Environmental Efficiency by Controlled Air Inc

We are excited to announce that we  now referral partners with Bloom Energy fuel cells. Bloom Energy® is making clean, reliable energy affordable. Their unique on-site power generation systems utilize an innovative fuel cell technology with roots in the NASA Mars space program. Derived from a common ceramic powder and leveraging breakthrough advances in materials science, the technology significantly reduces operating costs while dramatically lowering greenhouse gas emissions, practically anywhere. By generating power where it’s consumed, Bloom Energy offers increased electrical reliability, improved energy security, and a clear path to energy independence. Bloom’s Energy Server™ is an easy, smart choice in today’s economic and environmentally focused economy. Typical 3-5 year payback Cut CO2 emissions by 40%-100% Virtually eliminate SOx, NOx, and other particulate emissions. Can run on natural gas or biogas. The technology is capable of both energy generation and stora...

Not all programmable thermostats are created equal. They can range in price from $40 - $300. The difference in price is based on the capabilities of the thermostat. Your basic programmable thermostat varies in price from $40-$100 dollars. A more advanced programmable thermostat varies from $150-$300. Running down to home depot and installing any programmable thermostat may save a few dollars in the immediate, but investing is a better thermostat could save you even more in the long run. Johnson Controls offers a programmable thermostat for about $195 that offers Smart Fan. In a commercial situation the fan is supposed to run continuously during occupied times for the best air quality, and a smart fan mode provides this without manually putting the fan in the 'on' position. Smart fan also allows for continuous fan operation during occupied mode and cycling with the equipment at night. This saves you money in energy by not having a fan in operation 24 hours a da...

The new ISO 50001 Standards were just released this month. These standards replace the Federal Standards recommendations for Energy Management Systems (EMS). These standards are not required but make some important and intutitive recommendations that should be followed. The recommedations can help business save large amounts of money on energy, while also helping the environment by reducing demand on natural resources. The standard can be used by any size organization or facility and was created to easily integrate with other ISO such as 14001 and 9001. Energy Management Systems can allow a company to have greater control over their entire building including heat, air conditioning, and lighting, while also having the ability to monitor usage. EMS also save time by having one location to change temperature, monitor controls, and track usage rather then having to go to individual thermostats and controls per department or room. THE ISO STATES: Information provided by ISO.org Th...

Contributed by Dave Eger , HVAC Support Manager Why we recommend replacing parts that are working? One of our goals as your HVAC service provider is to help eliminate service calls, especially major failures such as compressor replacements.  On a regular basis, we review in detail, catastrophic failures.  When we first started this process many years ago we saw failures caused by simple components.  One example is a $75.00 contactor; the contacts had corroded and welded shut.  This forced the compressor to stay running constantly, never shutting off.  In this case the compressor failed, resulting in a repair that cost over $5,000.00. Through our analysis, we have assembled a list of items that if failure occurs can cause additional issues with your system.  Our service technicians are trained to review these items during a preventive maintenance and to recommend replacing them at any sign of wear or possible failure. We recommended replacin...

We have mentioned Cogeneration so many times before, but it really is one of our favorite energy efficient forms for heating and cooling. Because of that we made it our first video. We really hope that you find it information and educational. Our goal was really to educate more then anything else. If you have more questions about cogeneration contact us we would love to answer them.

Geothermal is a fascinating energy efficient form of heating and cooling that does not seem to get as much press as solar or even cogeneration. Geothermal  energy is a renewable and reliable source of heat. Because 46 percent of solar energy is absorbed by the earth, at a depth of approximately six feet, the soil maintains a consistent average temperature of between 42-77 degrees Fahrenheit year round.  Geothermal heat pumps use this natural energy to heat and cool water circulated through an underground loop. In the winter the water is run through the loop underground and is warmed by the earth's heat and then brought to the system in the building that then delivers the heat. I t is much easier for the system to capture heat from soil of a moderate temperature than from the frigid air outside in winter.  In the summer the heat is gather from inside the building and then run underground where the heat is absorbed by the earth and then cooler water is then brought back ...

Contributed by Vincent Chiocchio, President I have been asked many times over the years, why do I want to spend the extra money on ductwork? It only is hidden by the drop ceiling and as long as the system cools when I lower the thermostat and heats when I raise the thermostat, what else matters. Well, that poorly designed and installed duct system is costing you money every day! The poorly designed and installed system restricts the air flow to the HVAC unit. This restriction must be compensated for to maintain the comfort capabilities within the space. The compressor now operates at a less efficient point with this reduced air flow caused by the restriction. This causes the compressor to operate at a reduced output capacity and at a less efficient point using more watts per btu than at optimum design. It now has to run longer to achieve the same amount of cooling using even more energy. Well, we can compensate by increasing the airflow. This increase requires more energ...

