The Future…. “RNG” Renewable Natural Gas

ASHRAE BC welcomes Jason Wolfe to our January meeting. Decarbonization opportunities. The key characteristics of Energy Sources and how is energy used today. Key Characteristics affordability, needs to be abundant, needs to consider Energy Density, needs to be clean energy low GHG. The Future…. “RNG” Renewable Natural Gas has the lowest Emission factor in the industry. A new proposal being submitted for approval for 100% of all new residential construction to get Renewable Gas at same cost as present sources.

Jason has been with FortisBC for 19 years, and is presently the Director of Energy Solutions.

City of Vancouver: Plumbing & Mechanical Systems: What’s New & Expected

Phillip White has over 25 years of experience designing, installing and inspecting mechanical systems. He is the City of Vancouver’s Manager of Plumbing and Mechanical Inspections and contributes to policy development and regulation redesign.

Chris works in Development, Buildings & Licensing at the City of Vancouver and is a Professional Engineer, a Professional Biologist and a certified Small Water System Operator. He works closely with Phillip White on the development and implementation of policies in the Vancouver Plumbing By-law. His background includes a B.Sc. in Microbiology, an M.A.Sc. in Civil Engineering and a Certificate in Power Equipment Mechanics.

Our May meeting is also student night! BCIT Mechanical Engineering Students will have their capstone design projects on display, and be in attendance to discuss and network.

Zero Energy Building with Hydronics

Our speaker is Max Rohr, Education/Engagement Manager, Caleffi North America. Hydronics offers an excellent way to address sensible heating and cooling loads in markets like Vancouver who are transitioning to a zero energy building future. This presentation will discuss the strengths and limitations of water-based heating and cooling systems. Considering the vast amount of buildings operating with hydronic systems today, a clearer transition path is required to adapt to the energy plants of the future. Hydronic buildings will play a key role in achieving net-zero emissions in Canada by 2050.

Max Rohr graduated from the University of Utah. After graduating he began his manufacturing career at the Caleffi headquarters in Italy. He has over twenty years of work experience in installation, distribution, manufacturers’ representative and manufacturing roles before returning to Caleffi. Max describes himself as an “energy nerd.” He now leads Caleffi’s industry engagement with trade associations, committees, industry initiative and collaborative manufacturer partners. Also an active ASHRAE Technical committee member.

Integrating Renewable Energy Systems into Buildings - Sheila Hayter, ASHRAE Distinguished Lecturer

ASHRAE BC is proud to welcome ASHRAE Past Society President and Distinguished Lecturer, Sheila Hayter, to our February Meeting. Sheila will introduce us to technical opportunities, means, and methods for incorporating renewable energy (RE) technologies into building designs and operations. She will give an overview of RE resources and available technologies used successfully in the USA to offset building electrical and thermal energy loads. Methods for applying these technologies in buildings and the role of building energy efficiency in successful RE projects will be addressed. She will discuss issues related to connecting RE systems to existing electrical grids and offer tips for implementing successful RE projects. Finally, she will summarize ASHRAE activities related to and/or in support of RE applications in buildings.

Sheila Hayter is an ASHRAE Fellow and Distinguished Lecturer and works as a group manager at the Department of Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden Colorado. She also is the recipient of Distinguished and Exceptional Service Awards. Her ASHRAE roots run deep. Her father, Richard Hayter, served as ASHRAE president from 1995-1996.

HRV’s - Efficient Design, IAQ and Step Code

ASHRAE welcomes Eric Hebbard and Johnnie Allan from Oxygen8 to our January meeting. Eric and Johnnie will challenge the common misconception that improving indoor air quality (IAQ) comes with a massive increase in building costs and create a compelling case for holding occupant health paramount. Using advanced heat recovery ventilator (HRV) technology, they will discuss how to modernize new and existing ventilation system design to maximize indoor environmental quality and minimize costs. Furthermore, they will review how HRV’s impact a building’s TEDI score and how this relates to the BC Step Code.

Johnnie is a Regional Sales Manager at Oxygen8 and has taken part in many HVAC&R projects across North America. Johnnie is currently attending the Sustainable Energy Management program at BCIT and he focuses his efforts on advocating for the use of sustainable ventilation systems in high-performance buildings, specifically in commercial, mixed-use, and industrial developments.

Eric is a Business Development Manager at Oxygen8 and has led teams in the US DoE's worldwide competition, Solar Decathlon, securing two consecutive wins in the single-family and multi-use residential divisions. Eric's efforts are focused on education on sustainable ventilation design and seeking opportunities to collaborate with fellow building sustainability enthusiasts on new projects. 

ASHRAE BC Building Sustainability & Resilience guide

This presentation provides an overview of the ASHRAE BC Building Sustainability & Resilience Guide and will focus on the three pillars of the guide – Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience.

Following the official launch of the ASHRAE BC Building Sustainability and Resilience Guide in August (available here http://www.ashraebc.com/resources ) the ASHRAE BC chapter are excited to be putting on an official launch night and showcase event. The guide is targeted at a diverse crowd, potentially anyone interested in buildings and sustainability, and it is hoped that this event will also attract people from consultants to architects and building owners.

Whilst the night will touch on the content of the guide and given that this is already available to view for free, we wanted to provide some background as to why the guide was developed and how it can be applied to building designs. As such this showcase will focus on the three pillars of the guide – Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience – and how the observations in relations to these pillars today should be shaping our building design and upgrades now and into the future.

We are fortunate to have three special guests to present each of the pillars

Warrick Brown – ASHRAE Sustainability Chair

Nathaniel Masters – Head of Sustainability at NDY Consulting Engineers

Micah Lang – Senior Green Building Planner at City of Vancouver