10 Minutes to a Better Building with Boland

The costs of investing in good air quality for your building can come with a hefty price tag. As more and more companies and institutions look to pour money into improving their filters for better indoor air quality, or IAQ, additionally, there's another challenge that appears when it comes to making the best HVAC decisions that will last long-term; money. The price of providing indoor air quality is dependent on building size, as some can be up to $10,000 per square foot for just HVAC replacement, not including maintenance. Of course, this varies but there are ways to avoid paying that much and still save money over a long period for your building.How can making smart financial decisions help you achieve the best indoor air quality for your building while still saving money?In this episode of “10 Minutes to a Better Building,” host Michelle Dawn Mooney interviewed Josh Howell, the Commercial Territory Manager at Dynamic Air Quality Solutions, on the ways money can be saved on indoor air quality investments, and what are some of the components and benefits that companies and institutions are looking for cost-wise to meet good indoor air quality standards.Mooney and Howell also talked about …Why healthcare facilities dominate the market in seeking indoor air quality solutionsThe different factors to consider when it comes to financing an HVAC system long-termHow sound and energy use is a contributing factor in the systems that institutions are deciding on and why it's an immeasurable component“Typically, when you save that much energy — first thing comes to mind is sound and you wouldn't think that it would be that big of a deal, but if I'm saving your fans, right, they don't have to push as hard — one-third of the energy. They run slower, they run quieter, so they last a lot longer, so the sustainability of the entire equipment can be affected by the filters, and I can't put a dollar amount on that because it's different in every application. But the DB level is a big deal for things like museums, libraries — it's something they really care about, but there's not a financial analysis for that,” said Howell.Josh Howell is the Commercial Territory Manager at Dynamic Air Quality Solutions. He's been with the company since 2017 and is a graduate of the U.S. United States Naval Academy.

The costs of investing in good air quality for your building can come with a hefty price tag. As more and more companies and institutions look to pour money into improving their filters for better indoor air quality, or IAQ, additionally, there's another challenge that appears when it comes to making the best HVAC decisions that will last long-term; money. The price of providing indoor air quality is dependent on building size, as some can be up to $10,000 per square foot for just HVAC replacement, not including maintenance. Of course, this varies but there are ways to avoid paying that much and still save money over a long period for your building.How can making smart financial decisions help you achieve the best indoor air quality for your building while still saving money?In this episode of “10 Minutes to a Better Building,” host Michelle Dawn Mooney interviewed Josh Howell, the Commercial Territory Manager at Dynamic Air Quality Solutions, on the ways money can be saved on indoor air quality investments, and what are some of the components and benefits that companies and institutions are looking for cost-wise to meet good indoor air quality standards.Mooney and Howell also talked about …Why healthcare facilities dominate the market in seeking indoor air quality solutionsThe different factors to consider when it comes to financing an HVAC system long-termHow sound and energy use is a contributing factor in the systems that institutions are deciding on and why it's an immeasurable component“Typically, when you save that much energy — first thing comes to mind is sound and you wouldn't think that it would be that big of a deal, but if I'm saving your fans, right, they don't have to push as hard — one-third of the energy. They run slower, they run quieter, so they last a lot longer, so the sustainability of the entire equipment can be affected by the filters, and I can't put a dollar amount on that because it's different in every application. But the DB level is a big deal for things like museums, libraries — it's something they really care about, but there's not a financial analysis for that,” said Howell.Josh Howell is the Commercial Territory Manager at Dynamic Air Quality Solutions. He's been with the company since 2017 and is a graduate of the U.S. United States Naval Academy.

Ensuring good air quality for your building can be quite a task. In recent years, indoor air quality, or IAQ, has been a priority for building management. But with the proper tools and knowledge one can discover the best ways to improve IAQ, and save money while still investing in modern and effective implementations.What are some ways one can improve a building's air quality without overspending?In an episode of “10 Minutes to a Better Building,” host Michelle Dawn Mooney interviewed Josh Howell, the Commercial Territory Manager at Dynamic Air Quality Solutions, about the basics of indoor air quality and how companies and institutions can go about revamping their current systems to meet good indoor air standards.Mooney and Howell also talked about …1. The long-term benefits of improving indoor air quality, particularly in schools and healthcare facilities2. Some of the present challenges when it comes filtering and upgrading3. What cost-effective solutions can mean for larger buildings, such as museums“Our stuff's built to last years with no maintenance — you put it in and you don't touch it. Smithsonian African American museum has our VA product and they went six years without one dollar and one minute spent on changing filters, vice, five, six, seven changeouts a year for some facilities. I mean the savings there and just the burden we've taken off the owner, that's what I see from a feedback loop that you really can't even put a price on,” said Howell. Josh Howell is the Commercial Territory Manager at Dynamic Air Quality Solutions. He's been with the company since 2017 and is a graduate of the U.S. United States Naval Academy.

