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AUGUST 2016 | 33 Mechanical & HVAC Systems PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY WILLIAMS ENGINEERING CANADA; THERMENEX O New data shows energy savings benefits of mechanical and HVAC systems by ROBIN BRUNET Overall, business in 2016 is brisk for those in the mechanical/HVAC fields, even in Alberta whose econ- omy continues to struggle. Chris Himsl, engineering manager for Williams Engineering Canada, explains, "Building owners and institutions such as schools are taking the opportunity to improve their infrastructure." Williams Engineering Canada has no end of high- profile projects in its portfolio, a recent notable being a broadcasting centre for the Inuit Broadcasting Corporation in Iqaluit, Nunavut. It also has its fair share of "firsts," including the first CO 2 ice plant to be installed in Alberta for the Strathcona Olympiette Centre. While the school board work by contrast may be bread and butter, it is nonetheless fulfilling to Himsl and colleagues. "We're replacing 50-year-old boilers and pumps, and what's satisfying about this type of work is that it's easy to improve energy efficiency for clients," he says. The overall goal to maximize energy efficiency is compelling Williams Engineering Canada to develop inhouse expertise focused exclusively on energy effi- ciency modelling. "This is partly a result of the new National Energy Code of Canada for Buildings imposing stricter standards on developers," says Himsl. "If certain requirements are not met – let's say an architect wants floor-to-ceiling glazing and this comes at the expense of insulation – then modelling is needed to determine what components of the blueprint can be adjusted to meet the Code. It's a substantial business opportunity." Ontario's economy is notably better than that of Alberta's of course, but Paul Pilutti, director for Canadian operations at HTS Engineering Ltd., points out that in 2016 it has evolved – thus requiring compa- nies such as his to evolve along with it. "We had a ter- rific 10-year run of government P3 projects, but that type of delivery method is winding down and being increasingly replaced by transit infrastructure, which has less construction opportunities but which we're nonetheless pursuing," he says. As one of the largest independent built-to-order commercial and industrial full service HVAC special- ists in North America, HTS is also busy with plenty of bread and butter work. "For example, our government has pumped $550 million into renovation and expan- sion of schools, especially in high-density regions, and this is a strong customer for us," says Pilutti. And then there's the phenomenon of Vancouver companies establishing a presence in Ontario, which bodes well for future business opportunities. "Players like Stuart Olson are making an impression in this province," says Pilutti. "We're currently strengthen- ing our service offerings in order to be prepared for further growth down the road." Hot Stu Weston has long touted Thermenex as the most effective green heating and cooling system avail- able; and this year, a growing number of consultants are realizing this is true, partly due to numbers com- ing from the University of British Columbia's Earth Sciences Building, which uses the system. "The net present value of the energy savings for this building was calculated using a spread sheet developed by Alex Hutton, an energy modeller, for the purpose of evaluat- ing bids for another project," says Weston. "When we put in the Earth Sciences Building numbers, the result was a net present value of total energy savings of $3.5 million. This cannot all be attributed to Thermenex, but easily 70 per cent of it can. Significantly, this LEED building is outperforming other similar LEED buildings on campus by as much as 50 per cent in some cases." Moreover, the net capital cost savings were $1.2 million and the cost for Thermenex on this project, including design, controls, programming and com- missioning, was only $350,000. "Finally, we're gain- ing market acceptance due to the UBC results," says Weston. Currently, in addition to installing their fifth system for UBC, Thermenex projects are being under- taken in Alberta and Washington state, facilitated by TIAB (Thermenex In-A-Box): essentially, a prefabri- cated thermal energy plant in a self-contained, insu- lated, modular structure that removes what would otherwise have been the construction of a traditional mechanical room from the critical path of construc- tion. Langara College, the first to install a Thermenex system, is now also the first to order a TIAB for its new Science and Technology Building. In Vancouver, at Sterling Cooper Consultants Inc. (NDY Group), director George Steeves is more mind- ful than ever of "massive generational conflict," which he says is affecting the quality of building projects throughout the country: "Although people 35 and younger are quicker, smarter and faster than their older peers, they haven't yet gained our experience, and too many of these people are going strictly by the book when it comes to energy modelling. For exam- ple, they don't understand issues like stack effect and the critical nature of designing for it. There have been cases when I inform them that a certain design won't work, and the standard response is I'll be penalized if I don't follow the book note-for-note." Steeves' acumen allows him to modify the design order to achieve the desired performance standards. "But I worry about the other projects in which every- thing is done by the numbers," he says. "I think a lot of new buildings in Canada will have big problems over the next four or five years in terms of energy performance." Steeves, who has long argued that standards such as LEED don't necessarily guarantee superior building performance unless combined with engineering know- how, says the root of the problem is lack of respect. "Sterling Cooper doesn't have these problems because we constantly foster respect between the older pro- fessionals and new talent, but elsewhere I've seen con- flicts that resemble those of adversarial lawyers. I don't know what the solution is, other than to make the prob- lem known throughout the engineering community." Respect is something that Jeff Weston has gained of late. That's because Thermenex Inc. president and inven- tor Weston, his colleague Ian Hall, and Coquitlam-based IMEC Mechanical Ltd., have devoted considerable time and energy to promoting their Thermenex system as a major breakthrough for anyone intent on maximizing heating, cooling and ventilation efficiency in a building. Thermenex takes advantage of the fact that the building itself is a source of heat – with cooling becom- ing nothing more than removing that heat. A water- filled pipe is the physical essence of Thermenex, with one end warmer than the other, connected to the build- ing's mechanical heating and cooling systems, func- tioning as a hub to exchange energy. No heat is rejected from the building until there's more thermal energy than the building requires, and no heat is added until it has used all of its own thermal energy. CO 2 ice plant install at the Strathcona Olympiette Centre, AB. Earth Sciences Building at the University of British Columbia, B.C.

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