Walter Miller Elementary School is the next and last school in the Neshaminy School District that will get major energy system overhauls designed to make the building's heating, cooling and electrical systems operate more efficiently.

The school board recently awarded Harrisburg-based Reynolds Solutions a $3 million contract for the work.

Walter Miller, at 10 Cobalt Ridge Drive South in the Levittown part of Middletown, will have air conditioning installed in all its classrooms, said Reynolds vice president Damion Spahr. The school previously had air conditioning in some offices and other areas but not in the classrooms, he said.

Improvements also will be made to the electrical and other mechanical systems, said Spahr. A lot of the work involves installing controls on the systems that make them run in a way to save energy, he added.

In addition, Reynolds workers, as part of their last phase of work on Neshaminy schools, will install security vestibules at both Walter Miller and Pearl Buck Elementary, also in the Levittown part of Middletown.

Security vestibules involve structural and technological changes to the schools' main entrances that make visitors first enter the main office and have their driver's licenses checked against a criminal database before they are cleared to enter the rest of the building.

This last phase of upgrades at Miller will be similar to work Reynolds alreadyhas done at Albert Schweitzer, Herbert Hoover and Joseph Ferderbar elementary schools, and Carl Sandburg and Poquessing middle schools, said Spahr.

The Miller project should start around mid May and be done by the end of summer, he added.

The entire package of Reynolds' work at the schools will cost $34.89 million. It is being funded with $27.4 million from a $57.9 million bond issue approved in 2015 and $7.4 million in capital reserve funds, said school district business administrator Barbara Markowitz.

The other part of the bond issue paid for Neshaminy's new Tawanka Elementary School in Lower Southampton, she added.

"We've gotten a lot done on time and on budget," said school board member Steve Pirritano of all the upgrades.

"I think we've created a great environment for our children to learn in," he added.

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Walter Miller Elementary last Neshaminy school to get energy upgrades - Bucks County Courier Times

For the Record

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Thank you for reading and relying on TulsaWorld.com for your news and information. You have now viewed your allowance of free articles.

(Listed by owner, tenant or building name. This weekly update lists new commercial construction, expansions and enlargements of more than $50,000. Information is from initial applications and is subject to change. Dollar amount is valuation declared by owner.)

M&M Drywall, 4707 S. 101st East Ave., new construction/business office, $325,000.

McCormick Office Building, 1713 S. Peoria Ave., new construction/commerical, $550,000.

Salata, 6030 S. Yale Ave., interior alteration/restaurant, $225,300.

Char Char, 6560 E. 91st St., interior alteration/restaurant, $125,000.

Bancfirst, 7625 E. 51st St., interior alteration/office, $197,000.

Meridian Tower, 5100 E. Skelly Drive, interior alteration/reconfigured offices, $250,000.

(From filings in the Tulsa County Clerks office)

17-024728 Marlene Byrne, Teletalk Therapy Solutions, 2750 N. Seventh St., Apt. 3216, Broken Arrow, counseling.

17-024729 Marlene Byrne, Words of the Heart Greeting Cards, 2750 N. Seventh St., Apt. 3216, Broken Arrow, greeting cards.

17-024853 Antonio Moreno, Northeastern Oklahoma Landscapes, P.O. Box 842, Broken Arrow, landscaping.

17-025171 Cody Nichols, Nichols Pursuits, 204 W. 34th Place, Sand Springs, sole proprietorship.

17-025489 Trenton Dentis, Legend Construction, 4917 S. 265th West Ave., Sand Springs, construction.

17-027022 Jamey Durbin, Barbie Trapp House, 12770 E. 39th St., manufacture and sell clothes.

17-027067 Justin Thompson, Junk Free Removal and Hauling Services, 14453 S. Hudson Ave., Bixby, junk removing and hauling.

17-027199 Olena Lobova, Smiling Kid, 2515 S. 91st East Ave., babysitter.

17-027291 Aleta Capel, Urban Lotus Feng Shui, 401 W. Knoxville St., Broken Arrow, interior decorating and consultations.

17-027406 Daniel Glowacki, Lite Load Concrete, 21661 E. 46th St., Broken Arrow, concrete company.

(Weekly update includes filings classified as business in the numerical list of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District in Tulsa, and which also list business as nature of debt on bankruptcy document.)