On this episode of 10 Minutes to a Better Building, host Michelle Dawn Mooney talks with Katie Kimmel, Account Executive at Boland, and Matt Hinkle, Controls Technician at Boland. The topic at hand are open control systems, which allow building owners more choice and options when it comes to maintenance and assistance.Katie describes open control systems as a flexible control system “where you can go and purchase different products from different distributors, different solutions, applications, different services, and have different service providers throughout the life cycle of a control system.” This same flexibility also makes it easier for customers to get in touch with technicians, as they can also choose remote help whenever they need it.However, control systems are not simple, which means there are things that must be taken into account when working with them. “Customers have…a lot of challenges when it comes to how they want to bridge maybe different OT systems in their building, if they've got…a particular building automation system but they have something that they need to bridge that data acquisition,” says Matt on the handling of open control systems. “So we can come in with open type[s] of platforms and give them scalable solutions to help them execute whatever it is that they need, if it's trending, just to make decisions, alarms, whatever that solution is we're here to help them, and we have opportunities to be able to bridge that gap.”Key Points: -Open control systems give costumers more options for products and services.-Customers can choose technicians to assist them remotely.-Boland is aware of the challenges customers face with maintaining buildings.

Educating service shops, building owners, engineers, salespersons, and other people in the industry is a point of pride for Boland. Their professional development classes give folks knowledge and training on the equipment they work on or have in their buildings. Del Johnson, Special Project Leader at Boland, spoke with Tyler Kern about the program's many benefits.The fall slate of classes begins in October, followed by a Spring session in 2023, and all Boland clients are welcome to participate. “We love to have educated clients,” Johnson said. “An educated client, who knows the equipment and their building, will know when it's time to make changes. Having an educated client who could look at the equipment and understand what you're telling them goes far with helping us serve them better.”Boland designed their development classes with expert service people and the novice in mind. “You could come in with little to no knowledge,” Johnson said. “Most classes are designed to take someone from a beginning to even an advanced level.” Even something as simple as learning how to look at a model number and a serial number of a unit and decode them is an example of critical information one can learn during a professional development session.Boland engineers lead training on various HVAC equipment, diagnostics, and services. “And what's great about that is, the people that are teaching the class, the instructors, are what Boland calls the SET men for that product line, which means they are the go-to person for that product line,” Johnson said. “They're the person that's generally getting the most training. Every time something new comes out, or any service updates, that particular SET person gets their hands on that information.”Professionals can sign up for Boland's next series of professional development sessions here.

Host of Ten Minutes to a Better Building, Tyler Kern, sat down with Geoffrey Gilg, an energy engineer at Boland — the leading commercial provider of HVAC systems, services and building energy solutions. The pair discussed the efforts building owners can make to lower their energy usage intensity (EUI). A factor in measuring EUI is through the ENERGY STAR score, a one to 100 score that annually ranks just how much energy a building is consuming, per the official website. “The best way to analyze it is to put it into the ENERGY STAR's portfolio manager, and that will give you an ENERGY STAR score that rates you anywhere from one, which is very low, to 100, which is high. That tells you how you rate relative to other buildings of the same usage type,” said Gilg. Gilg added that this is comparatively done only between buildings that house the same facilities, such as office buildings or hospitals. So, a building that has an energy star score of 50 simply means that its energy usage is 50% better than other buildings in a similar category. Naturally, many buildings and companies aim to have the highest score, but that can't always be the case. Luckily, there are solutions that come in levels to help them get there. Most solutions involve actions such as reducing energy use at all hours of the day (unless the building is operating 24 hours), thermostat controlling, and overall proper management of energy-efficient mechanisms. However, building owners must reach various tiers in numerical order before they can obtain a better score. These tiers are: 1. Occupant health and safety 2. Space requirements 3. Occupant comfort 4. Energy efficiency

