AMCA Members-Only Newsletter

Feb. 28, 2023

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AMCA Updates Members on Fan Regulations as Compliance Deadline Looms

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Following the California Energy Commission’s (CEC’s) approval of an efficiency regulation for commercial and industrial fans and blowers, the AMCA advocacy team presented a webinar Dec. 20 to begin helping members prepare for the since-revised compliance date of Nov. 16, 2023.

During the webinar, AMCA Senior Director, Global Affairs Michael Ivanovich proposed a month-by-month action plan. According to that plan, AMCA members currently should be inventorying the products they manufacture for sale in California and taking stock of test data, ensuring all of the compliance-filing parameters in Table X of the regulation can be met.

“If you need to do more testing and you want AMCA to do (it), you need to schedule that with AMCA as soon as possible,” Ivanovich said. “We do have throughput limitations.”

Meanwhile, AMCA’s advocacy committee for fans is developing a white paper providing details about the data needed for compliance filing, which it will coordinate with the CEC and Energy Code Ace, a program funded by California utility customers in support of the CEC. The white paper will provide the basis for a joint AMCA-CEC-Energy Code Ace webinar in March.

Since the December webinar, new information has led Ivanovich to tweak the action plan:

• March: AMCA members continue to analyze their ratings data and, if needed, adjust selector programs and printed and electronic literature (no specific mention of the California regulation is necessary). Additionally, March may see the release of the first batch of advocacy and compliance materials collaboratively developed by AMCA and Energy Code Ace.
• April: AMCA staff surveys members to assess their compliance readiness. Meanwhile, members focus on getting their staffs, distributors, and customers up to speed on the regulation and thinking about projects that are out for bid.
• May: With the requirement that data filed for compliance be from a laboratory recognized by the state of California, AMCA and AMCA members register their laboratories with the state, provided the CEC is ready to register laboratories.
• June: Members focus on designing and preparing to fabricate nameplates for compliance based on language in the regulation.
• July: AMCA conducts a second compliance survey and readiness assessment and presents another webinar on compliance.
• August: Members complete testing and rating of fans, educate distributors and other members of their sales chains, and ensure nameplates are ready.
• September: AMCA conducts a third and final compliance survey and readiness assessment. If the Modernized Appliance Efficiency Database System (MAEDbS) is ready, as expected, members start filing, making sure their data are accepted and there are no questions or problems. Additionally, they launch their new selector programs, make sure their websites and printed materials are up-to-date, and continue any needed testing and education.
• October: Members start or continue filing and maintain production toward compliance.

Ivanovich noted that AMCA is working closely with the CEC and Energy Code Ace on compliance and education. Stay tuned to the AMCA Members-Only Newsletter as the action plan progresses and tools and resources are made available.

Co-presented by Senior Manager, Advocacy Aaron Gunzner, PE, and moderated by Manager of Industry Content Scott Arnold, the Dec. 20 webinar, “Update on Efficiency Regulations for Commercial and Industrial Fans,” also included reports on the U.S. Department of Energy’s progress toward a test procedure and energy standard and the AMCA 2021 Fan-Shipment-Database Project. Additionally, the webinar served as a virtual introduction to Zachary “Zac” Johnson, who joined the AMCA staff in the role of codes and standards engineer in December. To view a video recording, click here.

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CRP Manual, Fan-Sound-Ratings and Air-Circulating-Fans Standards Revised

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February saw a flurry of activity from the AMCA Publications & Standards department, with announcements of the revisions of AMCA Publication 11, Certified Ratings Program Operating Manual; ANSI/AMCA Standard 301, Methods for Calculating Fan Sound Ratings from Laboratory Test Data; and ANSI/AMCA Standard 230, Laboratory Methods of Testing Air Circulating Fans for Rating and Certification.

