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J U N E 2 0 2 4 | 53 Mechanical & HVAC Systems P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E S Y T H ER M EN E X ; T EM P EF F V EN T I L AT I O N T EC H N O LO G I E S Innovative products and strategic partnerships drive advancements in mechanical and HVAC systems by ROBIN BRUNET I ncreasingly, HVAC and mechanical com- panies are expected to fulfill the drive to radically improve energy efficiency in buildings, and 2024 is replete with breakthroughs, new products, and even amalgamations to achieve that goal. Thermenex's patented Thermal Gradient Header (TGH) is a game-changer for heating and cooling efficiency, and continues, slowly but surely, to be recognized and accepted as such. TGH is a hydronic approach to HVAC systems and utilizes a patented piping framework and correspond- ing standardized control logic. The header is built to serve as the core of an efficient, effective, sustainable HVAC system, and integrating a TGH framework into a holistic HVAC design allows engineers to cre- ate a system that outperforms anything else in both energy consumption and carbon emissions. The curious aspect of this technology is that achiev- ing thermal efficiency using a pipe with hot water at one end and cold water at the other seems counterin- tuitive. The TGH has six distinct temperature regions that are separated using a simple hydronic design, which allows matching of source temperatures with the variable load requirements of a building. Jeff Weston, president and CEO of Thermenex, cites the St. Vincent's Brock Fahrni assisted living pavilion, which won Providence Health Care the International Federation of Healthcare Engineering 2022 Global Healthcare Energy Award, as a showcase for what TGH can achieve. "The latest operational data, which was compared to data from past years, shows that our contribution to this hospital renova- tion has resulted in an 80 percent carbon reduction and a 60 percent energy savings." The momentum of projects seeking Thermenex's services has allowed Weston to tweak his system with the aim of making it more accessible and eas- ier to grasp for engineers and end-users. "I'm also working on a document that can be used to explain exactly how TGH works without having eyes glazing over," he says. "And as more and more clients seek to reduce their carbon output, we're on the cusp of marketing our system across North America, espe- cially to health-care organizations." The DualCore technology from Tempeff has proven itself to be a remarkable solution for a wide variety of commercial projects, including the Montreal Planétarium, which was developed to be a showcase of sustainability on multiple fronts. The main energy strategy for the Planétarium was to recycle excessive heat or cooling from an adjacent biodome, which runs on an open-loop geothermal system (this wasted energy would supply more than half the Planétarium's energy needs). The complementary demands of the two build- ings optimizes the use of the geothermal open well system. Extreme weather demands are supplied by high-efficiency gas boilers which also act as an emergency back-up system. The hybrid ventilation and heat recovery systems manufactured by Tempeff met the acoustic require- ments of NC20 while recapturing 85 to 95 percent of the sensible heat energy and up to 70 percent of the latent energy from the exhaust air, both in winter and summer. The fresh-air central system also has a water atomization humidification adiabatic sys- tem, which allows low temperature energy usage as a source of heat. Tempeff's DualCore system is simple yet enor- mously effective. It uses two heat exchangers instead of the common single exchanger in conventional units. Outside air goes through one exchanger for a minute or so at a time before switching to the other exchanger, so it doesn't have time to build up frost. Tom Todoruk, national sales manager at Tempeff, notes that his company has expanded its success by developing a unit that can be placed in residences and small commercial buildings. "The RGSP-K units that have been in use for the past year achieve the same 90-plus percent efficiency as our commercial systems and are very cost effective." Due to its inher- ent design, the technology also does not give frost the chance to build up, meaning energy recovery is constant around the clock. Aqua-Tech is the Canada-wide (excepting Quebec) master distributor for Lochinvar boilers and water heaters. It recently unveiled Lochinvar's latest PLAYING IT COOL RGSP-K configured unit with DualCore technology. Thermal Gradient Header installation, Vancouver Island Cancer Centre, Victoria, B.C.

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