MEETINGS AND EVENTS

Asia AMCA Webinar (in English): Life Safety Dampers

Wednesday, Sept. 1, at 6:30 p.m. IST/8 a.m. CT

Speaker: Alex Talwar, Application Engineer II – Commercial Dampers, AMCA Member Company

Register Now!

Webinar: HVLS Application and Selection

Wednesday, Sept. 8, at noon CT

Speaker: Andy Dunst, Application Engineering Specialist, AMCA Member Company

Registration opening soon

Webinar: VAV Systems Part 2: VAV System Duct Design

Wednesday, Sept. 22, at noon CT

Speaker: Steve Taylor, Principal, Taylor Associates and AMCA Consultant

Registration opening soon

Update Your AMCA Library

Click here to shop for AMCA technical documents, including the revised AMCA Publication 211, Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Fan Air Performance, and ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-D, Laboratory Methods of Testing Dampers for Rating.

Click here to learn more about CETIAT's AMCA CRP fan-testing capabilities.

AMCA White Papers

Stay abreast of topics that are top of mind for AMCA and its members. Check out AMCA's white-paper library by clicking here.

Advertising Deadline for 2021 Edition of AMCA inmotion Approaching

There still is time to support AMCA in its mission “to advance the knowledge of air systems … on behalf of AMCA members worldwide” while furthering your company’s marketing and branding initiatives by advertising in the 2021 edition of award-winning AMCA inmotion magazine.

The deadlines for advertising orders and advertising materials are Sept. 21 and Sept. 28, respectively. For advertising rates and contacts, see the 2021 AMCA inmotion media kit.

AMCA once again is partnering with ASHRAE for publication and distribution of AMCA inmotion. Approximately 55,000 copies of the 2021 edition of AMCA inmotion will be polybagged with the November issue of ASHRAE Journal and mailed to buildings professionals and engineering leaders in the United States, Canada, and the Middle East. Digitally, the 2021 edition of AMCA inmotion will be e-mailed to all approximately 115,000 ASHRAE Journal digital and High Performing Buildings (HPB) subscribers. Online, the 2021 edition of AMCA inmotion will be available for free downloading at ASHRAE.org, HPBmagazine.org, and AMCA.org.

For information on ASHRAE Journal’s readership, including recommending, specifying, and buying power, download the 2021 ASHRAE Integrated Marketing Guide here.

Content for the 2021 edition of AMCA inmotion is being prepared by AMCA committee and staff members and will be edited by AMCA Manager of Industry Content Scott Arnold, who, prior to joining AMCA in 2017, was an editor for HPAC Engineering magazine for 18 years. For descriptions of the articles the team has in store, see the 2021 AMCA inmotion media kit.

In the last two-plus years, the 2020, 2019, and 2018 editions of AMCA inmotion have received eight awards and honors between them—including, this month, a Gold Stevie Award as part of the 18th Annual International Business Awards program—sharing the stage with campaigns from the likes of ESPN, Delta Air Lines, WWE, Mastercard, LinkedIn, Anheuser-Busch, and Aflac.

For more information about AMCA inmotion, contact Arnold at [email protected].

DOE Appears Ready to Reignite Rulemaking for Fans and Blowers

On Aug. 19, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) published in the Federal Register a notice of final determination indicating it intends to restart the federal rulemaking process for commercial and industrial fans and blowers (CIFB), which has been stalled since 2017.

The final determination, which will become effective Sept. 20, 2021:

• Classifies certain fans and blowers as equipment covered under Part A-1 of Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act.
• Defines equipment considered fans and blowers, using the AMCA Standard 214, Test Procedure for Calculating Fan Energy Index for Commercial and Industrial Fans and Blowers, definition of fan. The DOE says it considers the terms “fans” and “blowers” interchangeable, a contention AMCA has supported in comments to the DOE in the past.
• Sets as wide of a scope regarding the types of fans and blowers the DOE can regulate as possible. The only specified exemptions are furnace fans and ceiling fans, which already are federally regulated. Further, the determination states that fans embedded in regulated and unregulated equipment are within the DOE’s purview.

“With this final determination, the DOE is signaling that it intends to regulate fans, with a draft test procedure likely in the very near future,” AMCA Senior Director, Global Affairs, Michael Ivanovich said. “Under the process rule for regulating products, this final determination was a necessary step. It’s quite possible, with the DOE having had AMCA Standard 214 since October 2020, that a test procedure already is drafted.”

Ivanovich said CIFB products could be under a federal test procedure as soon as late 2022.

The final determination provides a detailed history of the CIFB rulemaking since 2011. For more information and hyperlinks to past DOE activity, click here.

