Fuel Oil News

Fuel Oil News May 2016

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www.fueloilnews.com | FUEL OIL NEWS | MAY 2016 35 HVAC/HYDRONICS NEWS WEIL-MCLAIN LAUNCHES 2016 'SCHOOL OF BETTER HEATING' Weil-McLain, a North American designer and manufacturer of hydronic comfort heating systems for residential, commercial and institutional buildings, launched its 2016 School of Better Heating training program. The School of Better Heating is an annual series of seminars that now includes a new learning model that incorporates feedback from past and prospective attendees of the training events. The one- to two-day sessions feature classes on Hydronics 101, a Circulator Course, gas control troubleshooting, information on managing multiple boilers, efficiency operation training and more. The School of Better Heating reflects Weil-McLain's leadership in hydronic system training, which also includes extensive in-field experience with hands-on and application training, in addition to class instruction and special certified courses for continuing education. "By securing ongoing feedback, we can better understand our end user needs," said Greg Pickens, Director of Learning and Development at Weil-McLain. "It's about becoming the thought leader in training, which means understanding our training event attendees and being diligent in our course adaptation." According to Pickens, these programs will standardize the training process through smart application, feedback and invest- ment in partnerships with other leading HVAC industry brands like Taco® and Sentinel®. "Partnering with other companies allows us to incorporate a more thorough learning program into our School of Better Heating events," said Pickens. "A contractor will be able to gain valuable information on hydronic heating techniques and Weil- McLain products while learning about other systems, such as inline circulators from Taco representatives, for example." The 2016 School of Better Heating training schedule kicked off in Philadelphia on March 15 and will continue through September at various locations in the Eastern and Midwest regions, including: May 17-18 – Pittsburgh June 12-14 – Michigan City, Ind. June 14-16 – Michigan City, Ind. July 19-20 – Cedar Rapids, Iowa August 16-17 – Boston September 20-21 – Westchester County, N.Y. For more information visit http://www.weil-mclain.com/ school-better-heating. ASHRAE GRANT-IN-AID FUNDS HUMAN THERMAL COMFORT DATABASE Creation of a database to help better understand human thermal comfort in residential and commercial buildings is being funded through an ASHRAE grant program. Veronika Foldvary, a visiting Ph.D. student at the Center for the Built Environment (CBE), University of California, Berkeley, is one of 18 students who will receive a grant through the ASHRAE Graduate Student Grant-In-Aid Award Program, which is designed to encourage students to continue their education in preparation for service in the HVAC&R industry. The grants, totaling $180,000, are awarded to full-time graduate students of ASHRAE-related technologies. The project would identify previous thermal comfort and occupant responses in residential and commercial buildings worldwide. Foldvary would collect that data to construct an inter- national database, which would include measurements of all the physical conditions affecting thermal comfort (air temperature, humidity, air movement, radiant temperature and occupant cloth- ing and metabolic rate) plus subjective surveys (thermal sensation, comfort, perceived air quality and wherever possible, adaptive behavior and interaction with building controls). "The database would be used to analyze trends in thermal comfort and behavior patterns and evaluate current comfort pre- diction tools, as well as their relevance to different building types, climates, cultures and demographics," Foldvary said. "We would convene discussion groups to address issues of data analysis and representation to ensure its usefulness to the global research com- munity. The analysis will provide the evidence base for developing improved international standards." UPONOR IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AGREEMENT WITH HEATLINK GROUP AND PEXCOR MANUFACTURING Uponor announced that it reached an intellectual property licensing agreement with HeatLink Group Inc. and PexCor Manufacturing Inc. HeatLink Group Inc. and PexCor Manufacturing Inc. are affili- ated companies based in Calgary, Alberta, that manufacture and sell PEX pipe. The agreement, which allows their use of Uponor's patented technology for PEX pipe manufacturing under license, resolves ongoing litigation in the U.S. and Canada regarding infringement of Uponor's Canadian Patent 2,232,376. On March 16, 2016, Uponor secured a favorable ruling from the Federal Court of Canada regarding its patent infringement case against the two companies and had an additional case pending in the U.S. The ruling had required HeatLink, PexCor and related companies to halt manufacture and sale of PEX piping. Through the new agreement, they can resume business under a license agreement with Uponor. "We're pleased that we were able to come to an agreement that protects our valuable intellectual property," says Bill Gray, presi- dent, Uponor North America. "It's a fair outcome for all involved and allows us to focus on our respective markets and customers." ENERGY CONSERVATION STANDARDS ARE SET FOR COMMERCIAL PACKAGED BOILERS The Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975, as amended, prescribes energy conservation standards for various consumer equipment and certain commercial and industrial equipment, including commercial packaged boilers. EPCA also requires the

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