GREENSBORO, N.C.—Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants and Hotels announced that The Proximity Hotel and Print Works Bistro have been awarded LEED Platinum by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). LEED is the USGBC’s rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high performing buildings. Opened in late 2007, the Proximity is the first hotel and Print Works is the first restaurant to obtain the USGBC’s top level of certification. “When we started the design process four years ago, I would have never believed that we could use 41 percent less energy and 33 percent less water without...

ATLANTA – Chicago, with one of the most recognizable skylines in the world, has long-standing status as a livable urban center. That the city has stood the test of time makes it the perfect backdrop for ASHRAE’s 2009 Winter Conference. The theme will be “Sustainable Urban Design: Engineering Tomorrow…Today.” With a focus that resources must be conserved and environments respected even in urban settings, the ASHRAE Conference takes place January 24 to 28 at the Palmer House Hilton. Held in conjunction with the meeting is the ASHRAE co-sponsored AHR Expo, January 26 to 28 at McCormick Place. Meeting highlights include...

GOLDEN, COLO.—The new Andaluz, formerly the La Posada de Albuquerque Hotel, will reopen later this year in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico with a 73-panel solar thermal system from Novan Solar Inc. of Golden, Colorado, that will provide domestic hot water for the hotel. The Novan system is part of the hotel’s redevelopment by Albuquerque developer Gary Goodman, representing one of the first historic remodels in the United States to conform to the energy efficiency and sustainability standards of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Goodman’s firm, Historic Hotels, will have spent more than...

EAST FREETOWN, MASS.—Heat Transfer Products has unveiled a new 30-tube solar collector panel that will deliver up to 39,000 Btu per panel per day, depending on available sunlight. The collectors are engineered to maximize energy efficiency even at high Delta T temperatures, making them ideal for colder regions or applications demanding higher outlet temperatures. Each panel assembly consists of 30 twin-glass, evacuated tubes to absorb solar energy for heating water. They are shipped with a ready-to-assemble 439 stainless-steel frame for easy rooftop mounting. Rather than wrestling with a cumbersome, prefabricated collector panel on a rooftop, the technician builds the collector...

GERMANTOWN, MD.—Telkonet, Inc., a leading provider of centrally managed solutions for integrated energy management, networking, building automation and proactive support services, announced that it has entered into a two-year, $1 million line of credit facility with Thermo Credit, LLC, a funding company specializing in the telecommunications industry. The proceeds from this line of credit, together with the Thermo Credit $2.5 million receivable financing agreement signed in February 2008, will be used for the working capital requirements of the company to support growth opportunities and accelerate revenue. “As we discussed in our second quarter conference call, this completes our goal of...

MOUNT PROSPECT, ILL.—ESCO Institute announces the release of Green Awareness, a new publication that provides a basic understanding of green concepts, terminologies, systems, and the latest in green mechanical technology. Every day the word “Green” enters our lives. We read about it in the news, we see it on TV and we hear about it on the radio, but what is it and how does it affect us? When it comes to mechanicals, (HVAC/R, plumbing and electrical) “Green” means maximizing the energy efficiency of existing equipment, specifying the most efficient systems available for the application and the available...

ATLANTA—Energy use in buildings can be reduced by 10 to 40 percent by improving operational strategies in buildings, according to a study by the Energy Systems Lab at Texas A&M University. A new certification program from ASHRAE helps building owners know they are hiring and retaining employees and consultants who know how to take advantage of such strategies. The Operations and Performance Management Professional Certification (OPMP) program helps earners demonstrate their knowledge of the management of facility operations and maintenance and their impact on HVAC&R systems’ performance. The program will launch at the ASHRAE Winter Meeting in Chicago in...

MALVERN, PA.—USA Technologies launched the next generation VM2iQ with improved customer benefits, greater market appeal and for a lower price. USA Technologies has reduced the cost of manufacturing the new VM2iQ technology, enabling the company to lower the price and improve return on investment for their customers. The new VM2iQ has an ROI that in most cases is less than nine months. The newly manufactured VM2iQ was designed to respond to growing customer demand, and comes with all the features of the original VM2iQ. It incorporates the same innovative, intelligent technology that installs inside the vending machine to control the...

ASHEVILLE, N.C.—Biltmore Farms SM Hotels announced that it will install a large-scale solar water heating system atop its new Hilton Hotel in Biltmore Park Town Square. The system will provide the 165-room hotel with more than 2,000 gallons of hot water a day, and it’s expected that the system will save approximately $10,000 annually in fossil fuel costs at current rates. The hot water system is one of the many environmentally friendly measures the community developer and its partner, Crosland, LLC, are undertaking at Biltmore Park Town Square to promote a healthy environment, reduce energy costs, and help it achieve...

GERMANTOWN, MD.—Telkonet, Inc., a leading provider of centrally managed solutions for integrated energy management, networking, building automation and proactive support services, announced that it will be installing the in-room, occupancy-driven Telkonet SmartEnergy (TSE) energy management solution throughout the eco-friendly luxury Metro Hotel, located in downtown Milwaukee, Wis. Milwaukee’s first Travel Green certified venue, the Metro Hotel selected TSE after a comprehensive trial, highlighting TSE’s Recovery Time technology and efficient operation as key factors, in line with its green energy strategy and focus on improving guest satisfaction. TSE will be implemented during August with the help of Focus on Energy, Wisconsin’s...