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Knight XL high-efficiency boiler from Lochinvar. J U N E 2 0 2 2 | 49 Mechanical & HVAC Systems P H OTO G R A P H Y BY C A M ERO N F I TC H /CO U RT E S Y M C W H EM I S P H ER E LT D.; T EC H N I C A L I L LUS T R AT I O N CO U RT E S Y AQ UA-T EC H While an increased focus on air quality has shone a spotlight on HVAC and mechanical systems, experts are busy trying to educate customers that not one solution fits all by ROBIN BRUNET W ith government regu- latory systems such as the BC Energy Step Code becom- ing increasingly prevalent, it is corre- spondingly incumbent on mechanical and HVAC specialists to provide increasingly efficient solutions to residential, com- mercial, and industrial clients. In fact, 2022 sees engineers being obliged to cope with a variety of issues. One of them of course is supply chain, and Darryl Singleton, president, Aqua- Tech Sales and Marketing Inc., has a firm handle on how to navigate long order waits and product short- age. "During the lockdowns we ordered twice as much early on so that our inventories were bulging, and that got us through," he says. Aqua-Tech is the Canada-wide master distribu- tor for Lochinvar high-efficiency boilers and water heaters. This includes the Knight boiler, designed for both new construction and replacement appli- cations. Since first being introduced in 2005, the boiler line has been broadened to reach up to one- million BTU/hr with the introduction of the Knight XL series, and a Smart System control was added to make setup, integration, and operations easy. Singleton says of 2022: "Business is steady, with our residential portfolio focused on higher end cus- tom homes and our commercial portfolio consisting of many condo projects. Energy efficiency contin- ues to be the common goal, and overall there are lots of opportunities to keep us busy, whether it is the farming communities we serve in Saskatchewan and Manitoba or the hospital rebuilds and expan- sions that are coming down the pipeline." As the focus on energy efficiency increases, some companies are benefitting from having established a strong foundation in this realm. For exam- ple, Tempeff North America builds on 20 years of European innovation with its DualCore energy recovery ventilation equipment. Thanks to Tempeff DualCore's high efficiencies, owners can meet or exceed minimum legislated ventilation requirements, without the usual high operating costs of traditional ventilation heating and cooling equipment. Tempeff employs DualCore regenerative technology that offers up to 95 percent sensible effectiveness. Other available technolo- gies offer a maximum of 50 percent to 75 percent effectiveness under ideal circumstances, and much lower real effectiveness in colder temperatures due to frost. With the DualCore heat exchanger, one exchanger is always delivering conditioned air to the space, and in many cases additional heat is not necessary for the ventilation air. Equally important to building owners is the fact that with few moving parts, system maintenance is very low. The MCW Group of Companies includes MCW Consultants, MCW Custom Energy Solutions Ltd., and MCW/AGE Power Consultants, and with this combined array of resources the com- pany has undertaken many award-winning projects, a notable example being the UNB Fredericton's Kinesiology Building. Innovation in the 60,000-square-foot building's design helped it achieve a LEED Gold energy performance, and it's one of the first five buildings in North America to receive WELL Silver Certification. MCW Maricor was the mechanical and electrical design engineer on the project. Considering that consulting skills are critical to the success of any energy-efficiency related proj- ect, it's understandable that Sean Piper, partner at MCW Hemisphere Ltd., says, "If I had to define my objectives in a nutshell, I would say that I want to be considered a good engineer and a great consultant." In fact, consultancy is more valuable than ever given that government COVID restrictions are being lifted throughout North America, yet many people are hyper-sensitive to avoiding germs of any kind. "There's a renewed interest in air quality, which is good, but it's our job to point out what's not required in addition to making indoor air and air flow the best it can be," Piper says. For example, everyone from homebuyers to com- mercial developers seems fixated with HEPA filters as a cure-all for airborne contaminants. "But their use in an HVAC system – as well as the use of other types of filters – entails many other expenses, and there's very little research indicating their effec- tiveness in preventing the spread of certain viruses beyond a MERV 13 filter, which is less expensive to install and operate," Piper says. "So it's a real skill to be able to communicate to someone worried about health that he or she may be wasting money need- lessly when simpler solutions may be the better option. Our biggest challenge moving forward is selling the fact that we can make things pandemic resistant but never 100 percent pandemic-proof." At Williams Engineering Canada, one chal- lenge for 2022 and beyond is replacing fossil fuel as an energy source for buildings with electricity; although entirely feasible, it's often a hard sell dur- ing times of high costs and skyrocketing inflation. Sheldon Samborsky, team lead, mechanical at Williams Engineering Canada, says, "Electrification makes sense in hydro-heavy regions such as B.C. and harder to achieve economically in my home of Alberta, but efforts continue to keep the trend going. It's on everyone's radar, and frankly it's exciting because the equipment is getting better and more options are becoming available." Go With The Flow UNB Fredericton's Kinesiology Building, Fredericton, NB.

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