< Previous1829 that America had its first state facility that used stored hydronic heat and flushing toilets. The facility was the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Fun fact: in 1829, even the White House didn’t have flushing toilets! PROBLEMS WITH REDESIGN The Eastern State Penitentiary operated with no issues until 1935 when additions to the prison included adding a second floor. Sometime later, they discovered the addition of the second floor compromised the entire hydronic design, forc- ing engineers to redesign the system. It was nev- er right again! The modifications’ impact on the original balanced systems never were overcome until its closing. The advances of the past 100 years have tak- en the conversation of thermal storage to new heights and temperatures that can achieve considerable returns under the right (engineered) conditions. The use of thermal storage for satisfying cool- ing demands has moved into chilled water sys- tems. Although chilled water cooling has been in use for years in the commercial sector, more homes today are designed with a passive energy efficiency intent as the primary goal. These sys- tems try to maintain a typical residential foot- print. Chilled water storage requires an array of equipment, from compressor banks to huge dis- trict chiller farms serving large cities. Residential projects using these systems can only achieve efficiency goals if correctly de- signed, installed, and balanced. Over the T here are often questions and doubts regarding thermal banking systems, how they work, the benefits compared to Design/Build costs, as well as main- tenance and operating cost changes over the sys- tem’s life. For centuries man has capitalized on the ben- efits of stored hot water systems. One of the first uses of natural hot water for heating was in a monastery in Greenland at the end of the 14th century. This first example does not use stored ther- mal energy as we think about it today. It is the first known example of a BALANCED hydronic system as the flow of hot spring water had to be regulated so the spaces were not over heated or turned into steam rooms. The Romans became masters at the direction and control of stored resources such as water for their cities, agriculture, and more. Central bath houses required fresh and heated water. This re- quired huge wood-fired boilers carefully engi- neered and controlled (balanced). Even with the early achievements of the monks and the Romans centuries ago, it wasn’t until 10 JANUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY Thermal Storage and Ice Banking Systems By Jeff Sturgeon COMMERCIAL HVAC Imagine arriving at a prison to serve your sentence and being greeted by 12-foot-tall gargoyles squatting over the entryway with stored steam jetting from their mouths.Many universities and emerging technology labs have been working on vari- ous ways to reduce operat- ing costs. One idea was to use lower-cost tier times at night to generate energy that could offset daytime electrical costs. It is more effective to operate the equipment during cooler nighttime temperatures. This is called Ice Banking. Ice banking can effective- ly offset space and produc- tion cooling costs, especial- ly in hotter climate areas. It is pretty simple in theory. The goal is to divert the chilled water from the cooling coils and equipment to a storage device that will allow you to use that stored cold energy later to help offset the operat- ing costs of large plant systems. This technology has an unlimit- ed number of sizes, configurations, and applications. It comes with more complex scopes and can be even more reliant on the installed job being cor- rectly balanced to achieve the de- sign goals and return on investment. These systems can range in size from small five-ton pack- aged unit systems to extremely large dis- trict-type built-up systems rated for up to thousands of tons of cooling. ICE BANKING APPLICATIONS Simple ice banks have been used for years in soda and beer dispens- ing systems due to their exceptional ability to recover to high-demand flow periods. They are relatively cheap to purchase and op- erate. They build up a bank of ice at night or during slow periods, and as the high-demand period starts, the ice bank begins to melt, maintaining product temperature. The system re- builds ice during slow or nighttime periods. Ice Bank systems used in the com- mercial and industrial sectors are vastly larger and more complex, us- ing equipment from cold plates, stor- age tanks, and silos to large farms of ice storage tanks and devices. Some Ice Bank systems are so well engineered and balanced that the me- chanical cooling systems may nev- er operate during daylight hours ex- cept for high-demand periods. Some use balls filled with water that freezes in a brine or glycol solution pumped through