Tech Tools: water risks, HVAC and ASHRAEwiki, plumbing, electric vehicle infrastructure

CH2M HILL together with the Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) and over 40 companies have developed new free water management tools: the GEMI Local Water Tool and the GEMI LWT for Oil and Gas. Designed to work together, the tools allow a company to make a portfolio-wide assessment of its water risks. The Local Water Tools provide guidance on local, site-specific water risks, impacts and opportunities. The software links with the Global Water Tool that CH2M HILL developed in 2007 for the World Business Council for Sustainable Development — a tool which has been downloaded over 15,000 times and are updated frequently.

To see more information, click here.

The American Society for Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning (ASHRAE) is asking for comments on revisions proposed for the 100-2006 Energy Standard for Existing Buildings.

The proposed changes include criteria for surveying and auditing a building’s energy use and auditing requirements.

Rick Hermans, chair of the committee writing the standard, said: “The standard takes advantage of the fact that any building which has been in operation for at least 12 months can quickly determine its performance relative to some benchmark, which is defined in the standard as an energy use intensity target. …This concept is the new paradigm for energy conscious design, construction and operation of buildings.”

Public input to the proposed changes is being sought from May 4 until June 18.

For more information, click here.

ASHRAE has also published a new “Advanced Energy Design Guide for Large Hospitals, with recommendations to achieve 50% more energy savings than standard 90.1.

Another new tool is ASHRAEwiki – a website that provides common definitions for terms found in ASHRAE standards and other publications. It contains over 6,000 terms related to buildings, with a focus on mechanical, electrical, lighting, load calculations, envelope, design, water design/conservation, etc.

The Canadian Institute of Plumbing & Heating (CIPH) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the American Society of Plumbing Engineers (ASPE) to enable the exchange of information on plumbing products and systems. The agreement will also allow pave the way to sharing data on educational, technical and legislative matters.

For  more information, click here.

GE Energy Industry Solutions has launched a complete electric vehicle charging station and software platform, envisioning it being installed by commercial, public, and retail building owners. The WattStation can be managed remotely, giving the owner the ability to set pricing and provide access. A mobile app will be available to allow electric vehicle drivers to identify a station nearby and compare pricing. For more information, click here.