When it comes to scaling a business or upgrading any building, having the right proposal and the right source of financing is key. Boland's very own Optimization Engineer, Bri Widmoyer sat with host Tyler Kern of Ten Minutes to a Better Building, to discuss just how grants work and major keys to unlock in the grants and financing world. “Grants are created to serve a specific purpose with very specific funding avenues, and they can either be competitive or noncompetitive,” Widmoyer said. Competitive grants are just that competitive, those awarded will come from a pool of applicants, while the noncompetitive grants often work on a first come first serve basis. The best part is “it's free money which doesn't have to be paid back, it's why its attractive and a lot of times it goes unspent if there are not enough applicants,” she said. The drive for many grants follows government officials. Industries that focus on energy, sustainability, education and infrastructure, environmental justice, low-income housing, rural entities and companies thriving for diversity and inclusion are more highly ranked when competing for grants. “The good thing to know is that no two grants are the same. It's always going to be different,” Widmoyer said. When Widmoyer works with clients at Boland, the key, she said is finding grants to directly align with clients wants and needs. After the match making process for grants is complete, Widmoyer begins “with putting pen to paper” and assisting clients with the application process. “The agencies are closing looking at how the applicants' priorities align with the agencies priorities, so if we can make them align it will make for a more outstanding application and the more likely they are to award it,” she said. “Knowing the client's timeline and the construction process for a building is important in grants. It's how all those pieces fit together.”

Building owners and property managers may be familiar with the various rebates and programs associated with equipment within the scope of their buildings. Still, there are other utility incentives available that aren't as known. Emily Herchenroeder, Energy Solutions Team Leader at Boland, joined Tyler Kern to shed more light on some of those other utility rebates and incentives. "The purpose of the incentive program is pretty simple," Herchenroeder said. "It's designed to reduce demand on the utility grid by incentivizing businesses to do capital improvement projects at a fraction of the cost." It's a two-part saving with money back through rebates and cash saved through energy usage reduction. One example of a beneficial incentive Herchenroeder pointed to was AFDs. "We found a chiller plant in D.C. that qualified for a really good rebate for AFDs," Herchenroeder said. "Since Washington, D.C. already has a relatively expensive electricity rate, we found this payback was for one AFD, roughly one-to-three years payback, and then a second drive would be five years or less for both." Belimo Energy Valves are another item Boland's found incentive opportunities for clients. “Boland did a retrofit project in Berkeley County where a number of outdated system components were replaced with Belimo Energy Valves,” Herchenroeder said. “This reduced their HVAC energy usage by more than half.” Once installed, these sophisticated valves helped detect flaws within the existing piping of this Berkely County project. In a recent project Boland developed with a client, they found a significant rebate using dynamic air filters. “In this particular project, we estimated enough kWh savings to produce a rebate of almost a hundred and six thousand dollars,” Herchenroeder said. “That's a large and substantial key factor in moving forward with a project. Not only are you reducing your energy usage, you're getting a rebate back, and drastically improving indoor air quality.”

When it comes to building and maintaining better buildings, one might say water is the lifeblood of the entire operation. Ben Feeney, Water Technologies Manager at Boland, dropped in to provide Tyler Kern with a deeper understanding of how water impacts building systems and equipment. Water's high heat capacity and relatively inexpensive costs make it a valuable source for distributing and removing heat from a building. One downside is the impurities and minerals water brings that can deposit on and erode equipment over time. “Water treatment chemicals are important to stop corrosion, bacteria, and scaling,” Feeney said. “We can keep the equipment lasting quite a long time if we're doing those things.” One strategy for conserving water in a building is recirculation. “In water treatment, what we do is we have a controller that senses the minerals in the water,” Feeney said. “And when you get up to three to five cycles, that water treatment controller will dump some of that water to get some of the impurities out.” Keeping the proper balance of mineral concentration with the right chemicals and precise controls will extend the lifecycle of equipment and systems that come in contact with water. Another tip to keep water systems from creating more harm than good is the use of water softeners, which remove calcium from the water. “Most minerals dissolve under warm temperatures,” Feeney said. “The problem with calcium is it's the opposite. As temperatures are warmer, they will drop out of the water. If we can remove that, then we look at chlorides and other elements in the water, but it allows us to push those cycles up higher.” Planning is everything, and starting a building off with a proper water treatment strategy will mean fewer headaches and costs over time. “Brand new pipe from a manufacturer wants to corrode quickly as soon as the water is put in that piping,” Feeney said. “There's pipe slag, oils, and greases from manufacturing that pipe, so at startup, as soon as the water is put into that piping system, it is important that a water treater is involved.”