AMCA Publication 11-22

Published Feb. 3 and superseding AMCA Publication 11-16, AMCA Publication 11-22 governs the AMCA Certified Ratings Program (CRP) and is to be used, as applicable, in conjunction with companion documents such as AMCA publications 111 (Laboratory Accreditation Program), 211 (Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Fan Air Performance), 311 (Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Fan Sound Performance), 511 (Certified Ratings Program Product Rating Manual for Air Control Devices), 611 (Certified Ratings Program - Product Rating Manual for Airflow Measurement Stations), and 1011 (Certified Ratings Program - Product Rating Manual for Acoustical Duct Silencers).

Changes to AMCA Publication 11 include:

• The addition of a procedure for certifying identical products.
• The removal of the requirement that a product certified by a wholly owned subsidiary, a majority-owned subsidiary, or a group member utilize the drawings and name of the parent product.
• The addition of a requirement that all check tests “be performed with exclusions defined per AMCA policy.”
• The addition of an allowance for approved third-party laboratories to perform check tests under the oversight of AMCA staff.
• Clarified and updated failed-check-test procedures.
• The addition of a requirement that AMCA staff review all electronic product-selection programs (EPSP) every 12 months.
• The addition of an allowance for approved third-party laboratories to perform tests.
• The addition of penalties for accumulated program violations.
• The addition of requirements for the use of QR codes.
• The addition of a requirement that AMCA-reviewed printouts of approved EPSP be included in the AMCA directory.

AMCA Publication 11-22 is available for immediate download free of charge (login required). Printed copies are available for $7.50 for AMCA members and $15 for non-members. To obtain a copy, click here.

ANSI/AMCA Standard 301-22

Published Feb. 13 and superseding ANSI/AMCA Standard 301-14, ANSI/AMCA Standard 301-22 applies to any fan for which a test standard for measuring sound-power levels exists. Stakeholders include fan manufacturers, building designers, engineers, and acoustic consultants.

Revisions of note include:

• Section 5.1: Because of inherent inaccuracy, extrapolation of operating points toward shutoff no longer is allowed. Additionally, to improve the accuracy of projections of blade-pass tone, the previous recommendation that projections be made in 1/3 octave bands if 1/3-octave-band test data are available now is a requirement.
• Annex A: Annex A was rewritten, with several figures added to provide clarity regarding test-wheel size, speed, and tested operating points.

Additional revisions include updated references to standards, clarification of the intent of several sections, and a rewritten Section 4, “Definitions, Symbols and Subscripts.”

The cost of ANSI/AMCA Standard 301-22 is $45 for AMCA members and $90 for non-members in printed or PDF format and $61 for AMCA members and $122 for non-members in both printed and PDF formats. To purchase a copy, click here.

ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23

Published Feb. 16 and superseding ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-15, ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23 establishes uniform methods of laboratory testing air-circulating fans to determine performance for rating or certification purposes. It applies to electrically powered air-circulating fan heads with an input power greater than or equal to 125 W and ceiling fans. Excluded are:

• Jet fans as defined in ANSI/AMCA Standard 214-21, Test Procedure for Calculating Fan Energy Index (FEI) for Commercial and Industrial Fans and Blowers.
• Powered roof ventilators, induced-flow fans, and laboratory exhaust fans.
• Positive-pressure ventilators as defined in ANSI/AMCA Standard 240-22, Laboratory Methods of Testing Positive Pressure Ventilators for Aerodynamic Performance Rating.
• Compressors.
• Positive-displacement machines.

ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23 includes:

• Updated definitions related to air-circulating-fan classification.
• Revised classification of air-circulating fans into three product groups: unhoused air-circulating fan head, housed air-circulating fan head, and ceiling fan.
• Clarification on the use of fan outlet area as opposed to fan discharge area with housed air-circulating fans.
• The ceiling-fan-energy-index (CFEI) and thrust-efficiency-ratio metrics.
• Clarified procedures for measuring fan speed.
• 2021 errata to ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-15.
• Equations for calculating fan total pressure, which is required to calculate CFEI.
• A new annex (Annex C) defining subcategories of air-circulating fans.

Stakeholders for ANSI/AMCA Standard 230 are fan manufacturers, testing laboratories, fan engineers, fan-equipment specifiers, HVAC professionals, energy-efficiency regulators, utility-incentive-program developers, and building owners.

