Engineered Systems - March 2009 - (Page 8)

Editor’sNote BY ROBERT BEVERLY DOUBLE FEATURE Better boilers and vicarious video, coming to a Web browser near you. In a typical month, either of these would be the big story for this page. But thanks to, well, sheer coincidence, we have two big website additions to tell you about. ES-TV: GIVING YOU THE INFO WITHOUT THE AIRFARE You probably didn’t go to AHR this year. The general sentiment around the show floor was that the attendance was a little off the first day, but that the quality of interest was as high or higher than usual. I’m sure a lot of people might’ve wanted to go and see what’s new but are scaling back their work travel this year. Which is what makes our new ES-TV website section so helpful for you, the inquisitive and overworked engineer. In the future, you may see all manner of video here, but for starters we’ve launched with a healthy serving of AHR booth visits. You can get the scoop on what was being emphasized by the following manufacturers: Aerco, Desert Aire, Hurst Boiler, Johnson Controls, Lochinvar (2), Metraflex, MovinCool, Raypak, Taco, and Uponor. The videos are a couple or a few minutes in length, and we’re not talking about footage we shot on our cell phones. They all are professionally shot and edited, so you can focus on the content without being distracted by amateur production quality. As you can see, even this limited opening batch covers a lot of equipment ground, from BAS to pumps to software to boilers to piping to spot cooling. Cost? Nothing, as you’d expect. Registration? Nope, access is wide open. Since we’ve carved out a prime piece of homepage real estate to highlight the section, you can’t miss it. Watch whichever video is on the front page at the moment, or click to go to the ES-TV page, where all of them are listed and waiting. In terms of the AHR Expo, it’s definitely the next best thing to being there. Might even be a little better, if you aren’t a fan of temperatures that make merely “freezing” sound balmy. Did I mention I made my ES video debut in one of these? Just doing a little 8 En gi n eer ed Sy stem s Q&A to draw out some info, and yet I still had that “I don’t really sound like that, do I?” reaction, you know? Drop by and see for yourself, but remember, I’m a print guy! SMOOTH STARTUP FOR OUR NEW BOILER MICROSITE The other feature in this “ES firsts” double feature is our brand-new boiler microsite. It is, as you may have already shrewdly deduced, a space within our site that is dedicated to all boilers, all the time. (And the especially prescient among you may have guessed that the microsite’s URL is, in fact, http://www.esmagazine.com/boilers. Pretty avant garde, huh?) Looking at the handy Top 10 lists at the bottom of our homepage, you might’ve joined me in noticing how consistently popular some of our archived boiler feature articles have been. This microsite will be a place where we will keep this content fresh and within easy reach for you, whether it’s “Boilers For Today: Types, Cost & Controls” or “Don’t Get Burned By A Boiler Retrofit Project” or whatever we publish in the future. However, the microsite will also stay fresh with the latest boiler-related product entries. Our current batch, for example, also includes a boiler conductivity sensor and a pH neutralizing system as well. It will also host relevant press releases from manufacturers in the sector, along with certain Case In Point entries that fit the bill. Finally, we are very happy to include an “ABMA Corner” in the microsite, to deliver current info from the members of the American Boiler Manufacturers Association. In addition to the usual items like company website updates or industry news, you will also get a few choice pieces of editorial from ABMA’s president, Randy Rawson. He’s good with the fast analysis of market and political forces in today’s fluid and interesting (maybe a little too interesting) times. ALL ABOARD It occurs to me that some of you on the Eastern seaboard might be reading this in time to hop in your car — or if you’re like me, on Amtrak when possible — and come join us for the Green Intelligent Buildings conference, in partnership with LonMark® International. Beyond mentioning that extremely competitive discounts are in effect, I’ll just steer you to check the details on the Web. You can either follow the neat rich-media ad on the homepage or go straight to www.bnpevents. com/ES/BACS. The agenda is packed and ready, sponsors Lumisys and Tridium have done their part, and now all we need is you. Get smarter, greener, and better networked, all while becoming more valuable to your organization. Hope to see you there. ES ES Webinars All webinars are free. Registration and archives at http://webinars.esmagazine.com APRIL 7 HVAC Testing & Balancing: Delivering The Green Design Sponsored by TABB Industry Calendar MARCH 25-26 Green Intelligent Buildings Conference Engineered Systems Arlington, VA. For info, visit www.bnpevents.com/ES/BACS. APRIL 1-2 Globalcon 2009 Association of Energy Engineers Atlantic City, NJ. For info, visit www.globalconevent.com. JUNE 17-19 National Disaster Reconstruction Expo BNP Media and Imago Trade Shows New Orleans. For info, visit www.ndrexpo.com. March 2009 http://www.bnpevents.com/ES/BACS http://www.bnpevents.com/ES/BACS http://www.esmagazine.com/boilers http://webinars.esmagazine.com http://www.bnpevents.com/ES/BACS http://www.globalconevent.com http://www.ndrexpo.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Engineered Systems - March 2009

Engineered Systems - March 2009 Contents Editor’s Note Back2Basics Case In Point Commissioning Building Automation HVACR Designer Tips Application Checklist Teaching An Old School New Tricks Basics For Absorption Chillers A New Haven For Sustainable Schools Glossary Classifieds Advertiser Index Tomorrow’s Environment

Engineered Systems - March 2009

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