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Most Recent 10 Articles

Community Environmental Center joins Queens Library for “Greening Libraries” Project
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

Weatherization Funding: Surviving by the Skin of Our Teeth, by Alexis Greene
Friday, December 23rd, 2011

Luck of the Irish – A Winner of the CEC Raffle
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Want to create jobs? Consider an Energy Corps, by Richard Cherry
Friday, December 9th, 2011

Community Environmental Center Installs Solar Thermal System at JCC on Staten Island
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Community Environmental Center Is LEED Consultant for LEED Gold Dormitory at Queens College
Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

The partnership between Green City Force and Community Environmental Center, by Lisbeth Shepherd
Thursday, November 10th, 2011

Helen M. Marshall, President of the Borough of Queens, Proclaims Tuesday, November 1, Community Environmental Center Weatherization Day
Wednesday, November 2nd, 2011

Community Environmental Center receives Service Merit Award from NYSERDA
Wednesday, October 26th, 2011

Community Environmental Center to celebrate Weatherization Day November 1
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Mechanical Systems for Architects

Purpose: To introduce HVAC and mechanical systems to architects, with particular emphasis on how they effect the energy usage in a building.

Length: 1 hour

Objectives:

1. To teach basic ideas regarding heat gain and loss within a building;
2. To teach the principles of what makes an efficient boiler;
3. To teach how different heat exchangers work;
4. To give an overview of different heating and cooling systems;

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1)  Heat loss and heat gain, or Why we use mechanical systems:

• Cooling Season
• Heating Season
• Relationship of “R” values. What are good R-values? And how do they either let heat escape or enter, depending on the season?
• Internal heat gain. Electronics, equipment and people all create internal heat gains.
• Solar heat gain. Solar heat gain places enormous challenges on creating a comfortable, uniform temperature throughout a building.

2)  Boilers and heat transfer:

• Burning fuel. Chemical energy conversion.
• Hydronic heat transfer. Transferring chemical energy to water for distribution.
• Basic boiler. How a boiler works.
• Condensing boilers
• Why are they more efficient?  A condensing boiler merely uses additional surface area on the hydronic heat exchanger to transfer more of the chemical energy from the fuel to the water.
• Why do they condense?  If more of the heat is transferred to the water for distribution to the building, than the temperature of the exhaust is lowered.  When the temperature is lowered, there is extra condensation that accumulates within the boiler that must be disposed of.
• Supporting systems to condensing boilers. Condensing boilers are at their most efficient when the water returns to the boiler at a low temperature.  Certain heat exchangers work best (see #3).

3)  Heat exchangers:

• Convection
• Radiation
• Fan coils
• Different designs and equipment

4)  Other kinds of heating:

• Electric resistance. Electric resistance works just like a toaster.  The efficiency rate at the point of use is high, but because of efficiency losses during generation and transmission, and the high cost of electricity, it is neither cost-effective nor efficient.
• Blown air. Air has a low thermal density, meaning it is much more difficult (i.e. takes more energy) to move heat via air than water, which is denser.

5)  Packaged Thermal A/C units (PTACs):

• Different types of PTACs
• The worst PTACs
• Not-so-bad PTACs

6)  Central Chillers:

• Gas Driven Engines