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For the Record: Commercial building permits, partnerships, bankruptcies - Tulsa World

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Mayor Announces $9 Million to Go to School Repairs Patch.com In 2016, Mayor Walsh invested $25.1 million for door and window replacement at seven schools, which leveraged nearly $16.4 million in MSBA accelerated Repair Funds. This project will allow for nearly 3,000 windows to be replaced at these schools by the ...

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Mayor Announces $9 Million to Go to School Repairs - Patch.com

MILWAUKEE The Yorkbrand ofJohnson Controlswill continue its sponsorship ofBuilding Homes for Heroesthrough 2017 and provide veterans with home comfort systems.

Building Homes for Heroes is a national nonprofit organization that recognizes the tremendous sacrifices of men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces by supporting the needs of severely wounded or disabled soldiers and their families. The organization strives to build or renovate quality homes and gift them to severely injured veterans nationwide, mortgage-free.

2017 marksthe fourth consecutive year that York and Building Homes for Heroes have worked together. Through its sponsorship of the Building Homes for Heroes program, Johnson Controls, along with York distributors and independent contractors nationwide, has donated quality heating and cooling systems, including installation, labor, and on-going maintenance, to over 40 military families since 2014.

"Partnering with our network of local independent contractors to provide our wounded veterans with home comfort systems is another way we give back to the communities where we live and work," saidLiz Haggerty, vice president and general manager, Johnson Controls Unitary Products Group.

Participating York contractors are installingYork Affinityheating and cooling systems for reliable and energy-efficient home comfort. In addition, the company is planning to install smart thermostats as part of its 2017 sponsorship. The newYork touch screen residential thermostatincorporates smart technology to communicate with both conventional and connected HVAC systems. Homeowners can control their system remotely using their smartphone to monitor and adjust settings for up to six zones/rooms to save energy and feel more comfortable. The thermostat is also user friendly, with an easy-to-use touch screen interface and remote programming features that are helpful for the disabled.

"We are honored to play a role in giving veterans a comfortable home," saidJim Probst, president ofGeorge Brazil Air Conditioning & Heating,Phoenix, Arizona. "We've been a part of seven Building Homes for Heroes homes during the three years we've been the local heating and air conditioning contractor for the program. Every time we're contacted to help, we jump at the chance because there's no greater way for us to show these vets how grateful we are for their service."

For more information, visitwww.buildinghomesforheroes.orgor http://www.johnsoncontrols.com.

Publication date: 3/31/2017

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Johnson Controls and Building Homes for Heroes Partner - ACHR NEWS

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) No matter where you live or the season, theres no bigger energy user in your home than your heating and cooling system, so making the most of efficiency tools is a great way to save money. Some of those measure can cost more than you may be able to afford. Solar window film is a product catching on as a more affordable option.

Installing high-efficiency windows can be a great investment but its also expensive and costs thousands of dollars, says Angies List founder Angie Hicks. If youre looking for a more affordable option, window film is a great alternative.

Solar window film is a thin material applied to window glass. Without it, most of the solar energy that hits the glass comes right on through into your home. With the film, most of that energy stays out. How much depends on the type of film you use.

Window film will be a much better option in terms of improving the performance and matching the performance of a new replacement window, typically a fifth the cost of going through the replacement of those windows, said Kevin Koval, owner of SOLARIS window film company.

Homeowner Jay Dunbar said he earned his investment in window film back in energy savings within three years and resolved an issue of uneven temperature in his house right away.

First thing that we noticed, because we had it applied I think it was in late fall, we noticed that when it got cold, all of a sudden our bedroom wasnt 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house, which was very nice, Dunbar said.

You can install window film yourself, but doing that could void your window warranty. Reputable pros will replace your warranty with their own. Theyll also install the film without bubbles, which will prevent cracks or peeling later on. Some will even let you transfer the warranty if you sell your house.

Only a few states actually require trade licenses for window film installers, so you want to do some additional homework to see their affiliations with different trade associations and also what kind of guarantee they have behind their work, Hicks said.

Window film offers more than energy efficiency. It shields you from the glare of sunlight, filters out potentially dangerous ultra violet light and even helps protect your furniture from fading from prolonged exposure to the sun.

Installing film on a typical sliding glass door will cost between $300-500 and an average double-pane window costs between $100-150. Window experts say you can expect energy savings of five to 10 percent.

States that require window film licenses: Arizona, California, Mississippi, North Carolina and Oregon. To determine the trade license status of a building pro, use the Angies List License Check free-of-charge.

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Angie's List: An Invisible but Mighty Energy Saver - 41 NBC News

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla.A single mother received an unexpected surprise Friday when she camehome from the zoo.

