The Department of Energy (DOE) formally proposed the first-ever standards for commercial and industrial pumps, which are projected to produce up to $1.1 billion in net energy bill savings from pumps sold in the next 30 years and are supported by both industry and efficiency advocates. The proposed standards, which were published in today’s Federal Read more
Pumps
The Department of Energy (DOE) formally proposed the first-ever standards for commercial and industrial pumps, which are projected to produce up to $1.1 billion in net energy bill savings from pumps sold in the next 30 years and are supported by both industry and efficiency advocates.
The proposed standards, which were published in today’s Federal Register, will cover clean water pumps ranging from 1 to 200 horsepower in size, that are generally used in commercial, industrial, agricultural, and municipal applications. Examples include pumps used in agricultural irrigation, building heating and cooling systems, and water treatment plants.
Commercial and industrial pumps and pump systems are responsible for about 0.6 percent of U.S. annual energy use – while this number may sound small, it is significant for a single product category and therefore, improvements in pump efficiency offer potentially large energy savings. The proposed standard is a good step forward in capturing the energy savings opportunity from this important product and is the result of a DOE-led negotiated rulemaking that was comprised of representatives from the pump and motor industries, utilities, and efficiency advocates, including NRDC.
The Savings
Overall, the proposed standards will save about 30 billion kilowatt-hours from pumps sold over the next 30 years, equivalent to the annual electricity use of 2.8 million U.S. households, and result in 16 million metric tons of carbon pollution emissions reductions. For most pump types, life cycle cost savings range from $92 to $173 per pump, with simple paybacks under three years.
These standards are also an important step toward meeting President Obama’s goal of achieving 3 billion metric tons of carbon pollution emissions reductions by 2030. Over 2 billion metric tons are already on the books from standards finalized since 2009. The pump standards would add another 2.5 million metric tons of reductions through 2030, equivalent to the annual emissions from the electricity used by 360,000 homes in one year.
Pumps would be required to meet the new standards four years after the final rule is published, which is expected by the end of 2015.
Required Pump Efficiency
For most pump types, the proposed standards would raise the efficiency floor to remove the worst 25 percent of pumps on the market. The efficiency levels were determined using a similar approach to the EU which involves taking an inventory of the efficiency levels of all the pumps on the market and using this information to create a floor that can be moved up and down to achieve the desired level of efficiency, balancing energy savings, consumer benefits, and manufacturer impacts. The levels agreed on in the negotiations represent a balance of all these factors.
In order to meet the standards, manufacturers can either improve their pump models through hydraulic redesign, polishing, or other design improvements — or choose to drop inefficient pumps from their product line (a manufacturer might make this decision if they have another more efficient model in their line that can meet the same pressure and flow requirements).
The metric for pump standards is called the “Pump Efficiency Index or PEI.” The PEI compares the power consumption of the pump to a reference pump that just meets the standard: a pump that just meets the standard would have a PEI of 1, a pump that is 10% better than the standard would have a PEI of 0.9. The standards would apply to pumps however they are sold: either as a bare pump (just the hydraulic component) or the pump plus motors and controls if present. For pumps sold with motors and controls, the PEI gives credit to motor and control systems (such as variable speed drives, or VSDs) that can reduce the power consumed by the pump when the pump is not operating at full speed. This will help reduce energy even further: currently many pumps systems are controlled using throttling valves on pipes, rather than controlling the speed and flow of the pump. This is analogous to controlling the speed of your car with the brake alone, while keeping your foot fully on the gas. Variable speed drives have the potential to offer significant energy savings in many applications by reducing the pump’s speed and therefore electricity use!
As part of the negotiated agreement, committee members recommended that DOE also initiate rulemakings for circulator pumps (pumps used to circulate water in buildings) and pool pumps, which were not covered in this rulemaking and represent additional opportunities for energy savings. DOE should move forward on these rulemaking to capture these additional energy savings opportunities.
It’s great to see DOE move forward on another efficiency standard that will add to the long history of the DOE standards program delivering benefits to consumers and the environment!
This post originally appeared on NRDC’s Switchboard
Meg Waltner is Manager, Building Energy Policy, San Francisco, Calif. As an energy efficiency advocate at NRDC, Waltner focuses on ways to promote energy efficiency in buildings and appliances in California, at the Federal level,and internationally. Waltner primarily works to advance efficiency through grant programs, tax incentives, buildings energy codes and appliance efficiency standards. She joined NRDC’s DC office in August 2009, after graduating from Stanford with an MS and BS in Civil Engineering, with a focus on efficiency in buildings and renewable energy technologies, and moved to NRDC’s SF office in 2013.