The cost of ANSI/AMCA Standard 230-23 is $45 for AMCA members and $90 for non-members in printed or PDF format and $61 for AMCA members and $122 for non-members in both printed and PDF formats. To purchase a copy, click here.

For more information about AMCA publications and standards, contact Director of Publications and Standards Joe Brooks, PE, at [email protected] or Senior Manager, Publications and Standards Shruti Kohli-Bhargava at [email protected].

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AMCA A2LA Laboratory Accreditation Renewed

AMCA wind-driven-rain (left) and water-penetration chambers.

Participants in the AMCA Certified Ratings Program can be confident in both the quality of the services received and the accuracy of the tests performed following AMCA’s recent approval for accreditation by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA).

AMCA’s laboratory in Arlington Heights, Ill., is accredited in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025:2017, General Requirements for the Competence of Testing and Calibration Laboratories, for another two years—through Sept. 30, 2024—to perform the following tests:

• Fans: aerodynamic performance (ANSI/AMCA Standard 210/ASHRAE Standard 51, Laboratory Methods of Testing Fans for Certified Aerodynamic Performance Rating, Figure 12, Figure 15), acoustic performance (ANSI/AMCA Standard 300, Reverberant Room Method for Sound Testing of Fans, Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3), loudness rating (HVI Publication 915, HVI Loudness Testing and Rating Procedure), airflow (HVI Publication 916, HVI Airflow Test Procedure), and air circulating (ANSI/AMCA Standard 230, Laboratory Methods of Testing Air Circulating Fans for Rating and Certification, Figure 1 [fans up to 18 ft in the AMCA laboratory, fans greater than 18 ft at a field-testing site], Figure 2B1).
• Central-station air-handling units: aerodynamic performance (AHRI Standard 430, Performance Rating of Central Station Air-handling Unit Supply Fans).
• Reference sound sources: acoustic performance (ANSI/ASA S12.5/ISO 6926, Acoustics—Requirements for the Performance and Calibration of Reference Sound Sources Used for the Determination of Sound Power Levels, comparison method).
• Weather louvers: impact (ANSI/AMCA Standard 540, Test Method for Louvers Impacted by Wind Borne Debris) and wind-driven rain (ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-L, Laboratory Methods of Testing Louvers for Rating, Figure 5.11).
• Dampers: pressure drop (ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-D, Laboratory Methods of Testing Dampers for Rating, Figure 5.1, Figure 5.2, Figure 5.3, Figure 5.4, Figure 5.5) and leakage (ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-D Figure 5.4A, Figure 5.5A, Figure 5.6A).
• Louvers: pressure drop (ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-L Figure 5.4, Figure 5.5) and leakage (ANSI/AMCA Standard 500-L Figure 5.4A, Figure 5.5A, Figure 6.6A).

In general, A2LA laboratory accreditation is a three-to-six-month process culminating with a three-day assessment performed by a trained assessor approved by A2LA.

“Day 1 mainly consists of going over our management system, which entails AMCA’s continued compliance with ISO/IEC 17025:2017,” AMCA Quality and Safety Manager Daniel Lawhorn explained. “Days 2 and 3 consist of working with the laboratory to cover all the test methods covered in AMCA’s scope. Day 3 consists of a final review of the scope and any issues that came up during the assessment. The assessor prepares reports, and everyone is invited to a closing meeting to go over the assessment.”

Lawhorn had high praise for A2LA.

“A2LA has always been very responsive and helpful with obtaining and maintaining our ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, which allows the AMCA laboratory to focus on improvements, rather than correcting issues,” he said. “We would recommend them to anyone in need of accreditation services.”

To view the accreditation certificate (No. 2477.01) and supporting documentation, click here. For more information, contact Lawhorn at [email protected] or +1 847-704-6257.

AMCA’s laboratory also is ILAC- (formerly International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation) accredited.