It is confusing at best trying to keep up with all the new legislation that is going on in the government. Some things say they are trying to increasse spening and funding for energy efficiency and the next cutting it. Currently there are a few major items that are being decided on that will have a major impact on what happens with energy efficiency funding in the future. The Good: The President has put in a request for 29.5 bil budget request for the DOE and EERE(Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy) program. This increase would stregthen renewable energy resources, boost clean energy research, and cut expenses to pursue the goal of 80% clean energy sources by 2035. The budget includes large increases for EERE programs including, 135% increase for geothermal technology, 115% increase for building technologies, 88% increase for solar energy, and a 61% increase for wind. The weatherization spending would increase by 52%. The new budget would also promote renewable energy and energy ef...

There are numerous opportunities out there to help businesses convert to energy efficiency. Sometimes that are just difficult to locate. The Connecticut Electric Efficiency Partners (EEP) Program was established by Section 94 of Public Act 07-242 (the Act). The primary intension of the Act is to reduce demand for electricity, particularly peak-demand. Part of this program regulated by the Department of Public Utility Control helps with the cost of gas chillers and ice thermal storage. Department’s website Gas Chillers Gas chillers are natural gas driven devices used to provide cooling for area air conditioning applications or for industrial/commercial process applications. The incentive is for $300/ton for gas chiller installations. There are Minimum Gas Chiller Performance requirements for this grant. This program is applicable both to new installations and for replacement of existing equipment. In the case of replacements, documentation is required showing that the equipment is bein...

Even with all that Connecticut has been doing to conserve energy there is still going to be major smog levels and poor air quality over the next few days across New England. They are predicting record high temperatures and so increased energy demand. Many businesses will be turning up the ac and increasing their energy usage. The EPA is requesting individuals and businesses to do anything that they can to reduce their energy demand, including turning up the A/C, turning off lights and computers when not using them, as well as car pooling. Unfortunately these are shortsighted solutions for the immediate problem, but they do not address the long term issue of too much energy usage. It is important to do what you can to keep your energy usage low over the next few days, but also to think of some ways that your business can help reduce their energy demand. One ways to analyze the energy your company uses is through a energy analysis. Energy analysis' see how much energy you use through...

Going green is not just for smaller eco-conscious companies anymore. Many larger corporations are jumping on the bank wagon and are finding they can save huge amounts of money. The changes that they are making vary from a complete buildings redesigns to complete overhaul of their business practices. The outcome of these changes from business to business, but it seems that overall they are helping bring green and sustainable principles to the mainstream of business. Last year Walmart launched a sustainability index and sustainability consortium. Burger King has even opened up a number of stores that are partially powered by wind and solar; Dr. Pepper is upgrading 60k vending machines for energy efficiency and Huggies now makes organic diapers. The term "Green" has been over used and over marketed and many people thought that it was only a phase that would pass like bell-bottoms. But it is not going anywhere and seems to only be growing in popularity. It is wonderful that the...

When you think of Alexion Pharmacauticals, you may not think of green technology or environment efforts, but Alexion is a leader in sustainable business practices. Alexion has written a business plan that leads them to become 100% green. Over the last few years Alexion has installed a company wide filtration system, removing the need for plastic water bottles; all appliances and computers are energy star rated; they have installed solar panels and purchase a portion of the energy from renewable energy sources; replaced windows to high efficiency glass; and two of their major renovations have been awarded Gold LEED Certification. We worked with Alexion in installing a new high efficiency heating and air conditioning system, as well as installing variable frequency drives, and an energy management system that allows for strict control and monitoring over energy usage in the building. What really stands out for us it that they don't even own the building they are renovating in Connect...

You may have heard the term EMS when looking into energy conservation, heating or lighting. EMS stands for Energy Management Systems. They are computer run programs that allow you to control and monitor the energy usage in a building. It also allows you to track to see how much energy you are using and when you peak usage may be. You could be away on vacation in hawaii and if you have internet access you can see how many kWh are being used at your company. We use them to monitor if there are any problems with a heating or air conditioning system. We get a warning that some things is running differently in a system before a major problem can arise. Installing a EMS system from scratch can seem like a big cost, but in the long run it can save thousands of dollars. Being able to see how energy is being used in a building, it allows to develop strategic ideas on how to save energy and money. The more information you have the easier it is to make effective plans. Further these systems can v...