Julie Wolfington, Energy and Sustainability Leader at Boland, made her third appearance on 10 Minutes to a Better Building to talk about sustainability's essential issues in building management. For years building practices used more of the earth's resources than returned to the environment. That practice is not sustainable, and companies recognize things need to change. So how does a business know if it's sustainable, and how do they measure it? “The concept of sustainability refers to three main pillars,” Wolfington said. “The environment, which is the pillar we mostly think about, but also there's the social pillar, and the economic pillar.” For this discussion, Wolfington focused on the environmental aspects of sustainability. In terms of the environment, one way to measure the sustainability of a business is through the emissions output. Certain greenhouse gases, such as those emitted from a car or refrigerants, can devastatingly affect the environment. “Greenhouse gasses are measured by their capacity to store the sun's heat,” Wolfington said. “This is referred to as its global-warming potential or GWP.” These measurements translate to numbers that help determine how dangerous a particular gas emissions output is for the environment. Wolfington used the CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) scale to demonstrate how these measurements work. For example, one molecule of methane has the same heat storage capacity as 74 molecules of CO2. So, while CO2 may be the most prevalent greenhouse gas, some of these other gases could prove more harmful to the environment, and reducing those emissions is a critical step towards sustainability. Wolfington said Boland works closely with their customers to help them meet their sustainability goals and find ways to reduce those emissions in their buildings.

Refrigerant regulations are in a state of flux. In the next few years, common refrigerants will be no longer be viable for equipment. The reason for the change is that many products currently have a high global warming potential. Breaking down the new laws and their impact, Boland Sales Team Leader Kevin Bradley joined host Tyler Kern on 10 Minutes to a Better Building.“On January 1, 2024, R134A will be eliminated. Then on January 1, 2025, so will R410A. The alternatives to replace these have different characteristics,” Bradley explained. The International Agreements for Refrigerants (AHRI) worldwide agreement set out global action plans to mitigate climate change due to dangerous substances. Now, the industry must look to innovation to produce new technology. Bradley noted that some alternatives have been in testing and are readily available. Others are still in the testing and evaluation phase. “For medium pressure, all manufacturers were on board to get rid of R134A, and we have other options. High-pressure still has questions.”The stumbling block for replacing high-pressure R410A is that new refrigerants are also flammable. “That creates more questions about piping and installing it and code impact,” Bradley advised. Europe and Asia already have the new, more environmentally friendly refrigerants installed. The U.S. is lagging. Bradley added, “There's not a clear winner yet on the alternative for high pressure.”For those buildings with older equipment, Bradley suggested they inspect the equipment today to assess the age and leaking. Then, they can build a plan to replace it to fit current and future standards.

Facilities managers know that contingency planning is necessary for any effective building operation. Part of those contingencies is access to rental services. John Finucan, Senior Rental Project Executive at Boland, joined host 10 Minutes to a Better Building host Tyler Kern to talk about the importance of rental services. Finucan is the ideal expert to ask, as he started the rental services department at the company.

Living, working, and recreational environments can make all the difference when it comes to your health, mood, and wellbeing. Host Tyler Kern spoke with Tom Lattomus, Controls Account Executive at Boland, about the WELL Building Certification, which affords business owners the opportunity to positively impact these environments to improve health.The WELL Building Certification provides industry professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate advanced knowledge in human health, wellbeing and how this interacts with building environments. Lattomus explained, “The WELL building standard is a vehicle for owners, property managers, architects, engineers for building organizations to build more thoughtful and intentional spaces.” The certification includes studying webinars and content, and practice exams are available online. Those wishing to become certified must sit for a live or proctored exam within a year. The benefit of this certification is that it shows a business's commitment to fostering health and wellbeing in their environment. Examples of features a business may choose to address include air quality, water quality, natural light presence, exposure to nature, and selection and quality of building materials. Ultimately, the WELL Certification provides businesses with the opportunity to better serve clients with evidence-based design connections. “The aim is to advance the health through better design, operational protocols and policies, and foster culture of health and wellbeing,” said Lattomus. This has become even more important post-pandemic as individuals have focused more on the indoor spaces where they live and work. Lattomus encouraged those considering the certification to pursue it to invest in employees and bring better service to clients. “It's hard to improve what you don't measure,” he said. The WELL Standard and strategies that come with it help to identify facets that can be improved and measure ways to improve them.

