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34 MAY 2015 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com HVAC/HYDRONICS N E W S ASHRAE PUBLISHES REVISION OF GROUND SOURCE HEAT PUMP BOOK When ASHRAE's original book on ground source heat pumps was published 17 years ago, such systems were used mainly in resi- dential settings and designers who used them were seen as risk takers. Today, the technology is much more widely used having been recognized for its benefits. The lessons learned during that time are incorporated in a newly pub- lished book from ASHRAE, "Geothermal Heating and Cooling: Design of Ground- S o u r c e H e a t P u m p S y s t e m s . " T h e publication is a complete revision of "Ground-Source Heat Pumps: Design of Geothermal Systems for commercial and Institutional Buildings," published in 1997 and recognized as the primary reference for non-residential GSHP installations. The new book was written by Steve Kavanaugh, professor emeritus at the University of Alabama, and Kevin Rafferty, a consulting engineer, Klamath Falls, Ore. Both have spent the last 25 years focused on geothermal/GSHP work. "One of the realities of the GSHP indus- try is that, to some degree, it has been a victim of its own success," Rafferty said. "Years ago the struggle was to simply get design teams to consider using the technol- ogy. Though this is still an issue in some areas, nationally it is far less of an issue than 20 years ago. There is now fairly wide rec- ognition of the benefits of GSHP systems, particularly on the part of building owners in the schools and office building sectors, where the technology has achieved its high- est penetration rates. However, there also is a widely held view that anything bearing the name 'geothermal,' 'ground source' or 'earth energy' will produce the desired high effi- ciency/low operating cost. As a result, poorly designed systems are often installed and building owners expectations are unmet." The book provides benchmarks, design strategies and information necessary for engineers to configure the most efficient and cost effective systems and avoid prob- lems such as inefficient pumping, high cost ground loop designs, inadequate outside air provisions, unnecessarily complex control schemes and other common design errors. In addition to cost and performance data, Kavanaugh provides building owners and their architects the information necessary to ask the right questions and accurately evalu- ate potential engineering consultants. The net effect is a more cost effective and efficient design and satisfied building owners. "GSHP produces superior HVAC system performance and when properly imple- mented can be cost competitive with many (but not all) conventional systems," Rafferty said. "They can be operated with far simpler controls than traditional HVAC systems, and also can reduce equipment building space requirements, reduce duct work requirements and eliminate the need for external building mechanical equipment." As part of the revision, seven of the original eight chapters and appendi- ces were completely rewritten and now include coverage of close-loop ground (ground-coupled), groundwater, sur- face water, GSHP equipment and GSHP piping. Additional information on site characterization has been added including a new hydro-geological chapter. The cost of "Geothermal Heating and Cooling: Design of Ground-Source Heat Pump Systems" is $128 ($109, ASHRAE members). To order, contact ASHRAE Customer C o n t a c t C e n t e r a t 1 - 8 0 0 - 5 2 7 - 4 7 2 3 (United States and Canada) or 404-636- 8400 (worldwide), fax 678-539-2129, or visit www.ashrae.org/bookstore. ECR INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES N.H. YATES AS MID-ATLANTIC REPRESENTATIVE ECR International, parent company of notable HVAC industry brands such as Dunkirk, Utica Boilers, Pennco, Argo controls and Olsen fur- naces has announced N.H. Yates as its manufacturer's representative in the Mid- Atlantic region. ECR was started in 1928 by Earle C. Reed founding both Dunkirk Radiator and Utica Boilers. Through organic growth and acquisition, ECR has become a multi-product and brand manufacturer of boilers, furnaces, controls and air-con- ditioning products. Since 1949 N.H. Yates & Co., Inc. has been providing the highest qual- ity products and services to the HVAC and plumbing industry. Yates & Co. is primarily a manufacturer's repre- sentative firm operating regionally in Maryland, Virginia, Washington, D.C. and parts of Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, New Jersey, and North & South Carolina. N.H. Yates is headquartered in Cockeysville, Md., with satellite offices throughout the territory and fully staffed offices and warehouses in Pottstown, Pa., Cockeysville, Md., and Kernersville, N.C. REVISION OF ASHRAE IAQ GUIDELINE OPEN FOR PUBLIC COMMENT ASHRAE Guideline 24-2008, Ventilation and Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings, is the companion guideline to ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62.2-2007, Ventilation and Acceptable Indoor Air Quality in Low-Rise Residential Buildings. Guideline 24 provides infor- mation on achieving good IAQ that goes beyond the requirements contained in Standard 62.2 by providing explanatory and educational material not included in the code-intended standard. A revision of the guideline is currently open for public comment until May 11, 2015. To learn more or to comment, visit www.ashrae.org/standardsactions. This marks the first time since 2008 that the document is being revised, according to chair Paul Francisco. The revision includes a range of changes intended to provide clar- ification to previous guidance and update the Guideline for current understanding. A revision of the guideline is currently open for public comment until May 11, 2015. To learn more or to com- ment, visit www.ashrae.org/ standardsactions.