the system. Others use frozen eutectic salt and complex ice solutions that remove heat from whatever it serves. In this way, ice banks save wear and tear on chiller systems and shift power con- sumption to non-peak hours. Oh, and last several years, I have worked on several huge homes plagued by prob- lems in one or more of these areas. The problems compromised comple- tion time and cost, and often led to litigation proceedings and court judgments. In nearly all the problematic homes, we managed to correct issues or sig- nificantly reduce their negative im- pacts by first seeking to understand the system design, its goals, equip- ment function and operation, and in- stallation. We compared the results of our testing and measuring that con- flicts with the design and its intent. That enabled us to correctly diag- nose what was happening and create a scope of work to facilitate repairs. ICE BANKING With utility costs and tiered peak usage rates impacting commercial, in- dustrial, institutional, and military fa- cility operating costs, attention is be- ing focused on new approaches to energy savings. HVAC industry man- ufacturers have put forth great effort in making the equipment we use more efficient, but more must be done. JANUARY 2023 11HVACTODAY.COM12 JANUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY there is a bonus in that ice banks act as effective redundancy to the facility. CALIFORNIA’S ICE BANK SUBSIDIES With California’s thirst for energy efficiency, state utilities have sig- nificantly subsidized thousands of ice banking projects using incentive programs. Many of these projects were on new buildings, but most were part of fa- cility retrofits, expansions, and up- grades. Hospitals, universities, and many other sectors rushed to the op- portunity of the possible savings and benefits. Unfortunately, benefits were not achieved due, in large part, to the as- sumption that ice banks will magically work right once installed. If they don’t, the finger-pointing begins: contrac- tors blame the manufacturer or engi- neers, so they wipe their hands and rush off to screw up the next job. Sadly, many projects go through the balancing process, and the system still doesn’t operate as intended. A QUICK CASE STUDY In one such case, I was asked to test two ice banking systems with one of our NCI-trained contractors. The site engineer could not understand why COMMERCIAL HVACthe ice bank systems and reduced daylight chiller operations from 31% to less than 5% over the next three- month period. With the more advanced embed- ded technologies in these systems and countless configurations, it is impera- tive to honestly inform yourself about their operations within your contract. PROPER FOCUS IS ESSENTIAL One thing became apparent: when contractors hurriedly completed and submitted projects for incentives, then moved to the next project, the cost of NOT correctly doing some- thing greatly dwarfed the cost of doing it right the first time. Often the con- tractor ends up paying for someone else to return to fix the project using proper commissioning and balancing, or worse, replacing damaged chillers and storage systems due to incorrect operation. Under the microscope of energy effi- ciency, it is more important than ever to focus on these potentially efficient systems properly. If we don’t, we tar- nish our industry. they were having issues operating the plant’s systems effectively and had been going after the manufacturers to solve the problems. Sadly, we could not reproduce any measurement recorded in the certified balancing report. Why? After our initial pass through the systems, it was apparent the hy- dronic loop flow rates, controls, and the chiller were not set to design — many settings remained at factory de- faults which confounded the facility team. The installing contractor guar- anteed that the balancing was correct and to design. It took more than three years for the facility to get the attention guaranteed by the agency. Since then, the facility has enjoyed a significant benefit from Jeff Sturgeon is the Southern California Training Center Manager/ Instructor for National Comfort Institute. He has more than 30 years of res- idential and commercial HVAC and refrigeration field experience. Jeff works with hundreds of contractors and their field personnel to help insure successful implementation of Southern California Edison’s Workforce Education & Training programs. He can be reached at ncilink.com/ContactMe . JANUARY 2023 13HVACTODAY.COM14 JANUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYthese systems so they can better manage their HVAC systems. Technavio also cites the growing importance of air monitoring systems in HVAC equipment. The reasons start with indoor air quality, but also the impact of proper air control in the life of commer- cial HVAC systems. Tom