The EPA just recently rolled out a program to help utilities and their partners, help businesses with the programs and funding offered by local utilities. So this will work with the programs that are already in place. Currently they are testing the program with Energy Star partners Commonwealth Edison, Mass Save, MidAmerican, National Grid, New Jersey's Clean Energy Program, Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and Focus on Energy. The program was modeled after their residential program. The EPA's Press Release states: The program will help energy efficiency programs achieve deeper, more comprehensive energy savings in commercial buildings by: * Packaging EPA’s successful business energy management and building upgrade strategies along with the powerful ENERGY STAR brand to enable programs to harvest more energy savings from commercial buildings. * Targeting businesses interested in an ongoing relationship with their utility or state program sponsor around st...

The brand new Soundview YMCA that will be opening in Branford next month is using Cogeneration. The YMCA has an incredibly high demand for energy because of the necessity to heat two pools 24 hours per day, hot water for showers, general electricity and running a dehumidifier in the summer months. By using cogeneration they are saving 360,000 KWh per year. That is a lot of energy saved. That not only breaks down a huge fiscal savings, but also saves 5800 trees, 493,000 pounds of Co2, 9,000 gals of crude oil, and 9 mil gals of water saved. Installing the cogeneration system in the YMCA is a great achievement for the Branford Community, as well as the environment. Cogeneration also called CHP or combined Heat and Power is an integrated energy system that can be used in power plants, commercial buildings, and residential homes to create heat as well as electricity. "Cogeneration is one of the most eco-friendly energy forms in existence," states Vincent Chiocchio, President of Co...

Well it has been good to hear that the EPA has quickly set to fix the problem with the energy star ratings. Last month is came out that products were able to get through the energy star process without really being energy efficient, if fact a few products didn't exist at all. The EPA took a lot of fire from consumers. We are consumers have come to depend on the energy star rating when choosing which products to buy, so it is great to know that the problem is fixed. To read more about this go to: Consumer Reports Home & Garden Blog: Overhaul of Energy Star product-certification process represents progress, but DOE and EPA have more to do

The Connecticut Energy Efficiency Fund has been a wonderful benefit for residences and business alike. Connecticut consumers saved approximately $46 million last year. More than 3,100 businesses and municipalities, shared in the savings. Connecticut is being awarded the third highest energy efficiency scorecard in the nation by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy in 2009, according to the Energy Conservation Management Board. It seems that many people are taking advantage of of this wonderful program. They recently came out with their 2009 report with their goals for 2010 and how the funds were used in 2009. Annual Report It might give you ideas on what you can do with your business, to save you money.

I saw that the EPA Energy Star Program has been found to not be the most accurate. People were able to enter in false companies and products are receive energy star ratings. This means many of the energy star products out there may be false. This is a huge step backwards for all of us that work hard every day to improve the environment and reduce our energy consumption. I think that this really makes the Energy Star program look bad. I am watching to see what they will have to say about it all. I saw nothing on their twitter. Fortunately we analyze all our products once they are installed through computer monitoring and so we know that the products we have installed are saving money for our customers, but what about all the other businesses and residences out there. Do you know for sure your products are saving you money? Read the full article in The NY Times

Through deregulation in Connecticut you have an option to choose who offers you energy. This is an incredible benefit and can save a lot of money. We have partnered with Titan Energy. Titan Energy offers gas, oil and electric at reduced rates. Titan Energy will do an analysis on current bills to determine how much money each month can be saved. This analysis is absolutely free. Titan Energy offers a fixed rate on utilities for 12, 24, 36 months. Titan Energy also offers green and renewable energy sources. We are now working with Titan Energy and has saved 8% on our utility bills each month. And when the utility rates go up we will be saving even more. You have the option to choose who you get your energy from. You are no longer held to the major utility companies and their high costs. Contact Controlled Air to get a Free Energy Study, which will analyze your current heating and air conditioning system, as well as your utilities and see how much money you can save each year. There are m...

Thermal Storage is not a new idea, but it is growing in popularity. It is an energy efficient way to save companies money on air conditioning. Thermal Storage uses ice to cool a building during the day. The ice is created at night when it is cheaper to use electricity and more energy efficient to create it. The ice is then melted during the day to cool the building. It reduces the cost by reducing your demand during peak periods. It can cut cooling costs by 20-40%. Imagine saving 20-40% on a $100,000 energy bill? Check out Calmac's website http://www.calmac.com/ or call us for more information.