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32
Professionalism:
It’s Our Bottom Line
p. 1
Professionalism:
It’s Our Bottom Line
T
hey may not wear lab coats or carry stethoscopes, but the trained and the intelligence that is necessary to
certified professionals who care for mechanical systems in hospitals and coordinate space management with
health care facilities take pride in their professionalism. They are among other contractors, allowing us to fab-
the most valuable players on the teams that work to keep patients and staff safe, ricate material offsite.” DSI is respon-
healthy and comfortable in the indoor environments of America’s leading hos- sible for the full mechanical scope
pitals, clinics and specialty health care facilities. including duct work, HVAC piping
and all plumbing for DWV and the
In recognition of the unique chal- That’s why a company like Dynamic med-gas systems. There are stringent
lenges that the physical plants of Systems Inc. (DSI) has a leg up when requirements for installation for criti-
health care facilities present, increas- it comes to winning bids for mechani- cal systems such as medigas piping
ingly hospital administrators are cal contracting. DSI is one of several and only journeymen are allowed to
requiring specialized training and SMWIA signatory contractors work- do the installation.
certification before contractors can ing on major hospital projects in Opening up dialogue between
even qualify to bid on projects. South Texas. Jay Rohan, Sr. Vice health care administrators and con-
“Given the fact that a significant per- President for Labor at DSI, says tractors would seem to be an obvi-
centage of nosocomial infections con-
tracted by hospital patients are trans- “We have a special responsibility to see to it that everyone
mitted through airborne pathogens, working in a health facility understands how to minimize risks.”
we have a special responsibility to see — Mark Kenneday, Vice Chancellor for Medical Services, University of Arkansas
to it that everyone working in a health
facility understands how to minimize his company’s experience with BIM ous connection, but until contractors
those risks,” says Mark Kenneday, Vice (Building Information Modeling)— like Gowan Mechanical Services, an
Chancellor for Medical Services at the they’ve used CAD programs since EMCOR Group company in Texas,
University of Arkansas in Little Rock. 1993—is key to ensuring that “all began cold calling to discuss the ben-
From design to commissioning, the mechanical contractors on these efits of HVAC Fire Life Systems test-
maintenance to operations, owners projects are on the same page. We ing in Houston several years ago, no
demand full value for the dollars spent can easily exchange information. Our one had made the connection. When
on construction and renovation. software automatically brings in all Don Viningre of EMCOR’s Gowan
continued on p. 2
New Metric: Study Proposes New Metrics John Hamilton Chief Operating Officer
for Gauging Building Performance . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Kevin Casey Director of Certification
—
Value Chain: ICB/TABB—Leading the Way
Testing, Adjusting & Balancing Bureau
Toward Energy Efficiency and Sustainability. . . . 9
8403 Arlington Blvd, Suite 100
Problem Solving: Calculating Fairfax, VA 22031
a Dual Pump Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Phone: 800-458-6525 • Fax: 703-683-7615
www.tabbcertified.org
Vincent Del Vacchio of Keystone Contractors and technicians who risk and maximize the efficiency of
Balance in Philadelphia has been in have earned their specialty certifi- indoor systems.
the forefront of another new technol- cations through the International Along the interstate corridors that
ogy to benefit both the health care Certification Board/Testing and link Houston, Dallas/Ft. Worth, Austin
and R&D industries. Del Vacchio’s Balancing Bureau (ICB/TABB) are and San Antonio, contractors are hard
work with variable frequency drives the “go-to” source that health care at work on major hospital construction
and fume hoods, has produced big administrators rely upon to minimize projects that are likely continued on p. 4
savings for customers who operate
laboratories. He recently concluded a
series of installations in laboratories
on the campuses of Villanova and
Ryder University.
A veteran of 40 years in the HVAC
business, Del Vacchio says training
and many years of experience working
in pharmaceutical facilities has given
him particular insights. “I’ve built and
renovated specialty rooms, including
vivariums to house research animals.
Our work has evolved with the science.
Labs may have problems maintaining
pressurization and thanks to our expe-
rience, we sometimes find that the
solution can be as simple as filling hol-
low door jambs to eliminate sources
of air leakage.” Solving problems and
saving money for customers forges a
strong bond between companies like Workers install a fume
Keystone and the clients they serve. hood in Philadelphia.
