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Taco offers New wiriNg for HydroNics TraiNiNg A new, free, online a n d s e l f - p a c e d training course is offered from T a c o ' s F l o P r o University. Trainer Dave Holdorf pro- vides professional contractor FloPro Team members with an introduction to wiring residential hydronic systems. For new hands, or as a refresher for veteran pros, the course pro- vides everything installers need to know. Holdorf covers all the essentials, begin- ning with the need to solve common system control challenges. It's the first of several Wiring for Hydronics courses offered by Taco. In plain English, Holdorf explains the three parts of every electrical circuit and introduces learners to the variety of switches encountered and explains how relays con- vert 120 VAC current to the 24 V needed to control devices. Holdorf explains the basic electrical terms, circuits, how to use a multimeter and basic system troubleshooting. Participants also learn how to wire a Taco SR501 single zone switching relay, what to look for when buying a multi meter and how to use it for some of the basic trou- bleshooting that can make short work of wiring mysteries. Participants work at their own place and at their own pace with easy review of any material, and quizzes are provided while working toward the exam. Learn more at www.flopro.taco-hvac.com. field coNTrols expaNds eNgiNeeriNg Team Field Controls announces the hire of Devendra Kulkarni as product engi- neer. Kulkarni will lead Field Controls in designing and developing air movement products and systems, as well as devel- oping production processes that assure product quality. Kulkarni is experienced in leading engineering design and testing programs of HVAC compo- nents. His exper- tise lies within new product develop- ment, prototyp- ing, instrumen- tation with air- flow, sound and vibration testing as well as many other skills. Kulkarni came to Field Controls after holding engineering positions with other leading HVAC companies. His past responsibilities included new prod- uct development, laboratory testing and product certification. Kulkarni received his Ph.D. in engineering from Tennessee Technological University, where he stud- ied the development of turbulent flows and conducted lab testing for divided flow fittings. Field Controls manufactures diverse and innovative products for air move- ment, air control, and indoor air quality, including draft, venting, and combustion air systems for residential and commer- cial applications, and a broad array of IAQ solutions. asHrae explores paTH Toward iNvolvemeNT iN resideNTial When it comes to energy, the residential sector consumes a fifth of all the primary energy used by the United States (21%) and more than half (54%) of all energy used by buildings. Similar trends are also observed in other parts of the world. For example, in Europe residential buildings account for 75% of the total building stock and are responsible for 26.2% of the total European Union final energy consump- tion in 2012. Those figures reflect big energy use. They also present big opportunities for sustainability. From economic, environmental and energy security perspectives, a sector responsible for this much energy con- sumption requires significant attention, notes Tom Phoenix, ASHRAE president. Just as importantly, because we typically spend nearly 90% of our time indoors and most of that time is in the home, the indoor environments of residential buildings have a very significant impact on health, productivity and comfort. Household air pollution from indoor combustion for cooking and heating is estimated by the World Health Organization to result in over 4 million deaths annually worldwide —nearly 8% of the total, predominantly in developing economies. As such, ASHRAE is exploring its role in residential, looking at how it can con- tribute most effectively to the improve- ment of the performance of residential buildings. The Society recently released a report, "ASHRAE and the Residential Construction Market," which contains a series of recommendations to the board of directors. "Our members do work on buildings all day and then go home, failing to effec- tively bring the best of ASHRAE home with us to improve energy efficiency and indoor air quality," Phoenix said. Max Sherman, who chairs the Presidential Ad Hoc Committee on the Residential Construction Market that developed the report, noted that one of the first questions the group explored was "what is residential." In the United States, residential is often associated with low-rise, single- family houses. This association is evident in the division in scopes between the International Residential Code and the International Building Code and between the scopes of ASHRAE standards related to indoor air quality and energy. Additionally, mid-rise multifamily construction often seems to fall through the cracks and is not adequately addressed in either current residential or nonresidential standards. Sherman said the exploration into resi- dential began under the guidance of 2013- 14 ASHRAE President Bill Bahnfleth. The committee looked at the importance of the residential sector, what ASHRAE is already doing in the residential sector and how ASHRAE's role is viewed in the residential market. As part of that, a workshop for key stakeholders was held earlier in the year. 40 ocToBer 2014 | fUel oil News | www.fueloilnews.com HVAC/HYDRONICS N e w s Devendra Kulkarni