Johnson Controls 1895 Energy Control System Named ASME Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark

At an event celebrating more than a century of ingenuity and innovation, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) announced its designation of the Johnson Controls, Inc. automatic temperature control system as a historic mechanical engineering landmark. The invention of the first reliable and economical multi-zone temperature control system in 1895 by Johnson Controls founder Warren S. Johnson led to massive growth at the company and helped launch the modern building controls industry. S. Allan Johnson, great- grandson of the inventor, attended the event, along with more than 200 Johnson Controls employees, retirees and customers.

“ASME is pleased to honor an invention that changed the world in the late 1800s and which still helps companies and organizations keep their buildings comfortable and energy-efficient more than 100 years later,” said J. Lawrence Lee, Ph.D., P.E., chair of the ASME History & Heritage Committee.

Johnson Controls has grown to become the largest public corporation headquartered in Wisconsin. The company continues to globally lead the building controls and HVAC equipment industry, though it long ago diversified into the automotive industry through its automotive experience (seats and interior systems) and power solutions (automotive batteries) divisions.

"Milwaukee is proud to be the home of Johnson Controls, a global leader in the field of environmental technology for over 100 years," said Richard “Rocky” Marcoux, commissioner of the City of Milwaukee Department of City Development, speaking for Mayor Tom Barrett. "Johnson Controls provided some of the first 'green collar' jobs by helping businesses and homes save energy, which contributes to a cleaner environment. I fully expect Johnson Controls will continue to bring its ingenuity and innovation to environments around the world for future generations," he noted.

“The technology of the 1890s has come a long way since they had to bang on the pipes to alert custodial staff that it was too hot or too cold. Professor Johnson’s invention has evolved into the modern controls industry, including refrigeration, fire and security systems for commercial, industrial, and residential buildings,” said C. David Myers, president, building efficiency, Johnson Controls. “Our employees worldwide share my pride in accepting this honor.”

The event featured the unveiling of a bronze landmark plaque that is being mounted on the Johnson Controls building efficiency headquarters, the Brengel Technology Center at 507 E. Michigan St., Milwaukee. The facility, one of the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®)-certified in the world, now also includes a showcase of actual components from an 1895-era Johnson Controls system.

The ASME historic landmark designation is the eighth in Wisconsin and one of about 250 landmarks recognized worldwide. Other ASME Wisconsin landmarks include Milwaukee’s East Wells Street Power Plant (1918) next to the Milwaukee Repertory Theater; the Port Washington Power Plant (1935), the world's most thermally efficient steam plant for many years; the Appleton Vulcan Street Power Plant (1882), the first Edison hydroelectric central station; and the Evinrude Outboard Motor (1909), also developed in Milwaukee.

How Much Water Do You Need To Flush?

As plumbing products continue to become more water-efficient, including 1.0 gallon-per-flush water closets and urinals utilizing only one pint of water to flush, there's greater interest in low-consumption fixtures. The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is expected to soon bring more clarity to some of these low-consumption flushing terms by defining them in applicable standards.

John Watson, director of technical services for plumbing manufacturer Sloan Valve Company and a member of the ASME A112.19.2 Working Group, says that no "official" definition has yet emerged in an approved consensus standard for High-Efficiency Urinals (HEU) and High-Efficiency Toilets (HET).

ASME will, however, likely provide those definitions when it next updates the ASME A.112.19.2 standard. For now, HEUs and HETs can be defined as follows:

An HEU is a urinal that performs to the current ASME A.112.19.2 performance standards while using no more than 0.5 gpf/1.9 Lpf to flush. This is a reduction from the current standard of 1.0 gpf/3.8 Lpf as required by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. By this definition, waterfree urinals are categorized as HEUs.

An HET is a water closet that meets the current performance requirements outlined in ASME A.112.19.2 but does so by either flushing at a maximum of 1.28 gpf/4.8 Lpf or by deploying a dual-flush device, which based on a typical 2:1 liquid/solid use ratio, averages a total flush volume of 1.28 gpf while achieving a MaP test score of removing at least 350 grams of waste.

"Dual-flush Flushometers are rising in popularity," says Watson, "partly because they easily meet HET performance standards."

In smaller buildings, Watson explains, it may be more advantageous to install manual dual-flush Flushometers in restrooms, because they have a regular set of users. "These users are more familiar with and conscientious about the facility, which means they are more likely to learn how to manually operate a dual-flush Flushometer to its full potential," he says.

But restrooms frequented by newcomers can certainly benefit from manual dual-flush Flushometers as well. Sloan includes signage with its UPPERCUT® dual-flush Flushometers, which can be affixed near the flush valve to quickly educate users on its usage and benefits. Proper operation by even a fraction of the users can equate to significant water savings.

Plus, as dual-flush flush valves become more common, restroom users will just intuitively know how to operate them—much in the same way they learned to adapt to sensor-operated Flushometers when they first emerged on the market.

Large commercial or institutional buildings with a transient population or restrooms in high-traffic areas such as airports, entertainment venues, and shopping malls may gain greater efficiencies from automatic operation. "For these restrooms, it makes sense to install the new electronic dual-flush Flushometers, which automatically initiate the appropriate flush cycle, depending on the amount of time the user remains in the sensor range," says Watson.