As a native Californian, Waltner grew up hiking in the parks around the Bay Area and in the Sierras and have always loved spending time outdoors. When she’s not in the office, she like to spend my time hiking and camping, going on long runs, cooking new things and being with friends and family.
You can read more blogs from Meg here.
Morton Grove, Ill. — The second-quarter 2015 seminar schedule is now available for Bell & Gossett’s Little Red Schoolhouse in Morton Grove. The training center’s seminars provide systems design training to engineers, wholesalers and contractors in the plumbing and hydronic heating and cooling industries. “Xylem is at the forefront of providing education to current Read more
Morton Grove, Ill. — The second-quarter 2015 seminar schedule is now available for Bell & Gossett’s Little Red Schoolhouse in Morton Grove. The training center’s seminars provide systems design training to engineers, wholesalers and contractors in the plumbing and hydronic heating and cooling industries.
![LRS_education3[1]](http:hydronicshub.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/LRS_education31.jpg)
“Xylem is at the forefront of providing education to current and future engineers,” said Larry Konopacz, Manager, Training and Education, Little Red Schoolhouse, Xylem. “Little Red Schoolhouse seminars — whether taken online or in person — equip attendees with the knowledge and confidence to take a systems solutions approach for HVAC and plumbing applications. In an ever-changing industry, education is key to staying on top of new technologies and advancements.”
Online Little Red Schoolhouse
Bell & Gossett’s commitment to education continues with virtual curriculum. At the 2015 AHR Expo, the brand introduced the Online Little Red Schoolhouse — an interactive, self-paced series of free educational courses. This is the first time the iconic pump systems training and educational programming will be available to a global audience via the Internet.
Little Red Schoolhouse second quarter schedule
Modern Hydronic Heating Systems – Basic Seminar* April 20-22
Design & Application of Water Based HVAC Systems Seminar* April 27-29
Service & Maintenance of Water Based HVAC Systems Seminar May 18-20
Modern Hydronic Heating Systems – Basic Seminar* June 1-3
Design & Application of Water Based HVAC Systems Seminar* June 8-10
Large Chilled Water System Design Seminar* June 15-17
* Seminar approved by Green Building Certification Institute to provide credit toward the credential maintenance requirements of the LEED Green Associate and LEED AP certifications.
For continuing education credit information, seminar descriptions, representative information and enrollment, visit www.bellgossett.com/training-education.
To sign up for seminars via the Online Little Red Schoolhouse, visit: http://training.bellgossett.com/.
Challenged by an improperly installed heating system resulting in a house that was either above 80° or below 60°F, Joseph Keyes of Heat Tek Heating and Plumbing (Johnson City, N.Y.) was tasked with solving the problem. He first separated the house into four zones. He then created a primary/secondary system using a Caleffi hydraulic separator Read more
Challenged by an improperly installed heating system resulting in a house that was either above 80° or below 60°F, Joseph Keyes of Heat Tek Heating and Plumbing (Johnson City, N.Y.) was tasked with solving the problem. He first separated the house into four zones. He then created a primary/secondary system using a Caleffi hydraulic separator and sized all circulators for precise flow. A Caleffi AutoFill fill valve and QuickSetter balancing valve were also utilized. Not only were the expectations of the home owner AND Mr. Keyes’ himself exceeded, his installation was the January winning entry in the Caleffi Excellence contest.
Heat Tek’s winning entry was determined by most audience votes received during a recently held Coffee with Caleffi webinar. Mr. Keyes was presented with an iPadTM mini by Tom Mahon (Northeast Sales Associates) and Roger Corrente (Caleffi North America). Joe is now a contender for the grand prize: a trip to our global headquarters in Italy. After 12 months, the grand prize winner will be chosen from the 12 monthly winners by a panel of industry experts and Caleffi executives.
It’s not too late to share your design innovation in the Excellence contest. Visit us.caleffiexcellence.com for contest details.
The Taco Innovation and Development Center (IDC), which opened in mid-2012, has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The 24,037-sq.-ft. facility, which houses classrooms and meeting spaces for training and educational purposes, achieved 62 points out of a total of 79 possible points for LEED Gold. Read more
The Taco Innovation and Development Center (IDC), which opened in mid-2012, has been awarded LEED Gold certification by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). The 24,037-sq.-ft. facility, which houses classrooms and meeting spaces for training and educational purposes, achieved 62 points out of a total of 79 possible points for LEED Gold.
