Staying comfy? Thank an HVAC Engineer.
Just ran across this Washington Post article by Roger K. Lewis, an architect and professor at the University of Maryland, talking about the challenges we go through in order to keep indoor climates safe and comfortable. “Properly conditioning building interiors,” he says, “also means taking care of humidity, unseen condensation, mold and mildew, indoor air quality, acoustics and air drafts, not to mention energy conservation. Thus, sustainability creating comfortable, healthy interiors entails multiple, often contradictory, demands.”
He’s right. Temperature regulation is only one small part of what HVAC (heating, ventilation and cooling) engineers have to worry about. Roger goes on to say, “Beyond regulating temperature and humidity, an effective HVAC system helps achieve favorable, year-round air quality by continuously introducing fresh air while keeping out particulate matter and other toxic pollutants.”
Maintaining humidity levels, filtering air, managing noise from system vibrations, and draft levels are all things us HVAC engineers are concerned about. That’s why when homeowners are in a rush because their air conditioning system isn’t working, for example, we provide an immediate solution like a window air conditioner in order to give us time to take into consideration all the aspects of the environment to engineer and install the right system that will provide lasting comfort for years to come.
This is especially true these days when energy efficiency and green building technology are so critically important. Solar and geothermal heat pumps, for example, are being used much more than ever before because of their ability to not only save on monthly energy costs but significantly reduce the carbon footprint for both homes and commercial buildings.
Designing a home or building and engineering it with the new HVAC energy efficient HVAC technologies requires solar and geothermal expertise. At Marshall Mechanical, we are your Richmond heating & air conditioning contactor and engineering experts. We recently installed the first solar assisted heat pump in central Virginia right here in Richmond and we also successfully completed the geothermal installation for the Caroline Family Practice Health Center in Bowling Green, VA. For all your HVAC engineering needs, both residential and commercial, call professional engineer Sean Cantrell at 804.323.0189.