Winstel, president of Cincinnati-based Enervise, LLC – a commercial HVAC contrac- tor – says, “During the pandemic, building own- ers suddenly understood the difference between good and poor filtration. We also saw increased demand for air purification, either through ul- traviolet germi- cidal irradiation or bipolar ioniza- tion devices. Sales of those types of air handler reno- vations increased significantly. And as the pandemic grew, IAQ demand by building occu- pants increased.” He adds that the key for his com- pany was to en- sure his team was talking with build- ing owners and listening to their needs so they could provide the best service possible. He wrote about this in an article entitled, “Changes Caused by the Pandemic in Commercial HVAC Ser- vice,” which you can read here: ncilink.com/ Winstel. According to the American Institute of Ar- chitects (AIA), 2023 looks good with spending W elcome to 2023. There is so much happening in the not-so-post- COVID world that it might be good to pause and look at what’s hap- pening and what it could mean to commercial HVAC contracting firms. From an economic standpoint, most market re- search groups are saying the economy is still go- ing strong, and with just a few bumps in the road, 2023 should be a great year. For example, market research firm Technavio, in a December 2022 press release, estimates the U.S. HVAC systems market will surge by $22.1 bil- lion from 2021 to 2026 at an acceler- ating compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.2%. The release says one factor driving growth is the in- creased construc- tion of data cen- ters. That makes sense with the in- flux of smart build- ing tech over the last five years. Commercial HVAC systems are indis- pensable for data centers to maintain tempera- ture, humidity, airflow, and cleanliness so these sensitive electronic components continue to func- tion correctly. For those contractors involved with smart building technologies that focus on controlling energy consumption, the good news is that more building owners and managers are turning to Welcome to 2023: A Commercial HVAC Market Outlook By Mike Weil MANAGEMENT Market Segment Consensus Growth Forecasts Source AIA 2023 6.0% 4.5% 3.5% 3.2% 13.8% 9.9% 5.5% 5.7% 5.2% -1.1% 5.5% 5.8% 2022 9.1% 6.7% 2.6% 11.5% -5.4% 31.0% 2.6% 5.0% 2.0% -8.7% -10% 7.5% Overall nonresidential building Commercial total O ce space Retail & other commercial Hotels Industrial total Institutional total Healthcare facilities Education Religious Public safety Amusement/recreation Source: Technavio 2022 JANUARY 2023 15HVACTODAY.COMin 2022 up 9% and spending for 2023 forecasted to be up another 6%. In their Consensus Construction Forecast they say “This outlook is somewhat more optimistic than what was projected at the beginning of the year, largely due to the extremely strong gains in the manufacturing cat- egory, as well as surprising strength in retail facilities.” SOME CHALLENGES ON THE HORIZON Several factors will have an im- pact on the commercial HVAC mar- ketplace. In a study by Market Re- search Future, these factors include: z The high price of installation and maintenance of commercial HVAC equipment. A lot of this has to do with supply chain issues, workforce shortages, and, subsequently, com- ponent shortages zEnergy consumption concerns and a more proactive push toward green energy initiatives zIncreased competition from non-traditional HVAC actors zSupply chain issues caused by COVID-19 shutdowns are still im- pacting the commercial market- place. Another challenge is inflation. Me- dia outlets like CNBC say the Fed- eral Reserve’s raising interest rates is working, and inflation is slowing down. Greg McBride, the chief analyst at Bankrate, says, “with the year- over-year rate of inflation still above 7%, we have to check our expectations at the door” when it comes to rate in- creases, and therefore inflation, end- ing anytime soon.” In the CNBC report, McBride adds that it might take all of 2023 be- fore inflation returns to the Federal Reserve’s target 2% rate. CONTINUED PUSH FOR ENERGY REGULATIONS It’s no secret that as of this month (January 2023), new Department of Energy (DOE) regulations are in ef- fect, increasing the minimum efficien- cies of commercial packaged air con- ditioning and heat pump equipment by 15%. This is the second efficiency increase on commercial equipment in the last five years. This means that current equipment needs to be retest- ed or re-rated. These changes are all part of DOE’s ongoing push to reduce overall U.S. energy consumption. The new DOE regulations will first impact equipment manufacturers who have been hard at work changing their testing procedures and designing products that will comply. The chang- es will increase their costs, which means they will increase your costs, and ultimately