Providing One-Stop
Shopping for a
Major New York Hospital
By Matthew Cole, LEED AP BD&C
W
orking in the healthcare envi- also trained North Shore LIJ’s in-
ronment is challenging and house HVAC staff in methods of test-
rewarding at the same time. ing and the correct use of instruments
It has been documented that more for their daily rounds. ICB Certified ASHRAE 110 testing
people die from infections they receive As certified TABB Technicians and of the fume hoods on campus, and
in the hospital environment than from Supervisors, we not only document HEPA filter testing-in-place.
the diseases that sent them for care. As the results of our testing, but we are We are currently assisting in the
a TABB Technician and Supervisor, my also trained and qualified to adjust development of a scheduled mainte-
work in hospitals is extremely impor- the systems we test. At Lenox Hill, we nance program for Lenox Hill and
tant. It helps provide a safe, comfortable were able to adjust systems that were additional training for the in-house
environment for staff and patients. underperforming and bring rooms staff that will keep the campus run-
Our firm, Wing’s Testing & into compliance with codes and ning smoothly and efficiently.
Balancing, performs numerous guidelines. The hospital is pleased Our goal in our healthcare work is
projects for major hospitals in New with the results, since we provide a to leverage our training and certifica-
England and New York City. From ‘one-stop shop’ for them. We have bal- tions to become the ‘go-to’ company
consulting, to plan review, to perfor- anced renovation and project work for for our hospital client’s HVAC needs.
mance testing, to commissioning and
maintenance, our goal is to be part Our goal in our healthcare work is to leverage
of the hospital’s team. Our success our training and certifications to become the ‘go-to’ company
is a function of our ability to work for our hospital client’s HVAC needs.
directly with the owner. That allows
us to develop strong relationships so the Hospital, and we have performed The management of these high per-
that hospital management knows who plan reviews for major infrastructure formance buildings understand that
to call when they have any question upgrades on the campus. our ICB and TABB certifications are
about HVAC. Our TABB HVAC Fire Life Safety value-added. Even though a given
certifications have proved useful project might not need the expertise
New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital in reviewing testing reports for the of a particular certification, owners
Lenox Hill Hospital joined the North hospital. In the process we have feel more comfortable that techni-
Shore LIJ health system in 2010. uncovered some gaps in the report- cians trained in multiple specialties
Arriving onsite, the North Shore LIJ ing. Survey work on systems has are staffing their jobs.
Team faced challenges to ensure com- sometimes found unaccounted for TABB contractors can start these
pliance with healthcare regulations in fire/smoke dampers, or dampers that types of relationships by offering air
the environment of care. Wing’s collab- were in need of repair. change and pressurization testing for
orated with North Shore LIJ to develop Our filtration certifications with hospitals. At a minimum, this work
a scheduled testing program for operat- NAFA have proved valuable as we will need to be done annually for
ing rooms and specialized areas which meet with suppliers to the hospital, Joint Commission compliance. Our
need to comply with pressurization and review filtration efficiencies for AHJ on-site presence for regular testing
air change regulations. compliance, and ensure maintenance often leads to additional projects, all
While Wing’s performs monthly, is being properly performed. while we help to provide a safe and
quarterly and annual measurements We are also now in discussions with comfortable environment to staff,
of many rooms and systems, we have hospital management to perform the patients and visitors. ■
A
study undertaken by the National Center for The “Scientific Outreach Program,” as described in a
Energy Management and Building Technologies scholarly paper jointly authored by engineer Jim Woods
(NCEMBT) four years ago asked the question: are and NEMI’s Davor Novosel as a project of NCEMBT, is
buildings performing as intended? According to the study, slowly moving the dialogue forward in an effort to address
the answer is “seldom.” public policy and to develop market transformation.