Points were awarded under the following categories: Sustainable Sites (20), Water Efficiency (4), Energy & Atmosphere (15), Materials & Resources (6), Indoor Environmental Quality (10), Innovation & Design Process (5) and Regional Priority Credits (2).
The Taco IDC, in addition to its instructional/educational focus for both Taco employees and HVAC industry professionals who visit the facility, was designed to be a showcase for energy-saving and sustainable products and systems, which are visible throughout the building for close-up viewing, hands-on learning and teaching.
Products and systems installed in the IDC include chilled beams (active and passive), radiant ceiling heating and cooling, fan coils, water-source heat pumps, perimeter radiation, radiant-floor heating, solar hot water, snow melt and geothermal. The mechanical design goal was to optimize hydronic-side design and remove/add as much heat as possible using chilled beams, flat-panel radiation along the IDC’s walls, and radiant floor systems. All equipment and systems are controlled by Taco’s proprietary iWorx Web-based building management product line and monitored by a host of sensors and meters throughout the building.
Taco achieved 15 out of a possible 20 points total in the Energy & Atmosphere category and 8 out of 11 possible points for optimization of energy performance. In fact, the IDC’s operation performance since its opening has exceeded expectations.
The performance of the IDC mechanical and electrical systems are monitored continuously via dedicated measurement and verification systems. Since the building was completed several new measurement stations were added including hydronic BTU metering systems, electrical sub-meters and building automation monitoring systems. These measurement systems have allowed Taco to monitor energy consumption in real time and compare those actual energy measurements against the initial energy model. All indications are that the building is meeting or exceeding the projected energy savings.
For example, during the period from September 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014 the building consumed 126,290 KBTU from the hot water heating system or approximately 150,345 KBTUS of natural gas at 84% boiler efficiency. Taco estimates that this is approximately 75% of the annual gas consumption for heating BTUS. Natural gas consumption prorated for the entire year is approximately 200,460 KBTUS. The energy model predicted that the building would consume 296,900 KBTUS annually. The actual consumption is estimated at 67.5% of the projected consumption. These numbers will be refined as more data is collected.
In considering its LEED application, Taco’s objective was always to implement a system approach to achieving energy efficiency rather than chase individual LEED points. The company wanted to design the most efficient building possible and to see how the design translated into LEED points.
At the time of construction, project manager Chris Integlia, Taco’s executive vice president, said, “Our approach to this project has always been to have LEED certification as a public validation of the efforts we’ve put into the project, and as a confirmation that our products and technologies will help not only Taco but others in our industry achieve highly sustainable green buildings.
“We’re going to do the right things by Taco, and we’ll see how far we can go with that in terms of the LEED scorecard. We do know, however, that the products and technologies we intend to put into the building will achieve a very high level of certification.”
The IDC has been a busy place since it opened and has provided training and education to Taco’s workforce as well as more than 3,000 visitors attending over 50 courses for both residential and commercial training.
The IDC is the second LEED certified project for Taco. In 2009 the company received LEED certification for a new 60,000-sq.-ft. warehouse-distribution center addition to its facility.
I noticed a slight tremble in his fingers as he raised his hand to wipe his brow. It wasn’t because he was nervous; he has conducted hundreds of press conferences throughout his career. But on the day of the announcement of Taco’s partnership with Italian manufacturer Askoll last November, Taco CEO John White’s words resonated Read more
I noticed a slight tremble in his fingers as he raised his hand to wipe his brow. It wasn’t because he was nervous; he has conducted hundreds of press conferences throughout his career. But on the day of the announcement of Taco’s partnership with Italian manufacturer Askoll last November, Taco CEO John White’s words resonated a theme he’s carried with him since he took over the company from his father. The room filled with press and, more importantly, Taco employees, the message was about them, and how much really loves each and every one in the room that morning, and all of Taco’s employees throughout.
“My primary responsibility is to find ways to grow, develop and protect this company,” said White at the Taco/Askoll press conference. “We have very big, very tough competitors, very good companies. Good competitors, but tough. And so as time has evolved, I’ve learned that one thing I can do is to go and seek relationships, seek opportunities to continue to provide this company with avenues to prosperity and avenues to protection.”
So, continues White, sometime over the last 10 years, there’s been tremendous technological advancement in the area of circulators and we are now moving into government regulations on pumps and circulators for energy efficiency.