the price commercial building owners and managers have to pay to upgrade their systems. There has been plenty written about these regulations over the last year. Many manufacturers have published information on how they are comply- ing and what this means to their cus- tomers. Suffice it to say these chang- es will require continued training for HVAC contractors as field testing and measuring will change. The good news is that High-Perfor- mance HVAC contractors are in the catbird’s seat because they are already in a position to help building own- ers and managers reduce their energy consumption. How? By testing, mea- suring, and then diagnosing issues and creating solutions that can decrease energy consumption while increasing comfort and indoor air quality. NET ZERO AND OTHER SUSTAINABLE GOALS What I’m talking about here is the Net-Zero Building initiative. On the energy.gov website, they describe zero-energy buildings as those that are “designed and built to consume as lit- tle energy as possible. When a renew- able source of energy is added to these buildings, they are capable of produc- ing enough energy to meet or exceed their requirements to run.” Alongside net-zero are the provi- sions of the Paris Climate Agree- ment, which the Biden Administra- tion rejoined by executive order on February 19th, 2021. This interna- tional agreement has greenhouse gas emission, decarbonization, electrifi- cation, and low GWP (global warming potential) refrigerant requirements to be achieved by 2030. The DOE and other government agencies have really increased their initiative to achieve these goals (thus the new energy standards), as a result of climate change. To achieve these goals requires using building materi- als, designs, and construction practic- es that increase initial costs and lead times of projects – not only in the con- struction world, but in the commercial HVAC world as well. Net-Zero is a goal that faces many obstacles – at least in terms of the cur- rent economy and state of technolo- gy. Many solutions involve the use of highly efficient products and materials and up until now, didn’t consider the impact of airflow on the efficiency of mechanical systems. Technology plays a part in all of 16 JANUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAY MANAGEMENTJANUARY 2023 17HVACTODAY.COM sources to help train the next gener- ation. Training organizations like Na- tional Comfort Institute (NCI), that provide hands-on and virtual training resources, also play a huge role. Many commercial HVAC contractors also take fate into their own hands by establishing training centers for their field service and installation techni- cians and are proactive in recruiting technicians into their companies. Still, 2023 and beyond will contin- ue posing challenges when it comes to recruiting, training, and retaining commercial field service and installa- tion technicians. The only thing con- tractors can do is create a training plan, execute that plan, and revisit it to make sure it is working. FINAL THOUGHTS … Overall, the commercial market out- look for the HVAC Industry is ratch- eting upwards in 2023. Opportunities abound, but as pointed out, there are a number of landmines to avoid. One last thought: in addition to ev- erything discussed here, it’s more important than ever to vigilantly fo- cus on providing customers best-in- class service. As Tom Winstel wrote, “We cannot hide behind the supply chain or tolerate mediocre quality ser- vice as an industry. In responsive ser- vice, we need to enhance communica- tions with customers to explain supply chain issues and how proper mainte- nance benefits them. “Good quality service and mainte- nance do not go out of vogue. It’s as essential as ever.” Yes there are challenges to 2023, but there are also many opportunities, es- pecially if you focus on system perfor- mance and training. portant than ever before. The key phrase here is ‘HVAC per- formance.’ Trained professional HVAC contractors focus on making sure the commercial HVAC equipment is op- timized to deliver the correct airflow, while maintaining the right tempera- ture and humidity levels in tenant-oc- cupied buildings. By properly main- taining that equipment as well as air filtration systems, contractors help building owners and managers control mold and mildew as well as viruses be- ing spread throughout the structure. Trained HVAC pros are the key to helping commercial customers meet clean air requirements of the Biden challenge. FILLING IN THE GAPS Today there is a severe shortage of techs. As wave after wave of Baby Boomers retire, in what many call the “Silver Tsunami,” the shortage will only get worse. It is said that an av- erage of 10,000 baby boomers reach retirement age every day! Add to that the rising cost for labor, especially since the pandemic, squeezing