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Bright Idea: AMCA Embarks on Indoor-Lighting Upgrade

A technician from Windy City Lighting replaces standard light bulbs with LEDs outside the board room at AMCA headquarters Jan. 30. Photograph by Robb Clawson

AMCA has taken steps to reduce energy and maintenance costs and improve productivity by modernizing the lighting throughout its headquarters in Arlington Heights, Ill.

Through the indoor-lighting incentive program of local electric-service provider Commonwealth Edison Co. (ComEd), 248 light fixtures throughout the laboratory and the office area were retrofitted or replaced with LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which burn a small fraction of the energy of standard bulbs and can last as long as 15 or 20 years. Additionally, for some high-bay areas of the laboratory, an advanced lighting-control system was installed.

“As part of my assessment of the condition of the lab and what improvements should be made, I noticed immediately that lighting in the lab was insufficient,” Eric Anderson, who joined the staff of AMCA International in the role of laboratory director in November, said. “Having knowledge of ComEd’s efficiency program (from his previous role as a senior laboratory manager for UL Solutions), I thought it would be a great way to help us save on the cost of upgrading the lighting, reduce energy costs, and improve our carbon footprint by being a greener company.”

Anderson initiated the project in November by completing an application and worksheet on the ComEd website. He then was contacted by energy-savings consultant Windy City Lighting, which visited AMCA headquarters to conduct a lighting assessment. ComEd reviewed the assessment and, in early January, approved the project, which Windy City Lighting carried out Jan. 30 through Feb. 3.

The total project cost is $36,852. With incentives and bonuses from ComEd totaling $24,105, AMCA’s investment will be $12,747. According to Anderson, the improvements are expected to reduce AMCA’s energy use by 34 kWh a year, for an annual cost savings of $2,748 and a payback of 4.6 years.

As a bonus, ComEd provided 10 high-efficiency air-compressor nozzles free of charge.

“They are designed to leak less, which reduces the number of times your air compressor runs,” Anderson said.

With the heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning system at AMCA headquarters also in need of improvements, Anderson said he expects AMCA to be taking advantage of ComEd’s HVAC incentives program in the near future.

For AMCA members considering similar upgrades at their own facilities, Anderson offered the following: “There are limitations to the program depending on the size of the company and its energy usage. Some members may be able to take advantage of the other assessments offered. Members should check with their local energy providers to see if they have similar programs and sign up for an assessment.”

For more information, contact Anderson at [email protected] or +1 847-704-6295.

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AMCA Welcomes Sandra Perry as Administrative Assistant, Office Manager

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On Jan. 16, Sandra Perry joined the staff of AMCA International in the role of administrative assistant and office manager.

Reporting to Executive Director Kevin Faltin, Sandra is an administrative professional with more than 30 years of experience. She came to AMCA from UL Solutions, where she had spent the previous 11-plus years as a customer-care/administrative professional for the fire-research department, utilizing various customer-service applications to update global customer database information, maintaining a detailed record of client communications, responding to customer inquiries, and performing administrative duties for employees and clients. Additionally, she was part of the events-planning committee and did charity work.

Sandra studied business management at Oakton College in Skokie, Ill.

In her spare time, Sandra runs two jewelry shops on e-commerce site Etsy: AllAboutThatBeadLife, which offers handmade, one-of-a-kind pieces, and BlueVirgoGemVintage, where one can find vintage jewelry from Sandra’s collection. Additionally, she enjoys diamond painting, cooking, reading, and spending time with her two children and four grandchildren.

Sandra can be reached at [email protected] and +1 847-704-6303.

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Manoj Khati Named Asia AMCA India Representative

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On Nov. 1, Asia AMCA named Manoj Khati its representative for India.

Khati has more than a quarter-century of experience in the HVACR industry, including service on managing councils of ASHRAE and the Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ISHRAE).

As Asia AMCA representative for India, Khati is responsible for advocacy activities, promoting AMCA standards, and raising awareness of and participation in the AMCA Certified Ratings Program.

A native of Mumbai, India, Khati holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Walchand Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in general management from Welingkar Institute of Management. Additionally, he completed advanced research studies in business strategy from Indian Institute of Management, Indore and the senior leadership program of Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.