Under the terms of the Taco/Askoll agreement, the two companies will collaborate on research and development relating to new circulating pump designs and other joint product and marketing initiatives.
Taco has already begun assembling a new high efficiency circulator for residential and light commercial applications — the VR1816 — which employs Askoll’s variable speed technology, at its Cranston, R.I. plant, and the future calls for the VR1816 to be manufactured entirely by Taco.
The VR1816 is an extension of Taco’s Viridian line of circulators, which is a wet rotor circulator with an ECM permanent magnet motor that uses up to 85% less electricity. It features an infinitely variable speed setting capability for fine-tuning the flow of any hydronics-based system, and six pressure presets to fit the job.
“This is very exciting because No. 1, it protects us. It protects our product line technologically. Secondly, it protects the jobs in Rhode Island. I’m all about protecting these jobs and so this is a chance to do that. And finally, it allows us to form a relationship with a fine company who shares many of the same values as we do,” said White.
The One-on-One
After the press conference, I had a chance to sit down with White in his office, but not until after he made his way through the production floor, addressing the employees he saw by name, shaking hands and giving hugs.
When we sat down, White began to tell a story about when he was in college working in the shipping department, “I’ll never forget one day, I was sitting on a palette of circulators, having my coffee break and a cigarette, and a guy came around with the paychecks. I never saw people so happy in my life. I knew that someday I wanted to run this place. There’s something more to it. When I began running this place I began to pour my heart and soul into the people.”
White began his career working for a Taco sales rep in the Bay Area, which he refers to as Taco West. He eventually made his way East and began working as a Taco rep. “As a rep, I learned the actual value of what we provided to the Tacos. When I came back here, I was the Lone Ranger, as I always understood the value of reps, and that has been very valuable to the evolution of this company.”
As the conversation continued, I asked White about the love for his employees, and his will to protect the company. “That comes from several different perspectives,” said White. “One is that we are a very competitive market. I have competitors that don’t want to see me stay around, which they have made abundantly clear. But they haven’t been able to beat us yet. So I always find a need to find the right things to allow us to continue to grow — whether they are new products, new concepts, designs — we do it all. I spend a lot of my life thinking about this. How are we going to move forward? I have to find ways to be effective with the resources that I have, and I don’t have the chance to make many mistakes. Believe me, I have made a few misjudgments—diverting resources to the thing that didn’t pan out—and I have to be careful with that.
“Another perspective is that I’ve chosen the state of Rhode Island—we are always in the bottom two in terms of business unfriendly—politics, tax prohibitive, to name a few. When I began running the company in 1992, we were about $35M in sales and we had 500 employees, closer to 600. Now we are $250M and we have 500 employees. We have been able to grow the business without adding lots of people, and now we are beginning to add again on the IT, engineering and the human resources side. Our average tenured employee is 20 years and Rhode Island is full of good, hard working skilled workers. It is the best workforce I have seen anywhere in the world.
“The growth this company has incurred and the upgrade in process and efficiency and quality, it’s been done by the same people. We’ve all done it together. Think about that. Those 500 people, a lot of them have been here for the 20 years I’ve been running this company. I feel like to the best of my ability, I owe it to them. Remember, protecting those 500 jobs is protecting the livelihood of thousands —families, suppliers, etc. It’s a pleasurable burden to be able to fulfill.”
Legacy? “My dad’s legacy was the learning center. My legacy would just be able to have allowed people to grow and prosper in their lives. It’s not about money.”
Wrapping up, White told me one last thing, “I’ve learned in life that everybody has a story. If we just took the time to listen to them. The stories I’ve heard throughout my journey, they’ve taught me so many things in life.”
The company’s future looks bright. With the introduction of Wil VandeWiel as the new president & COO of Taco, VandeWiel will oversee daily operations of Taco and work with John White, Jr. and his board of directors in steering Taco’s growth forward in the years ahead. White will remain as company CEO but will refocus his responsibilities on building new partnerships and strategic acquisitions worldwide in pursuit of company growth and diversification. And let’s not forget about John White’s two sons, John White III and Ben White, great men full of potential, at the ready to make great things happen for the future of the company.
The Message Comes Full Circle
Fast forward, the message again was clear as he spoke at last month’s AHR Show, conveying the fact that the company is looking toward future growth — through organic, inorganic and global growth. “With Taco, it’s not just about pumps and valves, it’s about a community. We are in the business of making peoples’ lives better. When a customer buys a Taco product, they are buying into someone’s future, as well,” said White.