The home heating oil industry has a long and proud history, and Fuel Oil News has been there supporting it since 1935. It is an industry that has faced many challenges during that time. In its 77th year, Fuel Oil News is doing more than just holding
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38 March 2015 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com HVAC/HYDRONICS N e w s SELF-rEgULatINg MatErIaLS: What IF YOUr hOME cOULd hEat ItSELF? Use of microencapsulated phase change materials in global building and con- struction is accelerating, while energy efficiency regulations mount globally. MPCMs can help regulate room tem- perature without using fuel or energy, a primary reason this technology is quickly gaining popularity. "MPCMs can provide thermal mass in buildings on a smaller scale of material mass and weight while regulating temper- ature comfort, making them suitable in compact and lightweight building struc- tures," said Frost & Sullivan Chemicals and Materials Principal Analyst Raghu Tantry. "Focus on green buildings has also increased the range of applications for construction products incorporating MPCM." Market growth will depend primarily on how suitable new MPCM technologies are for commercialization. Investments in research and development will be critical, and addressing development roadblocks will slow down time to market. Deficiencies in testing standards and measurements add to the challenge. Integration of PCM into building and construction products has generated need for new standards and test mea- surements. Further, development of better testing methods is expected to take time. Organic MPCMs cost much more than inorganic PCMs, which deters potential users from incorporating MPCMs in their products. Other factors affecting uptake include fire safety concerns over the use of paraffin waxes as PCMs, and stringent regulatory and environmental controls on materials for construction. "Establishing alliances with technol- ogy providers and architects could help develop the MPCM portfolio quickly for completed projects and foster a deeper understanding of customer needs in spe- cific markets," recommended Tantry. "Offering technical support and customer service too will be paramount for MPCM suppliers to succeed in this market." aShraE/USgBc/IES agrEE tO dEvELOp BIOMaSS rEqUIrEMENtS FOr grEEN BUILdINg StaNdard The development of biomass requirements is being explored by ASHRAE, U.S. Green Building Council and the Illuminating Engineering Society, for inclusion in their co-sponsored green building standard. A S H R A E / I E S / U S G B C S t a n d a r d 189.1, Standard for the Design of High Performance Green Buildings, contains minimum requirements for the siting, design and construction of high-performance green buildings in support of reducing building energy, resource consumption and other environmental impacts. To that end, the standard contains requirements for the use of renewable energy systems such as solar, wind and geothermal. T h e S t a n d a r d 1 8 9 . 1 C o m m i t t e e recently considered a proposal to add biomass to the definition of renewable energy systems, which was submitted by an interested individual from outside the committee. In this context, biomass includes organic material, such as wood and crop waste, that can be burned to gen- erate thermal energy. At ASHRAE's 2015 Winter Conference held recently in Chicago, the committee voted not to accept the proposal to simply add the word biomass to this definition. However, in its response to the proposal, the committee stated that they intend to work on a definition of biomass as well as requirements on the use of biomass to meet the renewable energy requirements of the standard, according to chair Andy Persily. While the proposal from the commit- tee must first go through the ASHRAE standards development procedures as well as public review, the committee is gENEraL FILtErS, INc. prESENtS "SOarINg EagLE" aWard tO haLFpENNY SaLES General Filters, Inc. presented the "Soaring Eagle" Award to Halfpenny Sales during their annual sales representative meeting. Held during the 2015 AHR Expo (this year in Chicago), the Soaring Eagle is awarded to the sales representative company that best meets a wide array of business objectives in 2014. (Left to right) Vice President of sales & Customer service, Tony Burks; President Carl Redner; Nick woods and Bill Halfpenny of Halfpenny sales; and Vice President John Redner.