Khati can be reached at [email protected].

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Asia AMCA Holds insite Seminar, Launches Advocacy Workgroup for India

Ashish Rakheja presents “Role of Ventilation Industry in Low Carbon Development” during AMCA Asia insite Seminar 2022 (India).

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Need to Reach AMCA Staff? Points of Contact Now Easier to Identify

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For AMCA members in need of assistance, help from a professional on the AMCA staff can be a telephone call or an e-mail message away. A new feature on the AMCA website makes that help even easier to obtain.

In response to a member’s request for an “AMCA easy button,” Director of Marketing, Education, Membership, and Events Robb Clawson created a “Whom Do I Contact?” page listing the names, titles, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and, in some cases, regions of staff members by area of specialty (accounting and finance, certification and laboratory accreditation, etc.).

To access the “Whom Do I Contact?” page, go to amca.org/who. Website users also can access the page from the drop-down menu under the “ABOUT” tab and by clicking the “Whom Do I Contact?” button found in the footer of every page.

“A further component that is coming is a chatbot feature that will use AI (artificial intelligence) to help visitors find what they are looking for by typing in their questions and answering some follow-up questions,” Clawson said.

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In Memoriam: Larry Felker, Belimo Aircontrols

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In 1997, Marty Gissel, segment manager, commercial dampers, Greenheck Fan Corp., was fresh out of college and just entering the damper industry when he attended a training session on fire and smoke control in Reno, Nev. The depth of the instructor’s knowledge of, and the intensity of the instructor’s passion for, dampers, actuators, and controls amazed him.

“I stayed after class to ask a question, and we ended up talking for hours,” Gissel recalled. “I knew right away that I was talking to an icon in this industry.”

That icon was Larry Felker, who died Dec. 10 at the age of 76.

A mechanical engineer by trade, Felker was active in the fire-and-smoke-control industry until the time of his death, serving as a senior product manager for AMCA associate Belimo Aircontrols. He sat on AMCA’s Damper Engineering Committee and Fire and Smoke Damper Subcommittee and contributed to the article “Your Questions About Life-Safety Dampers Answered” in the 2022 edition of AMCA inmotion magazine, published in November.

The author of countless other articles—“Larry had article ideas coming out of his ears that he couldn’t get on paper quick enough,” Dane Carey, director of engineering, TAMCO, said—as well as white papers and books, including “Dampers and Airflow Control,” written with his son, Travis, Felker enjoyed sharing knowledge and exchanging ideas.

“One of the things that always struck me about Larry was his constant search to learn more or better understand a topic,” Gissel said. “With Larry’s background, it would have been easy for him to override people during conversations, but he always truly listened to others’ points of view. And when he heard something new or that interested him, he was always so supportive and encouraging to the person talking. Often, I remember thinking, ‘Boy, Larry really believes in what I’m trying to accomplish here, so I must be on to something.’”

In addition to AMCA, Felker was active with ASHRAE, having served as program and membership chair of Technical Committee (TC) 5.6, Control of Fire and Smoke; the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), serving as a voting member of the technical committee on remote inspections; and the International Code Council.

“Larry was always volunteering for any committee that had to do with air control, no matter what organization it was in,” Carey said. “He was always ready to argue against points that he felt strong against.”

“Larry was a special person to work with,” AMCA Senior Manager, Advocacy Aaron Gunzner, PE, said. “He was always very passionate about the subject at hand. … The loss of his presence will be felt for years to come within committee meetings, conferences, and all the other many avenues in which he participated professionally.”

In his spare time, Felker enjoyed oil painting, gardening, and dancing.

“I never understood how he could get so much into a day,” Carey said.

Perhaps most of all, Felker was known for, in Carey’s words, his “quirky sense of humor.”

“There were many times he would say something that made you think he was nuts,” Carey said. “Then, when you looked at him, he had that little Larry Felker smirk. … He will be missed by all those who crossed paths with him over the last 30-plus years.”

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