Consulting-Specifying Engineer - November 2007 - (Page 7)

staff EDITORIAL STAFF MICHAEL G. IVANOVICH, Editor-in-Chief michael.ivanovich@reedbusiness.com SCOTT SIDDENS, Senior Editor ssiddens@reedbusiness.com AMARA ROZGUS, Senior Editor & Manager of E-Content amara.rozgus@reedbusiness.com MELISSA HILLEBRAND, Associate Editor melissa.hillebrand@reedbusiness.com PATRICK LYNCH, Editorial lntern patrick.lynch@reedbusiness.com DIRK CHRISTENSEN, Web site Specialist MYLES ADAMSON, Art Director BARBARA HORWITZ-BENNETT, Contributing Editor CONSULTING EDITORS ANIL AHUJA, PE, LEED AP, RCDD, CCJM Engineers, Chicago PAT BANSE, PE, LEED AP, Senior Mechanical Engineer Smith Seckman Reid Inc., Houston FLOYD BARWIG, AIA, Director, Iowa Engineering Center, Ames ALFRED R. BORDEN IV, IALD, The Lighting Practice, Philadelphia DAVID COOPER, PE, C.E.M., Executive Vice President Flack + Kurtz, New York PETER D’ANTONIO, PE, LEED AP, President PCD Engineering Services Inc., Longmont, Colo. RAJ P. GUPTA, PE, President Environmental Systems Design Inc., Chicago WILLIAM KOSIK, PE, LEED AP, Managing Principal EYP Mission Critical Facilities Inc., Chicago KEITH LANE, PE, RCDD, LC, LEED AP, Partner/Principal Lane Coburn & Assocs., Seattle KENNETH L. LOVORN, PE, President Lovorn Engineering Assocs., Pittsburgh JOHN MAGLIANO, PE, Syska Hennessy Group, New York ERIN MCCONAHEY, PE, Associate Principal, Arup, Los Angeles SYED PEERAN, PE, Ph.D., Senior Engineer Camp Dresser & McKee, Inc., Cambridge, Mass. JOHN M. RATTENBURY, PE, LEED AP, VP of Engineering Rainwater Management Solutions, Salem, Va. MARTIN H. REISS, PE, The RJA Group, Inc., Framingham, Mass. DAVID SELLERS, PE, Senior Engineer Facility Dynamics Engineering Inc., Portland, Ore. ALAN TRAUGOTT, Principal, CJL Engineering, Moon Township, Pa. PETER D. ZAK, PE, Principal Graef, Anhalt, Schloemer & Assocs. Inc., Milwaukee PUBLICATION SERVICES JIM LANGHENRY, Publisher 630-288-8789 jlanghenry@reedbusiness.com TRUDY KELLY, Assistant to the Publisher ELENA MOELLER-YOUNGER, Marketing Director ALLISON TERNES, Audience Marketing Director ELETTA HARRIS, Production Manager FELECIA STEPHENS, Advertising Services Consulting-Specifying Engineer’s editorial offices are located at 2000 Clearwater Dr., Oak Brook, IL 60523. Phone 630-288-8000. For subscription information, call 303-470-4445 or go to: getFREEmag.com/cse. For reprints, call 800-290-5460 x100 or e-mail CSE@reprintbuyer.com. REED BUSINESS INFORMATION Founded in 1933 Tad Smith, Chief Executive Officer Jeff Greisch, President, Chicago Division Letters READER FEEDBACK (www.csemag.com, 10/22/07) said that “the energy used by commercial and industrial buildings in the United States is responsible for 45% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions.” This is encouraging for the potential to make a big dent in those emissions. Although most domestic and non-domestic buildings are very wasteful of energy, in many ways that waste is easier to tackle in non-domestic buildings: First, the energy bill is usually much higher in non-domestic buildings, so there are greater financial rewards to be achieved by investing time into improving energy efficiency. There’s a big economyof-scale effect in the savings that can be achieved by investing time into energy management. Second, the larger the building, the greater the chance that it already has interval metering equipment and access to interval energy data from that equipment. For buildings that don’t have such equipment, the larger they are, the greater the payback from investing in such equipment. Analysis of such interval energy data for energy management purposes can easily lead to identification of huge sources of energy waste that would be very difficult to find without that data. Admittedly, these benefits will spread into the domestic sector as interval metering catches on there. Ultimately, the greatest energy saving are from motivating people to do their bit. This can be difficult in a work or home environment, but initiatives such as the Kilowatt Crackdown can make a huge difference. MARTIN BROMLEY ENERGY MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT VIA THE INTERNET Power for security In the article “Quality Power for Security Systems” (Pure Power, Fall 2007, p. 17) the author gives “underground local metal structures (gas piping, for example)” as one of the legal ways of connecting a grounding system to the earth. The author refers to the National Electrical Code for the listing. But according to NEC Article 250-52(a), “a metal underground gas piping shall not be used as a grounding electrode.” Can the author expand on this? IGOR A. ALTSHULER ENGINEER BALTIMORE VIA THE INTERNET Author responds: Indeed, you are most correct. The statement should have read “Other local metal underground piping (except gas lines).” Likewise, tanks that have been used to store explosive or hazardous contents should not be used as supplemental grounding electrodes. An acceptable example would be an abandoned underground metallic water storage tank that has been filled with moist sand. JAY ADAMS APPLICATIONS ENGINEER TRANSTECTOR SYSTEMS HAYDEN, IDAHO Energy efficiency The story “The climate has changed for energy efficiency” Consulting-Specifying Engineer • NOVEMBER 2007 7 http://www.csemag.com http://getFREEmag.com/cse

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Consulting-Specifying Engineer - November 2007

Consulting-Specifying Engineer Contents Editor's Viewpoint Letters In The News M/E Roundtable Emergency Power for Healthcare 2007 Products of the Year Industrial-strength Lighting Hazardous HVAC Codes and Standards Management Report Jobs/Classifieds Specifier's Notebook On-Peak Performance Contents Best Battery Selector in Engine Starting Applications NEC 708: Practical Impact on Backup Power Systems Protecting Power: Specifying Outdoor Generator Enclosures Investing in Backup Power Systems Coes, Consultants, Manufacturers, and Standby Power Systems

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - November 2007

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