In commercial buildings, the perfect balance between “There are indications that the federal government is
energy efficiency and occupant acceptability continues to be interested in our findings, but none of this stuff moves
an elusive target despite the mountains of information on quickly and that’s probably as it should be given the mul-
energy usage that has been collected over the past 30 years. titude of considerations. Improving how we use energy in
Along with a general dearth of useful metrics to validly commercial structures will remain a work in progress for
assess performance, the introduction of new terminology, many years to come,” Novosel said.
such as “high performance buildings,” has prodded stake- The authors dismiss the use of the Energy Utilization
holders to take a fresh look at how to improve data defining Index (EUI) as a standalone metric because it does not
efficient building operations and to enable stakeholders to quantify the effectiveness of how that energy is used.
take specific steps to address performance shortcomings. After all, Woods points out, “you can drive energy usage
down to zero by clos-
Forcing Response
ing a building, but that
Functions Functions would be absurd.”
Nevertheless, EUI has
Physical
Factors
cost been the standard mea-
Factors sure for some 30 years.
· S ources It has been adopted in
· First Costs
· Building
· O&M Costs federal regulation and
Systems
· Other Costs
legislation despite its
· Exposures shortcomings. Similarly,
the authors say, award-
ing green “credits” for
design options that
Personal
Human merely reduce energy
Factors
Responses
usage based on EUI
· Intrinsic Occupant
· Objective Performance
Productivity such as the case in
· Adaptive LEED construction do
· Perceptive
· P sychological/ Motivating not account for effective
· Affective
Environmental Factors energy use.
· Risk Perception
· Economic
While conceding that
Motivators EUI does address scien-
· Other tific-technical issues of
Social Motivators building performance,
Factors
Woods and Novosel set
· Secular Trends
· S ocial Factors
in Mini-
[ Human
Factors [ Figure 1. Extended rational model for
evaluation of Human Response, Occupant
out to determine how
to add measurable val-
Performance, and Productivity ues for other such real
environment
world considerations as
T
the quality of maintenance, the types of he link between HVAC technology and overall building perfor-
repairs and renovations that take place, mance and sustainability seems obvious today, but as recently as
and changes in the costs of owning the 1990s, there were few who understood just how vital that con-
and operating the building. All these nection could be until the Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau
variables need to be accounted for to was founded in 2001. It was at that point industry professionals laid
get a snapshot of how any building is out a straight line—from concept and design through construction
working on a given day. and installation to operations and maintenance—enabling a holistic
The authors also noted that account- approach to HVAC. Since then, scientists, engineers, contractors and
ability for building performance technicians have jointly perfected a comprehensive approach toward
remains undefined. Should it be the sustainability. In the process, ICB/TABB has become the first and
designers and architects, owners, facil- only HVAC systems testing, adjusting and balancing organization to
ities personnel, or all of the above? earn official accreditation from the American National Standards
In the final steps of the research Institute (ANSI).
project, the authors tested their ANSI’s accreditation reflects the rigorous training regimen provided
theory on a set of seven buildings by the more than 160 Local Joint Apprenticeship and Training pro-
selected from criteria established grams nationwide where TABB technicians master vital skills with the
by the NCEMBT and the National support of the International Training Institute (ITI) of the SMWIA,
Institute of Building Sciences. TABB contractors and all the members of the Sheet Metal and Air
According to Woods and Novosel Conditioning Contractors National Association (SMACNA).
“only a fraction of the available data As the term implies, sustainability is an ongoing concern. Sheet
are sufficiently valid and reliable metal workers and TABB contractors are the critical links in the build-
to establish new metrics.” They sug- ing performance value chain—keeping HVAC systems functional and
gest convening a charrette of stake- efficient long after the initial design and planning. And, the savings
holders to identify and document and return on investment accruing to stakeholders in commissioning;
other variables that could develop periodic re-commissioning; and testing, adjusting and balancing—as
other Figures of Merit to continu- well as regular system maintenance—can be dramatic.
ally improve the accuracy of per- Simple periodic adjustments to an HVAC system can yield energy
formance measurement while evolv- savings of from 5 to 15%. Advances exploiting new technology, such
ing new methods to improve perfor- as heat recovery and energy capture, high performance fans and more
mance at the same time. ■ can nudge those savings up even more significantly. ■
·W
hy Testing Adjusting and Balancing
is needed in a building (101)
·H
ow Green design affects TAB and
building performance
·H
ow the HVAC system is balanced
proportionally to minimize system
resistance
·A
ny customized training on TAB you
may request or need
jhamilton@tabbcertified.org