NATIONAL REPORT—If you wanted just one hot cup of coffee, would you keep the kettle burning 24 hours a day? Does not make much sense, does it? In a way, however, that is what most hotel and restaurant operators are doing every day of the year with their hot water supply—keeping it hot even when guests and customers do not need it. “When providing 200 rooms with hot water, you can only imagine how much energy is wasted,” says Francis Serrano, marketing coordinator for Noritz America Corp., a maker of tankless water heaters in Lake Forest, Calif. ...

VERNON HILLS, ILL.—Scotsman Ice Systems has released Prodigy, an ice machine self-monitoring system that provides up-to-the-minute reporting on the machine’s performance, as well as maintenance needs. This latest advance in ice making visually indicates when it’s making ice, as well as when it’s due for critical maintenance procedures. The external diagnostic light panel makes it easy for anyone in the kitchen to read and understand—from senior managers to dishwashers. Scotsman says Prodigy is one of the most energy-efficient machines on the market today. Prodigy’s energy standards make it one of the first cubers to exceed both the 2008...

HOUSTON—Goodman Company, L.P., a subsidiary of Goodman Global, Inc. (NYSE: GGL), maker of Amana brand heating and air conditioning products and packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs), announced the introduction of its new wirelessly networked DigiSmart Control System, an operations management tool designed to be used with the company’s Amana brand PTACs. The company says it is the first wireless PTAC management product of its kind. “Our new DigiSmart Control System will allow our customers to not only control the environmental conditions in individual rooms—it will also help them to manage their energy costs,” says Dave Craven, Goodman’s director...

NATIONAL REPORT—There was a time when energy efficiency was not a high priority when shopping for new PTACs. Today, with energy prices where they are, that has all changed. An educated buyer now considers not only unit size and heating and cooling capability, but also a model’s energy efficiency rating (EER). “EER is a calculation that measures how much cooling you get for a watt of electricity,” says Jane Deming, manager, marketing services for Friedrich Air Conditioning, San Antonio, Texas. “The higher the EER, the better. The benefits to the hotel owner are in controlling energy consumption costs.” Mel Harris, PTAC...

NORTHVALE, N.J.—AERCO, a design leader in high-efficiency boilers and hot water heaters, introduces the AERCO Modulex line of condensing boilers. Available in six different sizes, the light commercial boilers offer superior turndown to maximize seasonal efficiency. They also bring a high level of operating reliability to installations that require from 300,000 to 1 million BTUs/hr. capacities. The AERCO Modulex line continues the company’s tradition of developing fully modulating, condensing, high-efficiency solutions. With modulating capabilities from 6:1 to 23:1 (depending on the unit), the line offers performance advantages such as whisper-quiet operation of <50 dBa, as well as low...

UPPER LAKE, CALIF.—Standing outside the entrance of the 17-room Tallman Hotel and the adjacent Blue Wing Saloon & Café in Upper Lake, Calif., one would never guess that a state-of-the-art geothermal system heats and cools the historic property—or that a solar energy system supplements it with added power. The hotel maintains its 1890s look and the innovative technology is hidden underground and on the roof of the restaurant. Originally built in the late 19th century and then rebuilt again in 1895 after it had been destroyed by fire, the hotel sat empty and unused from 1962 to 2003. In the...

NATIONAL REPORT—To maintain the energy efficiency of PTACs and to extend their life, it is important to implement a preventive maintenance program. “The internal filter should be cleaned once a month and once a year the entire unit should be removed from the wall so that the coils can be cleaned,” says Mel Harris, PTAC business development manager for LG Electronics Inc., Englewood, N.J. “The compressor will have to work harder if the PTAC is dirty. A dirty unit will also use more energy.” Be sure to purchase a PTAC that can be easily cleaned. The filter should be easily...

NATIONAL REPORT—Humidity refers to the amount of water vapor (moisture) suspended in air. It is measured as Percent Relative Humidity (%RH) or the percentage of water vapor that can possibly be contained in air, at its present temperature. Air at 0%RH is completely dry and free of moisture; air at 100%RH contains all the moisture it can possibly hold at its present temperature and will be exhibited as condensation, fog or rain. The amount or volume of water vapor that can be contained in air varies with air temperature. Air at 50°F and 60%RH contains less moisture in suspension than...

RED DEER, ALBERTA—The 88-room Comfort Inn & Suites Red Deer in Alberta, Canada, would have a pretty hefty heating bill given its northern location. “Would” is the key word here. It does not have high energy costs thanks to a roof-based solar heating system. The system employs equipment normally used as a ground-source heat pump, designed to exploit the stable ambient temperature of the earth to provide seasonal heating and cooling. The Comfort Inn design, however, does not have an underground loop of liquid-filled tubing for geothermal exchange; the heat pump is connected to 60 roof-based solar collectors and a...

DALLAS—The L Series packaged rooftop units from Lennox Industries, built to improve Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) through the Humiditrol dehumidification system, have recently been enhanced by the addition of new field-installed Ultraviolet (UVC) Germicidal Lamps. By installing UVC Germicidal Lamps, customers will be able to minimize mold growth, improve airflow, maintain coil efficiency and minimize future expenses by saving on labor and chemical costs when cleaning coils. Customers can choose field-installed UVC Lamp Kits for the L Series three- to 30-ton rooftop units. Available voltages include: 230/3/60, 460/3/60 and 575/3/60. “The L Series packaged rooftop unit IAQ...