Please [...]]]> ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer Charles Gulledge was the main speaker for the April meeting. The topic was “Master Format 2004”. Your feedback had mixed responses. Some described the meeting as “very informative”, well as others termed the topic as downright “very dry”. All the same, I thank you for coming out and attending.

Please join us for the final technical meeting of the year. My graduate committee chair and mentor, Dr. S.A. Sherif will be leading the May technical meeting. Dr. Sherif is an ASHRAE Fellow and an ASHRAE Distinguished lecturer. His topic is geared towards refrigeration.
Refrigeration is always referred to as the “silent R” in ASHRAE. The ASHRAE society on the whole is accused of not giving it due importance. Refrigeration is something we take for granted and for most of us, our world of refrigeration is limited to our household refrigerator. The broad umbrella of refrigeration includes ammonia refrigeration, design of large scale warehouses, refrigerated transportation, marine refrigeration, cryogenics, ultra- low temperature and a host of other applications.

Dr. Sherif’s discussion will give you fond memories of your college days. He will help you rediscover the psychrometric chart and plot lines, points and conditions you did not know existed. Do you want to see your ASHRAE research dollars at work? Come see the professor’s work and the impact it has on our industry and community.

I term this session a must attend for all the “engineer’s engineer”. The engineers who ensure their firm’s [...]]]> I hope you had a fun time at the Shrimp Boil. It was a very well attended event.  I promised you a great technical session when you returned to us in April. So here it goes….

I term this session a must attend for all the “engineer’s engineer”. The engineers who ensure their firm’s deliverables are always up to the mark. In-house quality control is in their job descriptions. My previous employer used to term these supermen – “Corporate Engineers”.  No engineering firm can function without a few of them on staff.  So all your budding and experienced corporate engineers, this one is dedicated to you.

One of the important functions of these guys is technical specification writing. As a young engineer, I remember not even daring to open that 300 page volume.  While some engineering firms have crossed over (by choice or coercion) to the new CSI Master Format 2004, I still come across some firms use the Div. 15 / Div. 16.  Our next meeting, titled “Master Format 2004” would serve novice and experienced user alike.

ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer (and very soon Director at Large) Charles Gulledge (aka Chuck) will be presenting.  As programs chair, I get a first glimpse of the speaker’s presentation and if slides are any indicator of a good presentation, I think we are in for a winner.

We will also be offering one (1) PDH for all the Florida PE’s in attendance.

See you on April 8th!

Firstly from an educational standpoint his topic “Overview of ASHRAE/ANSI/IESNA Standard 90.1” provided a technical insight into ASHRAE’s most widely known standard. Larry’s presentation covered organization, appendices, purpose, scope, scope limitations, administration, enforcement and compliance.  What [...]]]> ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer Larry Spielvogel, PE’s presentation on December 10, 2009 was educational, thought provoking and borderline controversial.

Firstly from an educational standpoint his topic “Overview of ASHRAE/ANSI/IESNA Standard 90.1” provided a technical insight into ASHRAE’s most widely known standard. Larry’s presentation covered organization, appendices, purpose, scope, scope limitations, administration, enforcement and compliance.  What I personally found most intriguing was the present controversies that have mired this standard and what the end user can do to ensure a better standard.

Secondly, Larry’s choice of examples and anecdotes made engineers rethink what we over the years have considered to be the norm. He is truly an engineer’s engineer, probing you to think outside the box.

Finally, Larry’s unique but potent combination of technical expertise and thought provoking ideas is bound to be controversial.  Under fire were some of the very pillars of our trade – energy modeling, commissioning, green initiatives and programs, the current standard committee and even the overall direction of the ASHRAE society.

Attendee reviews were equally varied. From “Best lecture in 5 years at an ASHRAE meeting”, to “Very controversial” and one attendee describing the tone of the meeting as downright “negative”. Larry’s meeting was truly a mixed bag.

On a separate note, I would like to thank Wade Conlan, PE for doing a great job with the YEA Tech Topic.  True to his simplistic and effective style Wade delivered a fantastic program. Thank you Wade!

The night also belonged to our History Chair, Tim Citek. Carefully drawing from ASHRAE Central Florida’s rich history Tim put together a light, fun filled presentation in the form of multiple picture slides. It was a nostalgic moment for those members who are so much a part of our chapter’s history.

And finally my gratitude and sincere thanks to the Past Presidents that made December’s meeting. The chapter Past President’s night had the best past president attendance in years. The oldest attending past president (by election) was Wiley M. Cauthen (1972-73). Wiley – It was an honor to have you attend.

With half the year in our pocket we look forward to a great 2010.  I would like to wish you all Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year.  See you all in 2010!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We have reached the midpoint of our ASHRAE year and there is still much to come…

For those of you that have been hiding under a rock for the past few months, we have a very large event coming to town next month. Yes that’s [...]]]> Tis the season!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We have reached the midpoint of our ASHRAE year and there is still much to come…

For those of you that have been hiding under a rock for the past few months, we have a very large event coming to town next month. Yes that’s right, the ASHRAE Winter meeting. If you have never experienced an annual meeting, you don’t know what you are missing.  Though you don’t have to take my word for it, there are attendee testimonials here at the bottom of the page http://www.ashrae.org/events/page/2478. This is also the link for the registration page.

