Category: Heating and Cooling

Is an HVAC Upgrade Your Ticket to RTO?

Have you had to delay your return-to-office (RTO) date due to surges of COVID-19 in your community? If your employees have already returned, are you worried about the spread of the Omicron variant? Are you skeptical about the value of indoor air quality, or instead, have you wondered about adding portable air cleaners? Have you […]

Facilities Management Advisor’s Top 10 Stories of 2021

‘Tis the season for publications to share Top 10 lists and annual wrap-ups! We at Facilities Management Advisor figured we’d join the party and create a list of our own highlighting the most popular articles that you, our valued readers, read over the past year. The Top 10 list covers some of the major FM […]

Teacher Survey: Noisy Air Purifiers Impact Classroom IAQ and Learning

A new national survey of K-12 teachers, commissioned by Global Plasma Solutions (GPS), shows that more than two-thirds are turning down or turning off portable, in-room, HEPA air purifiers (one of the most frequently deployed technologies) as a result of the noise they can generate in classrooms. Turning the portable units down or off reduces […]

Public-Private Partnership Works Toward Greener Heating Tech

The Biden administration’s U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has confirmed the first six industry partners to participate in the Cold Climate Heat Pump Technology Challenge. The challenge, which was announced in May at the White House, aims to reduce the carbon footprint of cold-climate heating solutions by improving the efficiency and affordability of new heat pumps in the field. Through […]

Safely Reopening Idle Buildings

As the COVID pandemic gradually subsides, facility managers and HVAC professionals worldwide face the challenge of safely bringing buildings back online. While ensuring the mechanical system is ready to handle the many challenges of increased occupancy is important, minimizing the possible transmission of SAR-CoV-2 is critical. The following article is designed to provide facility managers […]

Center for Green Schools Releases Fact Sheets to Help Boost Indoor Air Quality

The Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council released a series of fact sheets with strategies for improving indoor air quality (IAQ) in schools. The IAQ Fact Sheet Series is designed to help people without a technical background—such as school board members, teachers, and parents—to understand details about IAQ so that they can […]

Study: Most U.S. Companies Moving Toward Sustainability

Eighty percent of U.S. companies have sustainability initiatives in place, according to a new study released by Honeywell. Businesses around the world are taking notice of their carbon footprint, and sustainability has fast become an important investment—and commitment—for companies across all industries. A company can achieve numerous benefits by investing in a sustainability roadmap—from lowering […]

National Lab Quantifies Potential Dangers of Poor Air Circulation

Poorly circulated room air raises the potential exposure to contaminants by up to six times, according to a new report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). The researchers say the experiments quantify the effects of overhead heating on room air mixing, with implications for COVID-safe meetings and classrooms.

OSHA Launches Heat Stress Initiatives

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) September 20 announced “enhanced and expanded efforts” to address worker exposures to excessive heat and heat-related illnesses. The agency will develop a National Emphasis Program (NEP) and workplace heat standards, according to a White House announcement of interagency efforts to address heat hazards.

Report: U.S. Public School Facilities Face ‘Staggering’ Annual Funding Gap

The United States faces a projected shortfall of a staggering $85 billion in public school facility funding every year, according to a recent report. The report, 2021 State of Our Schools Report: America’s PK-12 Public School Facilities, was released by the 21st Century School Fund, the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), and the National Council on School Facilities. In addition […]