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Smart buildings and smart cities will take center stage in 2014
Allan McHale Facilities & GroundsCapital-intensive renewable power projects are now at a place where governments around the world are delaying their commitment to spend — at a time of economic austerity and fear of political suicide if they allow electricity charges to go up. In addition, the centralized structure of the electrical utility industry through which most of the renewable power will be traded is not the most appropriate and is not yet fully on board.
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The View from Europe: Auto A/C resolution still facing bumpy road
Andrew Gaved Construction & Building MaterialsPolicymakers in Europe have had something of a headache in ensuring one of their prime pieces of climate legislation — the Mobile Air Conditioning Directive — is properly followed. Given that restricting refrigerant on the basis of its GWP will inevitably see similar legislation in the U.S., this Directive's tortuous passage could prove a cautionary tale — and we are still not yet at the end of the road.
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Facility maintenance does not have to be a 4-letter word
Denny Hydrick Facilities & GroundsDiet is a quintessential "four-letter word" — a phrase that in years past often referred to expletives. Obviously that's a joke, but dieting to most people is no laughing matter. Why? Because first of all they require the resolve to begin and, secondly, a lifestyle change. Without these elements, diets almost always fail. Within our industry, we have our own set of "four-letter words," although most are known by acronyms. Like diets, these too take a certain resolve to start implementing or tracking and, perhaps most importantly, they require the lifestyle change, referred to as a culture change.
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The View from Europe: A new climate for cooling
Andrew Gaved Construction & Building MaterialsIt has been a remarkable, perhaps even historic, week in Europe for the refrigeration industry. In fact, some would argue, for the future of the planet, too. Representatives from the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in Brussels had been charged with finding a resolution to the somewhat stalled negotiations for the revised F-gas regulations. Late in the afternoon of Dec. 16 , they reached a deal of sorts.
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Implementing green bathroom design
Bambi Majumdar Interior Design, Furnishings & FixturesWhat does a green bathroom entail? For many it means healthier construction and neater designs that gives one more room to breathe. For others it is the use of eco-friendly materials in its construction that leads to a healthier environment. In reality, a green bathroom is a combination of both concepts.
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Looking forward to apptastic CES 2014
Mitch Weinraub CommunicationsAs we turn our calendars to 2014, most engineers' and technologists' dreams turn not to sugar plums, but to CES. The annual tech fest in Las Vegas usually sets the technology tone for the year and lets us know what everyone will be buying next Christmas. Judging by the pre-CES announcements and leaks that always start around this time of year, the one "word" that will be included in every announcement is not really even a word, just an abbreviation — app.
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5 LEED tips for existing buildings
Becky Bicks Construction & Building MaterialsOver the past several years, the world has seen a shift toward green thinking. One change that has come with this new sense of environmental friendliness is the creation of structures that use fewer resources and dispel fewer emissions than previously constructed buildings. If you have an existing building that you’d like to see earn a LEED score, then check out this list of five important tips to help make your building more energy efficient and better for the Earth.
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Coatings: The skin of plastic matter
Adolfo Benedito ManufacturingIn a risky analogy, we might say that coatings in plastics play the role of human skin. The first bastion defending the material, coatings are an added value that aim to both protect from the outside and to provide the material with unique and exclusive functionalities. Plastics and their coatings belong, therefore, to a complex and unique system with significantly enhanced properties compared to the original material.
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The View from Europe: Heat recovery
Andrew Gaved Facilities & GroundsLast time we looked at how the subject of doors on chiller cabinets was vexing the supermarket refrigeration managers in Europe, because the way to undoubted energy savings was being blocked by concerns over the effect on merchandising. But if doors on fridges is a well-understood set of technologies remaining unexploited for nonengineering reasons, then the flip side of the coin is the whole realm of heat recovery.
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Energy-efficient strategies for restaurant facility management
Bambi Majumdar Facilities & GroundsAccording to the annual energy consumption review conducted by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, residential and commercial buildings consume about 11 percent of the total energy of the country. Restaurants and hotels, which form a major portion of those commercial buildings, are now set to increase their energy-efficient activities and turn their establishments into green buildings in every sense of the word. The percentage of owners taking a green approach is expected to rise to almost 65 percent by 2015.
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