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

In The News NEWS AT A GLANCE • The Engineers Joint Contract Documents Committee has published a revised edition of its standard Payment Bond form. The new form, EJCDC C-615(A), is intended to be used on an interim basis as a substitute for EJCDC’s standard payment bond form, EJCDC C-615, pending a full review and re-issuance of the standard form. For more information, go to www.nspe.org. • A report from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, “The Size of the U.S. Energy Efficiency Market: Generating a More Complete Picture,” concludes that although efficiency is a proven resource, it remains underdeveloped. The evidence suggests that efficiency can make an even larger contribution toward stabilizing energy prices and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For more information, go to www.aceee.org. Sweeping changes in store for ADA he Bush Administration approved sweeping changes to the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)—an initiative that will have a definite impact on the AEC industry. An advance text with accompanying analyses and reports was posted on the ADA Web site at www.ada. gov. The changes were published as a Proposed Rule in the June 17 issue of the Federal Register, which initiates a 60-day public review. There is one section for commercial facilities, and another for state and local government services. The advance text posting includes an analysis of the changes as Appendix A. When the review period is over, final rules will be published as law. According to a June 16 story from the New York Times, the proposal will “substantially update and rewrite federal standards for enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act, a landmark civil rights law passed with strong bipartisan support in 1990.” According to the Times story, more than 7 million businesses and all state and local government agencies will be affected. Covered will be all new construction and renovations, with some coverage for existing buildings. The new rules would set more stringent requirements in an effort to meet the needs of an aging population and a growing population of disabled war veterans. A U.S. Census Bureau report states there were 50 million Americans with some type of disability in 2002. According to the report, people have a disability “if they have difficulty performing a specific activity such as seeing, hearing, bathing, or doing light housework, or had a specified condition, such as Alzheimer’s disease or autism. People are considered to have a severe disability if they T are completely unable to perform one or more of these tasks or activities, need personal assistance or have one of the severe conditions described in the report.” Under those definitions, the report stated that approximately 51.2 million people said they had a disability; for 32.5 million of them, the disability was severe. The report did not break down the reasons for the disabilities. Regarding disabled American veterans, a 2007 Census report said that there are 6.1 million veterans with a disability, with about 3.5 million of them over 65 years of age. However, according to the Associated Press, the number of disabled American veterans has increased 25% (to 2.9 million) since 2001 because of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. To review the proposed rule and supplemental reports, go to www.ada.gov. Chart data center energy use The Data Center Energy Profiler, or DC Pro, an online software tool provided by the U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE), is now available in release 1.1.1. The tool is designed to help industries quickly diagnose how data centers use energy. A company can use DC Pro as a first step to identify potential savings and to reduce environmental emissions. DOE officials claim that using DC Pro and information about the data center, a user can complete a profile in about an hour. The tool provides an overview of the company’s energy purchases, data center energy use, savings potential, and a list of specific actions to take. The tool requires the following inputs: case information, energy use system, production information, and supplied energy information. The DC Pro software can be accessed at http://dcpro.ppc.com. EVENTS • Oct. 5–7: Building Commissioning Assn. Conference and Expo, Hyatt Regency Long Island at Wind Watch Golf Club, Long Island, N.Y. www.bcxa.org • Oct. 16–18: AMCA International 53rd Annual Meeting, The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort and Spa, Savannah, Ga. www.amca.org FOR MORE NEWS GO TO: STORIES WWW.CSEMAG.COM 10 Consulting-Specifying Engineer • JULY 2008 http://www.ada.gov http://www.ada.gov http://www.nspe.org http://www.ada.gov http://www.aceee.org http://www.bcxa.org http://www.amca.org http://dcpro.ppc.com

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

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - July 2008 Contents Viewpoint Letters News M/E Roundtable 40 Under 40 Using Demand-Based Reset Strategies VFDs and Motors: Making the Right Match Grounding and Bonding Practices for Hazardous Areas Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - July 2008

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