Meanwhile, “The California Energy Commission has communicated to AMCA that it is moving ahead with the next stage of the Title 20 CIFB product regulation, with the next draft regulation being published as early as this fall,” AMCA Senior Manager, Advocacy, Aaron Gunzner said. “Combined with the anticipated activity from the DOE, AMCA could be engaged in two CIFB rulemakings simultaneously.”

The North America Region Air Movement Advocacy Committee is responsible for developing and communicating consensus positions on fan regulations in North America on behalf of AMCA and its members. If interested in participating, contact Gunzner at [email protected].

For more information on the DOE’s notice of final determination, contact Ivanovich at +1 847-704-6340 or [email protected].

AMCA Digital Credentialing Program Set to Begin

On Sept. 1, AMCA will begin issuing credentials to individuals in recognition of service to the association and participation in association educational initiatives.

“AMCA International has always been committed to helping members achieve success and grow professionally,” AMCA Education Manager Lisa Cherney said. “For those who volunteer their time and expertise to AMCA committees, as well as those who seek to expand their knowledge by participating in AMCA’s educational programs, we want to recognize you.”

The digital badges, Cherney said, will lend credibility to service and achievements and be easy to manage and share. Additionally, they will grant access to exclusive promotional offers and learning pathways.

Participation in the digital-badging program is free and acceptance of the credentials voluntary. When you have earned your first badge, you will be e-mailed an invitation to accept it and create an account from credential provider Credly. Once your badge is claimed, you can post it on social media, embed it on your personal website, insert it in your e-mail footer, and more.

“We hope members take advantage of this new platform and enjoy the convenience and professional recognition afforded by our badging program,” Cherney said.

For more information about the digital-badging program, click here.

AMCA Hosts Energy-Focused Nonprofit Slipstream

Looking to learn more about fan energy index (FEI), Slipstream, a Madison, Wis.-based nonprofit that partners with utilities, local and state governments, regulatory agencies, and other organizations to accelerate climate solutions, sent two representatives to visit AMCA’s headquarters in Arlington Heights, Ill., Aug. 4.

“Slipstream is developing an energy rebate-slash-incentive program under a contract with ComEd,” AMCA Senior Director, Global Affairs, Michael Ivanovich explained. “They did a study on market awareness and the savings potential of FEI for a market-transformation project and would like AMCA to possibly team with them. Their principal engineer recently published a blog on FEI that is quite fun to read.”

Following a tour of the AMCA laboratory given by AMCA Laboratory Manager Tim Reilly, Kellen McSweeney, program manager, and Drew Morrison, energy engineer, both of Slipstream’s Chicago office, sat down with members of the AMCA staff, namely Executive Director Mark Stevens; Ivanovich; Director of Marketing, Membership, and Education Robb Clawson; Technical Director Nazme Mohsina; Principal Engineer Tim Mathson; Senior Manager, Advocacy, Aaron Gunzner; Manager of Industry Content Scott Arnold; Certified Ratings Program Manager Charlie Meyers; and Reilly. Over lunch, the group discussed, among other topics, the prevalence of FEI in U.S. construction-project specifications, how AMCA certifies FEI ratings through software evaluation, and AMCA’s online educational module on FEI, which Slipstream agreed to beta test.

“I want to thank everyone who contributed to the Slipstream visit,” Ivanovich said. “From the presence of so many staff, the quality of the information presented and the questions asked—they made AMCA look good for what seems to be an exciting opportunity for a new relationship.”

FORE! AMCA Celebrates Milestone Work Anniversaries

The AMCA headquarters staff celebrated milestone work anniversaries of seven of their colleagues with an evening of food and fun at Topgolf in Schaumburg, Ill., Aug. 4.

Celebrating work anniversaries were (above, from left): Laboratory Technician Jim Simmons, who celebrated 10 years with AMCA on April 11; Director of Information Technology Bruce Hackett, who will celebrate 30 years with AMCA on Sept. 9; Senior Director, Global Affairs, Michael Ivanovich, who celebrated 10 years with AMCA on July 10; Manager of Member Relations Courtney Stone, who will celebrate five years with AMCA on Sept. 30; Director of Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology Paul Fajnor, who will celebrate five years with AMCA on Dec. 12; and Software Engineer Andrew Schmidt, who celebrated 10 years with AMCA on June 1. Not pictured is Quality Manager Dan Lawhorn, whose 10-year anniversary in 2018 (May 19) was belatedly observed.

“The reason for peoples’ longevity at AMCA is the type of people they get to work with and the type of work they get to do,” AMCA Executive Director Mark Stevens said. “AMCA is a combination not frequently found elsewhere of bright people doing challenging things for the public good.”

Joining the AMCA staff for the festivities were two members of the AMCA board of directors, Mike Wolf and Mark Bublitz.

Visit the AMCA Newsletter library for past issues.