mar- gins which, according to Alan Beau- lieu of ITR Economics in an October 2022 blog post, will continue to accel- erate higher in the coming year. How does the industry fill in the manpower gaps? HVAC equipment manufacturers and distributors play an important role in providing re- this as well. Studies by companies like Johnson Controls and others show that commercial organizations are planning to increase investments in higher energy efficient products, smart building control technologies (including those that use artificial in- telligence to help with monitoring and controlling energy use), and more. For the first time the new DOE regu- lations include airflow considerations. That falls right into the wheelhouse of most High-Performance HVAC con- tractors who measure airflow (or lack of it), then determine how that im- pacts everything from overall building efficiency to comfort, Indoor Air Qual- ity (IAQ), and even productivity. IAQ AND HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS Speaking of IAQ, thanks to near- ly three years’ worth of pandemic, the world has laser-focused on build- ing IAQ as it pertains to public health. Joseph G. Allen, associate profes- sor of exposure assessment science at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health founded something called the Healthy Buildings program that “synthesized 30 years of public health science” into a report that iden- tifies what makes a building healthy. In his 9 Foundations of a Healthy Building report, he cites wellness, ventilation, indoor air quality, ther- mal health, and humidity among his key foundations. That, along with the Biden Admin- istration’s launch of the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge on March 17, 2022, in collaboration with the U.S. En- vironmental Protection Agency (EPA), make HVAC system performance and healthy indoor environments more im- “Good quality service and maintenance do not go out of vogue. It’s as essential as ever.”18 JANUARY 2023HIGH-PERFORMANCE HVAC TODAYdiscover the invisible problems they solve. With- out that training and knowing how to use the proper test instruments, Air Upgrade opportuni- ties will remain hidden. The foundation for an Air Upgrade is precisely repairing defects discovered when testing an ex- isting system. You find hidden airside issues and then offer modifications to improve airflow and lower static pressure. These enhancements are usually at the equipment and usually solve un- comfortable rooms. One of the worst assumptions about an Air Up- grade is that you must completely demolish the existing duct system and then rebuild it. This assumption simply isn’t valid. Instead, Air Up- grades provide a starting point to improve equip- ment performance, energy efficiency, and cus- tomer comfort. You can easily add Air Upgrades to most equip- ment replacement projects since they don’t re- quire additional days on-site. Air Upgrades won’t make a system perfect, but they will correct the most frequent issues your customers have. WHY AIR UPGRADES ARE IMPORTANT Air Upgrades are all about making your cus- tomers happy. It eases their minds when they have comfort problems that are fixed right the first time. They are assured they’ll get what they paid for, because you prove the results through testing and measurements. One of the most challenging things about Air Upgrades is ensuring you choose applicable re- pairs. When your choices are based on test re- sults and not guesses, you can be sure you have the right corrections and aren’t creating any new problems. These measurements also give you more confidence. I t’s well-recognized that duct systems play an essential part in HVAC equipment efficiency and performance. From National Comfort Institute (NCI) studies, average airflow from the typical installed system is much lower than manufacturer specifications. With proper airflow gaining more attention than ever before, why not capitalize on this grow- ing opportunity? In the October 2022 issue of High-Perfor- mance HVAC Today, we looked at howto use an air balancing hood to generate in- terest in Air Upgrades. This test instrument helps your customers understand the connec- tion between airflow and their desired solutions. Let’s now look further into Air Upgrades and how you can customize them to address your customer’s issues and fit into your company operations. WHAT IS AN AIR UP- GRADE, ANYWAY? An Air Upgrade is a customized airside solu- tion you offer custom- ers to help resolve their unique comfort and ef- ficiency problems. It re- quires you to have the proper training, making air upgrades exclusive to you. Why? Because you’re the only one who can How to Create Custom Air Upgrades By David Richardson MANAGEMENT Typical nameplate data found on air handling equipment used for Air Upgrades. JANUARY 2023 19HVACTODAY.COMNext >