Tricks Of The Trade: HVAC Purchasing

By James C. Elledge, IFMA Fellow, CFM, FMA, RPA, RIAQM
Published in the July 2006 issue of Today’s Facility Manager

Q I need help specifying a high SEER roof mounted commercial HVAC system of 25 tons cap. Dual stage compressor, make up air, and energy management systems should be built in. Do you have any suggestions?

Bryan Cook
Owner
Cook Consulting
McAllen, TX

A I have located some information that should assist in your quest to find the best system for your location and application. The first resource I recommend is from Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). The publication, “Efficient Packaged HVAC Systems for Commercial Facilities,” is a great resource for recommendations, manufacturers, and other related information. The next highly regarded resource is the ARI Directory of Certified Product Performance from the Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration Institute. Also for download is “Operations and Maintenance Best Practices…A Guide to Achieving Operational Efficiency Release 2.0.”

Elledge,facility/office services manager for Dallas, TX-based Summit AllianceCompanies, is the recipient of the Distinguished Author Award from theInternational Facility Management Association (IFMA), is an IFMA Fellow, and isa member of TFM’sEditorial Advisory Board. All questions have been submitted via the “Ask TheExpert” portion of the magazine’s Web site. To pose a question, visit this link.