Our December meeting brings our third ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer, Lawrence G. Spielvogel, P.E. He will be presenting on ASHRAE Standard 90.1. Not that 90.1 is a big deal or anything, it is only the basis of our Florida energy code and plays a tiny little role in the LEED certification process. We are also providing 1 PDH for Florida Registered Professional Engineers. Mr. Wade Conlan, P.E. (past President 2008-2009) will present the YEA Tech topic as a prelude to the dinner meeting.

Our December meeting will also honor our past presidents. These past leaders of our chapter have gotten us to where we are today. I now realize how great of a sacrifice and commitment they’ve made to our chapter, and for that the Central Florida Officers and Governors are very thankful.

Firouz Keikavousi (L) & John Elsea (R)

ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer Bob Baker provided [...]]]> Nineteen (19) of our chapter members availed of free PDH’s at the November meeting. The meeting marked our first of four meetings your ASHRAE chapter will be offering  free PDH’s as value added benefit to attend the dinner meetings.  The December 10 meeting will also have free PDH’s.

ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer Bob Baker provided a rather unique perspective to the sustainability movement and presidential theme of energy in existing buildings. His slide show incorporated neat pictures to highlight the importance of his topic. Bob presented on “Standard 180 – A New Approach to HVAC System Maintenance”.  As the name suggests Standard 180 is ASHRAE’s new standard for HVAC system inspection, maintenance and operation.

To quote the purpose of the standard – “The purpose of this standard is to establish minimum HVAC inspection and maintenance requirements that preserve a system’s ability to achieve acceptable thermal comfort, energy efficiency, and indoor air quality in commercial buildings.”

The requirements of the standard are as follows (1) Written Maintenance Program, (2) Inventory of Components to be maintained, (3) Performance Objectives, (4) Condition Indicators, (5) Inspection /Maintenance Tasks and finally (6) Documentation.  The task names are self-explanatory with further details in the actual standard, which can be purchased online at www.ashrae.org.   Bob also discussed the possibility of the standard being the basis of code inclusion and the pros and cons of implementing the same.

We thank the BOMA building engineers who attended our meeting along with the other facility engineers and mechanical service contractors. The chapter also celebrated Student Activities night and were fortunate to be joined by our UCF student branch members.

Please join us on December 10 as we celebrate the holiday cheer.  We will use the meeting to honor all our past presidents and celebrate the chapter’s wonderful history in Central Florida.

The speaker for December is an ASHRAE distinguished lecturer in an unmatched league of his own. He presents an ASHRAE standard which is undoubtedly ASHRAE’s flagship standard, bringing the society truly international recognition as a premier provider for HVAC&R expertise.  The topic is “Overview of ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1”.  Look out for more details.

Outside of our chapter meeting and golf tournament, we as a chapter have made [...]]]> Another busy month for the Central Florida Chapter! We had our fall golf tournament and Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty for the October meeting.  We were fortunate this year, as last year’s tournament had rain. Photos are up!!! Visit http://ashrae-cfl.org/events/fall-golf-tournament/

Outside of our chapter meeting and golf tournament, we as a chapter have made great strides in our local partnerships. On September 17, Jason and I met with Diane Sitzer and Allyson Peters the local chapter President for BOMA Orlando and Executive Director for BOMA Orlando. There may be some of you that ask what is BOMA? Well, BOMA is the Building Owners and Managers Association, and they are primarily concerned with all aspects of commercial office buildings. Including but not limited to building management, energy consumption, local and national building codes to name a few.

BOMA Meeting (L to R): Rich King, Allyson Peters, Diane Sitzer, Jason Alphonso, Victor Goldschmidt

Jason and I also met with Larry Simmons and Alexa Stone the local IFMA President and IFMA board member. IFMA is the International Facility Management Association, and they certify facility managers, conduct research, provide educational programs, and recognize facility management certificate programs.

IFMA Meeting (L to R): Jason Alphonso, Larry Simmons, Rich King, Alexa Stone

ASHRAE at a society level has signed a memorandum of understanding between each of these associations in order to better share resources and collaborate on projects, publications, sustainability research and educational offerings that will be beneficial to both organizations’ members and constituents. In an effort to bridge the local ASHRAE, BOMA and IFMA chapters, we will be bringing these international agreements down to a local level to better serve our organizations and members.

In addition to all of this, our chapter has become a founding member of the Central Florida Energy Efficiency Alliance (CFEEA). For more information on CFEEA, please visit http://www.orangecountyfl.net/cms/DEPT/CEsrvcs/epd/CFEEA/default.htm

Way to go Central Florida, you are paving the way for energy efficient buildings for years to come!