Renee Glazier, who is a single mother, originally hired Purified Air Conditioning and Heating to install a new cooling system in her home. The installation would have cost her about $5,000, but the company teamed up with other local businesses to surprise her with a home makeover instead.

Vic Elsey, Purified Air Conditioning community relations manager, met Renee through a local church. When he heard about the problems Glazier was having, he knew he had to help.

I know we have Extreme Makeover on TV, and I just think its so awesome that Vic and his team really stepped up and are helping people in the community who really need it, Glazier said.

The team sent Glazier to the zoo with her kids while the work was being done. Much to her surprise she not only received her brand new air conditioning unit, but also a new set of stairs and a deck that leads into her home.

Elsey believes this project is one small step in an effort to help the community.

Its very rewarding, he said. I cant say anything more than this is exactly what I want to do for a living, which is help as many people as possible.

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Lehigh Acres mother surprised with home makeover - Wink News

A constant stream of evidence confirms performance losses up to 30% from roof curbs due to poor manufacturing, installation, or maintenance. Such curb defects reduce the performance of a 14-EER unit to a system performing below 10 EER. The problem is, unless you look for it, curb defects and the resulting efficiency losses are invisible.

How Does a Curb Function? Roof curbs are accessories resembling a pedestal that sit below a rooftop-packaged unit. A well-designed and installed curb provides a transition for the supply and return air from the unit to the air distribution system.

In theory, a properly built and installed curb should have little effect on airflow through the system. In an ideal world, there should also be no temperature change through the curb. However, any difference in the air temperature entering or leaving a curb signals the possibility of leakage from outside the curb into the airstream. It can also indicate air bypassing between the supply and return ducts within the curb.

The Most Common Curb Defects Because the curb constitutes less than two feet of the typical duct system, you may assume it has little effect on system performance. The purpose of this article is to change that assumption.

In the field, weve found new construction curbs have little negative impact because a new project is built from scratch. The manufacturer builds a curb matching the equipment and duct penetrations are custom built to match the curb. The roofer professionally ties the new curb into the new roof so there is little chance of an air or water leak.

Airflow Losses -- Curb problems often begin when equipment is replaced. An aftermarket curb is often used to connect the footprint of the old unit to the footprint of the replacement unit. Since the average curb height is only 12 inches, the curb manufacturer whips up a 12-inch transition connecting the replacement unit to the roof with little regard for airflow.

If the discharge duct of the unit is offset 24 inches from the supply duct roof penetration, to meet SMACNA duct standards, the roof curb would need to be 48 inches tall. So, low-bid work often takes these shortcuts and gets low-bid results with a 30% reduction in airflow.

Temperature Losses Curb leakage is often the result of sloppy work during equipment replacement. Aftermarket curbs are included in hopes of reducing the amount of required labor. Since the labor budget is blow-and-go, the care and attention needed to assure good workmanship is missing.

Improperly sealed return duct curb penetrations are very close to the fan where duct system pressures are highest. Highest pressure equals increased leakage. Air can be pulled into the duct system from a hot attic, or directly from outside.

Leakage between the supply and return inside the curb is another serious problem that is often impossible to see once the unit is set. The result is very poorly performing equipment shutting off on high limit or a screwed-up refrigeration charge.

Pressure Testing to Discover Curb Airflow Restrictions The first test: measure pressure drop of the supply and return duct through the curb. Do this by installing test ports in the supply and return before and after each duct enters the curb.

In the illustration below, pressure test locations are marked P1 to P5. Take and record the four pressure readings. Subtract the pressure measured in P1 from P2 to find the return duct pressure drop through the curb. Then, subtract the pressure measured in P4 from P3 to find the supply duct pressure drop through the curb.

Field measurement has documented supply and return duct pressure drop through the curb in a well performing system averages less than 10% of fan rated pressure. An example of this is a system where the fan was rated at .50, the pressure drop of the supply and return duct combined through the curb would be no more than .05. If the measured pressure were higher than this rule of thumb, system airflow could be lower than required.

To correct this problem, the duct needs to be oversized throughout the system to compensate for the excess resistance to airflow.

Test port P5 shows one additional pressure test that may indicate air leakage within a curb. Install a test port into the hollow area of the curb. Drill the hole behind the flashing to assure there is no water access into the curb. Connect the tubing to your manometer and measure the pressure within the curb. Ideally, the pressure should be zero.

