Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008 - (Page 10)

In The News NEWS AT A GLANCE • The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) is seeking nominations for its Mentor of the Year Award, given each year to the one member of NSPE who best exemplifies the ideal image of a mentor. Submissions are due by March 31. For more information, go to www.nspe.org. • Lexington Insurance Co., Boston, has introduced Upgrade to Green Commercial, a plan that allows for the rebuilding of sites with green construction practices. The company will cover the expenses of sustainable building practices and other eco-friendly materials, along with paying the costs of recycling during reconstruction and at the time of loss. For more information, go to www.lexingtoninsurance.com. A/E salary increases smaller in 2008 A rchitectural/engineering firms are cally $78 per month for employee-only coverpredicting a median salary increase age and $302 for employee and family coverof 4.0% for 2008, according to a age. While health insurance costs continue to report from Natick, Mass.-based ZweigWhite, skyrocket, many firms (72%) are now offering down from 2007’s actuemployees flexible spendal increase of 4.3%. In ing accounts to help offA/E salaries are predicted to “2008 Policies, Proceset these costs. increase by 4% in 2008, slightly bedures & Benefits SurOther benefits firms low the actual increase of 4.3% in are more likely to offer vey of Architecture, 2007, according to recent survey. Engineering, Planning now than five years ago & Environmental Coninclude domestic partner sulting Firms,” ZweigWhite analysts report benefits, the ability to work from home, and that most firms surveyed (80%) include pay employee assistance programs. Also, accordincreases in their annual budgets, and nearly ing to the survey report, about a quarter of all firms that have a formal salary review pro- firms (24%) provide employees with a track for cesses (92%) do so on an annual basis. advancement-defined paths employees can folOther findings from the report show the low to grow in the firm. majority of firms (57%) require employees to For more information, go to www contribute to health insurance premiums—typi- .zweigwhite.com. New CSI format released The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) released the new “SectionFormat/PageFormat,” a joint publication with Construction Specifications Canada (CSC). The document is the first to combine the two recommended formatting standards into one publication, providing a uniform approach to organizing and presenting specification sections. “Combining SectionFormat and PageFormat into a single publication provides the industry with a standardized, consistent structure for organizing construction specifications,” said CSI Executive Director and CEO Walter Marlowe. “It will help all sectors of the industry communicate more complete and accurate specifications in project manuals by ensuring the integration of specifications across many different systems.” For more information about “Section Format/PageFormat, go to www.csinet.org. Ozone, sick buildings linked A team of researchers at the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found evidence that the prevalence of building-related symptoms (BRS) increases with increasing outdoor concentrations of the pollutant ozone. They also have discovered that the type of air filter that some buildings use in their ventilation systems also may play a role in the prevalence of BRS. The team found that the combination of higher outdoor ozone levels and the use of a polyester or other synthetic filter correlates with a statistically significant increase in the prevalence of BRS compared to other types of air filters. This filter showed a significant association with lower and upper respiratory symptoms, cough, sore eyes, fatigue, and headache. For the full story, go to www.lbl.gov. EVENTS • April 21-24: IEEE PES Transmission and Distribution Conference and Expo, McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago. • April 22–24: National Conference on Building Commissioning (NCBC), Marriott Newport Beach Resort and Spa, Newport Beach, Calif. • May 19-22: Ecobuild America and AEC Science & Technology, Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, Calif. FOR MORE NEWS GO TO: STORIES WWW.CSEMAG.COM 10 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • MARCH 2008 http://www.nspe.org http://www.zweigwhite.com http://www.zweigwhite.com http://www.lexingtoninsurance.com http://www.csinet.org http://www.lbl.gov

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008 Contents Viewpoint Letters News M/E Roundtable Grade A HVAC When UPS and Gensets Have Issues Ignite Opportunities To Mentor Fire Protection Engineers Cooling People, Not Buildings Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space Pure Power Supplement Edison Institute Honors Recovery Efforts Canada Launches Clean Energy Software Climate Change Drives Increased Investment Critical Power for R&D Heating Calculations for Electrical Duct Bank Submetering for Energy Profiling New Products

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008

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