’s extreme summer weather. By the end of July, average daily high temperatures peak at around 94ºF. For nearly a third of the year, highs break the 90-degree mark. And inside an upstairs corridor of the Doerre Intermediate School, daytime readings of 95º used to be considered normal.
But that was only half the problem. The unforgiving Southwestern sun blazed through the corridor’s old acrylic skylight, raising light meter readings beyond 800 footcandles. The sharp contrast between harsh, uncontrolled light and shadowy areas, a constant source of eyestrain for students and teachers, teamed with the heat to render the hallway almost unbearable.
The school district consulted with Houston-based Griesenbeck Architectural Products, Inc., to replace the inefficient acrylic skylight with a Kalwall Self-Supporting Ridge Roof that specified a U-value of 0.18.
The corridor’s excessive temperatures have fallen dramatically; Kalwall’s highly insulating properties severely restrict solar heat gain. At the same time, glare and shadows have been replaced by even, usable, controlled daylight filtering through the translucent skylight.
District energy manager Chad Corbitt liked how it looked, too, but for him the true test was performance. On a sunny day in August, says Corbitt, “It was about 11:30 a.m. and the light levels were between 180 and 200 footcandles,” a significant drop from the more than 800 recorded before Kalwall was installed. The temperature was about 77º, nearly 20 degrees cooler.
Select the December 2011 issue RSN number 165 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
Pollution-control units
Greenheck. The new Grease Grabber Triple Play and Power Play pollution-control units are designed to eliminate smoke and grease particles from commercial kitchen exhaust systems, with odor-control modules that eliminate or reduce odors to acceptable levels. The Grease Grabber Triple Play, featuring a three-stage mechanical filter arrangement, is coupled with activated carbon panels to remove odor molecules prior to discharging the air, reducing the impact of kitchen exhaust on the surroundings. The Grease Grabber Power Play’s permanent electrostatic collector section removes grease and smoke particles from the airstream, and its integrated self-cleaning wash sequence allows for low maintenance and constant performance.
Select the December 2011 issue RSN number 160 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
Door access solutions
Videx. The new CyberLock Flex System Door and I/O module brings all the access capabilities of the key-centric CyberLock solution to doors: brisk communications, location graphics, access scheduling by the door and person, audit reporting of lock and key activity, e-mail alerts and more. The Flex System Hub’s robust structure has built-in communications for interoperating with the access-management software, Flex System access modules, other Wiegand access devices and hard-wired systems that use the module.
Select the December 2011 issue RSN number 161 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
Non-bleach disinfectant cleaner
The Clorox Company. The Clorox Broad Spectrum Cleaner is a fast, effective disinfectant and powerful cleaner that is gentle enough to use daily on common healthcare surfaces. The product helps to meet the needs of professionals by effectively eliminating most organisms in two minutes. The cleaner is fragrance-free and can be used daily on multiple nonporous medical surfaces such as counters, carts, bedside tables, walls, mattress covers, commodes, wheelchairs and more.
Select the December 2011 issue RSN number 162 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
Free metal building resources
Metal Building Manufacturers Association (MBMA). The association’s website (www.mbma.com) provides a variety of free materials to educate and inform regarding metal building systems and their use for a variety of building types. Items available include case studies, fact sheets, fire-resistance bulletins, insurance bulletins, guide specifications and more.
Select the December 2011 issue RSN number 163 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
Guide for cooling IT equipment
MovinCool. A new free guide for facility managers, IT managers and mechanical contractors, “How to Prevent IT Equipment from Overheating — in Winter: Keeping Server Rooms and Telecom Closets Cool in Heated Buildings” is available. The guide addresses this problem by examining the advantages of a new class of self-contained, ceiling-mounted air conditioners, which are designed specifically for cooling small spaces with dense heat loads.
Select the December 2011 issue RSN number 164 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