If the pressure within the curb is positive, this indicates a supply duct leak. If the curbs internal pressure is negative, this indicates a dominant return duct leak. You can normally get access to the duct within the curb by reaching down through the equipment.

Temperature Testing to Identify Curb Airflow Leakage When equipment is set on the curb, several opportunities for leakage can be created. These include:

Temperature testing can help identify curb leakage and pinpoint the cause of the problem as well as the needed solution. Any total temperature loss measured in the supply and return duct through the curb exceeding 1 degree Fahrenheit in cooling mode or 2 degrees in heating mode indicates a defect needing repair. Under ideal circumstances, there should be no temperature change through the curb. No temperature change is evidence the curb is performing correctly.

Refer to the Curb Temperature Troubleshooting Illustration above. Subtract to find the temperature difference between T1 and T2 to identify temperature loss or gain in the return duct. To find leakage in the supply duct subtract to find the temperature difference between test ports T3 and T4. Test port T5 can identify any bypass by measuring the temperature in the hollow area of the curb.

As you apply these testing and troubleshooting principles to the curbed systems you service, sell, and install, you will be able to correct invisible defects that have gone undetected for decades.

Rob Doc Falke serves the industry as president of National Comfort Institute -- an HVAC-based training company and membership organization. If you have additional comments or questions about performance diagnostics, contact Doc at robf@ncihvac.com or call him at 800-633-7058. Go to NCIs website at nationalcomfortinstitute.com for free information, articles, and downloads.

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Troubleshooting Rooftop Unit Curbs - Contracting Business

Environmentally sustainable real estate is on the rise

By Ely Razin, CEO, CrediFi | bio

Environmentally sustainable real estate is on the rise around the world, with consumer demand a primary driver in the U.S., even though perceived initial cost still constitutes a significant obstacle, according to a report on green-building trends. New data, however, shows the financing costs for some green office-property developments are notsignificantly greater than for non-green construction projects. Commercial brokers across the country that have clients looking to go green should learn about the new financial realities of green financing because its clear the trend is not limited to eco-hip coastal states.

The 2016 green-building trends report by construction industry data provider Dodge Data & Analytics, found that green building globally will more than double in the next three years, with many respondents forecasting that more than 60 percent of their projects will be green by 2018. In addition, the leading sector for green-building growth around the world is commercial construction, the report found.

More interesting to brokers who must find financing for these green construction projects is that the initial costs are not out of line with the costs of non-green construction. Consider these brief case studies that demonstrate the costs and benefits of environmentally friendly construction on office buildings in Illinois, Idaho and New York that went green.

Chicagos trendy River North neighborhood is home to an eight-story concrete loft office building that houses the Chicago offices of cloud-communications company Fuze and digital-media company RhythmOne. It was classified as a Class B building by the Environmental Protection Agencys Energy Star certification system.

The retrofit of this building transformed a 100-year-old steam boiler from an environmental challenge into an environmental asset with the installation of new igniters, tubes, heating elements and insulation. Other changes included improving the cooling towers efficiency and placing $80 modulating control valves on the tenants steam radiators as a cheap way to regulate room temperature and curb energy use.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) described this project, which was financed by a $35 million loan in 2015, as one of the buildings driving energy efficiency in Chicago. It was part of the Retrofit Chicago project by the New York-based EDF and the city of Chicago to reduce commercial energy use in participating buildings by 20 percent over five years.

Another Chicago building that is part of the same initiative is a 50-story office tower that once was home to United Airlines. Retrofitting for this all-electric, Class A building was financed by a $150 million loan in 2013. It has been described by the EDF as one of Chicagos most energy-efficient buildings.

The retrofit of this building transformed a 100-year-old steam boiler from an environmental challenge into an environmental asset.

By instituting practices such as collecting and analyzing energy-use data and adjusting the building automation system to pre-cool the building in the summer and pre-heat it in the winter during off-peak hours, building management decreased electrical expenses 47 percent between 2009 and 2012, and the management team has committed to an additional energy reduction of 26.5 percent by 2018, according to the EDF.

The 11-story Banner Bank building in Boise, Idaho, was built on a former brownfield site in 2006 and became the states first multitenant office building to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum certification, the highest-level green-building certificate offered by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 180,000-square-foot building uses 50 percent less energy and 65 percent less potable water than a conventionally constructed building of similar size, yet was built at the same cost and in the same amount of time as a comparable property, says Nebraska-based building architect HDR.

