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Products - May 2010 featuring HVAC

All products featured here have been screened and approved by our partners at BuildingGreen. Click here for more information on product evaluation and criteria. If you have an interesting product to showcase, please contact our products editor, Brent Ehrlich, at greensource-products@buildinggreen.com.

Compiled by Brent Ehrlich

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Big Ass Fans
Big Ass Fans are high-volume, low-speed fans used to move air in high-ceilinged industrial and commercial buildings. And these fans are big—each has ten blades ranging in size from 6— to 24—feet—long. The massive blades spin very slowly using one- to two-horsepower motors, yet they can move up to 337,000 cubic feet per minute of air over 20,000 square feet with very little noise and relatively low energy use. Big Ass Fans create air movement that provides cooling in summer and circulates warm air trapped at the ceiling level in winter.

Big Ass Fans; Lexington, KY. 859-223-1271; www.bigassfans.com
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Martin Air Commercial Kitchen Ventilation with Energy Recovery
Commercial kitchen ventilation systems remove the heat, smoke, particulates, and grease generated by cooking equipment. Unfortunately, they also vent conditioned air from the restaurant. Martin Air Systems’ roof-mounted, pre-packaged exhaust and make-up air unit uses a heat exchanger and closed glycol loop to reclaim waste heat that can be used to pre-heat make-up air or water. Sensors monitor smoke and heat and adjust the fan speed to save energy. Grease in the exhaust air—a serious fire hazard—is removed and drained away for disposal.

Martin Air Systems; Burlington, ON, Canada. 905-333-3819; www.martinairsystems.com
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SolarWall PV/T Combined Solar Collector
The original SolarWall solar collector uses perforated sheet metal warmed by the sun to preheat ventilation air, reducing the heating load on fresh-air-ventilated commercial and industrial buildings. These simple systems are now available with mounting racks that are compatible with any commercially available photovoltaic (PV) panel. The SolarWall PV/T (photovoltaic/thermal) combines heating and electrical production in a way that reduces energy costs while also cooling the PV cells, improving their output. Though SolarWall PV/T costs more than a standalone PV system, Conserval claims it can generate 200 to 300 percent more energy in the form of heating and electricity.

Conserval Systems, Inc.; Buffalo, NY. 716-835-4903; www.solarwall.com
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City Multi from Mistubishi
The City Multi VRFZ (variable refrigerant flow zone) supplies energy-efficient heating and cooling that can be adjusted to meet the needs of individual rooms or zones. Made for large residential or commercial use, City Multi boasts several environmental and performance advances, including the use of non-ozone-depleting R410a refrigerants, heat exchangers to boost efficiency, and ductless installation that saves valuable building space. A number of both water- and air-source models are available with capacities up to 240,000 Btu per hour. Mitsubishi also offers a central control system that can monitor, schedule, and adjust the temperature of as many as 2,000 indoor units.

Mitsubishi Electric Sales, Inc.; Markham, ON, Canada. 905-475-7728; www.mitsubishielectric.ca
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Ice Chiller Thermal Energy Storage
Thermal energy storage (TES) systems produce ice at night that can be used later for cooling during the day when it is most needed—which can save money on electricity and lower the demand placed on the electrical grid during peak use. Baltimore Aircoil Company, one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of TES systems, makes its ice-chiller out of serpentine steel tubing that has been galvanized to protect against corrosion. The tubing rests in an R-18 insulated tank and can produce between 237 and 761 ton-hours of ice (one ton-hour equals 12,000 Btu), but much larger custom units are also available.

Baltimore Aircoil Company; Baltimore, MD. 410-799-6200; www.baltimoreaircoil.com
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Energy Recovery Wheels
Airxchange energy recovery wheels supply fresh air to buildings without venting all of the heating or cooling energy, reducing HVAC demands while also managing humidity. The wheels spin between incoming and outgoing air streams, transferring heat and moisture between the two. In winter, humidity is added to the building; in summer, it’s removed. For durability, the company permanently bonds the silica gel desiccant to the energy transfer media; and cleaning or replacement takes about 15 minutes. Airxchange wheels are available in a wide range of sizes for a variety of mechanical systems and come with a five-year warranty.

Airxchange, Inc.; Rockland, MA. 781-871-4816; www.airxchange.com
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BuildingGreen Top Ten products: January 2011 | February 2010 | August 2008 | January 2009

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