ARCHI-TECH Issues

Heat recovery wheels have been an integral part of HVAC systems in large commercial, government, and education buildings for decades.

Especially in tough economic times, building owners who want to undertake energy projects may be limited to those that require no or limited upfront investment. Performance contracting (PC), in which the upfront costs are funded over time by the resulting energy savings, is one solution that can resolve this dilemma.

Sustainability comes in many forms, and one of the least celebrated – yet most effective – can shrink both the physical footprint of the HVAC system and the carbon footprint of the facility. It comes in a box that remains hidden for years, working quietly and diligently to boost indoor air quality while slashing energy use.

Researchers at Britain’s University of Leicester and a Norwegian firm, EnSol AS, are developing a spray –on solar film from a nanomaterial that is thinner than a human hair.

Pennsylvania State University researchers will receive $129 million over the next five years from several federal sources, including the Department of Energy (DOE), and an additional $30 million from Pennsylvania, to develop ways to make buildings more energy efficient.

36 schools earn the ENERGY STAR label.

SolPix features a large-scale color LED display and photovoltaic panels integrated to a sun-shading system, transforming glass structures into energy-positive envelopes