The Banner Bank building also features geothermal, hot-water heating, evaporative pre-coolers and under-floor air vents. Its water-filtration system captures stormwater from downtown Boise streets and parking lots and uses the rainwater and gray water from the building to flush toilets and urinals, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Bank of America Tower development team sought to demonstrate that ecological principles and economic principles can be made compatible, according to the Massachusetts-based environmental nonprofit Green Education Foundation. To achieve this balance, the 55-story Manhattan skyscraper included green features that cost extra only if those features would pay for themselves through reduced operating costs within five years.

Built in 2009, the 2.35 million-square-foot skyscraper was financed by a $1.3 billion loan issued in 2010. The sloping exterior walls and floor-to-ceiling windows admit extra sunlight into the building, while a filtration system cleans the air before it enters the building and again before it goes back out. The sunlight and clean air actually offer a financial benefit as well as an environmental one, because studies have shown that employee health and productivity can be affected by indoor environmental quality.

Real estate professionals typically expect green construction costs to be higher than they actually are.

The slope of the building also makes it easier to capture rainwater, which is used for cooling and flushing toilets, and allows more light and air into the surrounding neighborhood, the foundation says. The rainwater-collection system and use of waterless urinals are estimated to save 100 million gallons of water per year.

The building also conserves energy by using an onsite power plant fueled by natural gas to provide 70 percent of its annual electrical power needs and all of the buildings hot water. Waste heat from the plant also powers chilling machines that cool the building. In addition, 83 percent of construction waste was recycled.

The 2016 Dodge Data & Analytics study mentioned earlier surveyed more than 1,000 respondents from 69 countries, who reported both environmental benefits such as reduction in energy and water consumption as well as financial benefits.

The financial element could become increasingly significant because federal and state government incentives for environmentally friendly measures are potentially at risk under the new presidential administration. Shortly after taking office, President Donald Trump placed a freeze on Environmental Protection Agency grants and contracts and ordered expedited environmental approvals to fast-track infrastructure efforts.

U.S. respondents to the survey say they expect a 21 percent reduction in operating costs for new green buildings over five years (somewhat less for retrofit or renovated buildings) and an 11 percent cost reduction over one year. Building owners globally report that green buildings provide a median 7 percent increase in asset value over traditional buildings, with about a quarter of respondents saying they expect the value to increase more than 10 percent.

A 2015 U.S. Department of Energy review of energy-efficiency studies that sampled thousands of buildings nationwide found higher rental and occupancy rates for LEED and Energy Star certified buildings, as well as higher sales prices and lower utility costs. Rental rates were found to be 15 percent to 17 percent higher for LEED-certified buildings and 7 percent to 9 percent higher for Energy Star-certified buildings, compared to similar properties that did not have a green-certification rating. In addition, sales prices rose 10 percent to 31 percent for LEED-certified properties and 6 percent to 10 percent for Energy Star-certified buildings, according to the review.

As for the initial costs, multiple surveys have found that real estate professionals typically expect green construction costs to be higher than they actually are. A 2010 study in the Journal of Sustainable Real Estate, for instance, analyzed a survey of 120 lenders, equity investors and developers, and found that a fifth of respondents thought the cost of constructing an environmentally sustainable building would be more than 10 percent higher than a comparable non-green building, and more than half thought it would be more than 5 percent more expensive.

Several analyses of actual construction costs of environmentally sustainable buildings, however, have found they can cost roughly the same to build as standard buildings or only slightly more (less than 2 percent of total costs). Other studies go a little higher, estimating up to 6 percent additional construction costs. The greening of the Bank of America building in the New York case study reportedly added only 5 percent to the cost, and that was for the highest LEED-certification level.

All told, multiple studies indicate there are a lot of potential bonuses to going green: higher rental and occupancy rates, higher sales prices, lower operating costs and healthier workers. Once commercial mortgage brokers realize that initial construction costs for sustainable buildings are often lower than expected, demand for environmentally friendly real estate is growing and ongoing cost savings are created through energy efficiency, they may just find that green is their color.

Ely Razin is CEO of CrediFi, a big-data platform serving the commercial real estate finance market. Reach Razin at ceo@credifi.com.

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Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW) shows off 469,000-square-foot ... Austin Business Journal Charles Schwab Corp. showed off progress Thursday on its new Austin campus. With one building completely renovated and more structures under construction ... Charles Schwab celebrates opening of new North Austin campus ...Community Impact Newspaper all 4 news articles »

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