Living, working, and recreational environments can make all the difference when it comes to your health, mood, and wellbeing. Host Tyler Kern spoke with Tom Lattomus, Controls Account Executive at Boland, about the WELL Building Certification, which affords business owners the opportunity to positively impact these environments to improve health.The WELL Building Certification provides industry professionals with the opportunity to demonstrate advanced knowledge in human health, wellbeing and how this interacts with building environments. Lattomus explained, “The WELL building standard is a vehicle for owners, property managers, architects, engineers for building organizations to build more thoughtful and intentional spaces.” The certification includes studying webinars and content, and practice exams are available online. Those wishing to become certified must sit for a live or proctored exam within a year. The benefit of this certification is that it shows a business's commitment to fostering health and wellbeing in their environment. Examples of features a business may choose to address include air quality, water quality, natural light presence, exposure to nature, and selection and quality of building materials. Ultimately, the WELL Certification provides businesses with the opportunity to better serve clients with evidence-based design connections. “The aim is to advance the health through better design, operational protocols and policies, and foster culture of health and wellbeing,” said Lattomus. This has become even more important post-pandemic as individuals have focused more on the indoor spaces where they live and work. Lattomus encouraged those considering the certification to pursue it to invest in employees and bring better service to clients. “It's hard to improve what you don't measure,” he said. The WELL Standard and strategies that come with it help to identify facets that can be improved and measure ways to improve them.

Brad Snodgrass, global account manager at Boland Trane, explained to Host Tyler Kern about modular chillers' benefits and how Boland works with customers to ensure an upgrade is the right move for them. Instead of the traditional physically separated chillers, modular chillers have one point of electrical connection with a factory control component—this means a more efficient system that physically takes up less space and allows significantly more flexibility. “The benefit of the modular chiller is now when we're putting the new chiller back in, we have these small building blocks, and we're able to put them in one at a time. It doesn't matter if you're running into a small elevator, narrow hallway, or whatever the building feature presents as a challenge, the modular chiller is able to help you overcome that and get the new chiller into the space,” said Snodgrass.

Brad Snodgrass, global account manager at Boland Trane, explained to Host Tyler Kern about modular chillers' benefits and how Boland works with customers to ensure an upgrade is the right move for them. Instead of the traditional physically separated chillers, modular chillers have one point of electrical connection with a factory control component—this means a more efficient system that physically takes up less space and allows significantly more flexibility. “The benefit of the modular chiller is now when we're putting the new chiller back in, we have these small building blocks, and we're able to put them in one at a time. It doesn't matter if you're running into a small elevator, narrow hallway, or whatever the building feature presents as a challenge, the modular chiller is able to help you overcome that and get the new chiller into the space,” said Snodgrass. Boland wants to ensure future customers are treated like partners by taking on a consultative approach when determining if modular chillers are an appropriate update. These steps include:1. Identify the customer's needs that may reveal the opportunity for a modular chiller upgrade2. Discuss examples to determine the type of problems to solve, such as phasing, future expansion needs, and seasonal turndown3. Conduct factory testing to verify and prove packaged solution's capabilities and inspire ideas 4. Design and implement the right solutions with experienced engineers and award-winning softwareMaking a capital purchase such as modular chillers is a large investment for any company. Partner with a reputable HVAC equipment and service provider with the teams and technology to deliver the right results efficiently and responsibly.

Over the past year and a half, the pandemic caused numerous issues to the supply chain. The Biden Administration is pushing for relief, but it looks like problems will exist through the holidays, leaving Americans in short supply for Christmas. Here to give insights on this episode of 10 Minutes To A Better Building is Mike Alexis, Account Executive at Boland. He talked with Host Tyler Kern about how Boland is confronting the issues with the supply chain. American consumers aren't the only ones facing a shortage due to the supply chain, as issues also trickled down to the HVAC industry. Some of the equipment in HVAC requires the same semiconductor chip to function that is impacting the automobile industry.“The HVAC industry right now is dealing with the same issues that virtually every other industry is facing at the moment,” Alexis said. “From material shortages to labor shortages, to the warehouse to the trucking industry. It's even been impacted by the semiconductor chip shortage that's pretty much crippled the auto industry.” The HVAC industry isn't unique in its present struggles but there is an overlap in dealing with the same shortages as other industries. At Boland, they are taking the situation one day at a time by dealing with and adapting to each issue. The issues are equally spread across residential and commercial applications. “The semiconductor chip shortage has impacted the residential side of things a little bit more,” Alexis said. “There's a little bit more electronics, like some of the temperature sensors in the thermostats. They need these semiconductors chips and some of these boards and higher-end stuff.”

Over the past year and a half, the pandemic caused numerous issues to the supply chain. The Biden Administration is pushing for relief, but it looks like problems will exist through the holidays, leaving Americans in short supply for Christmas. Here to give insights on this episode of 10 Minutes To A Better Building is Mike Alexis, Account Executive at Boland. He talked with Host Tyler Kern about how Boland is confronting the issues with the supply chain. American consumers aren't the only ones facing a shortage due to the supply chain, as issues also trickled down to the HVAC industry. Some of the equipment in HVAC requires the same semiconductor chip to function that is impacting the automobile industry.“The HVAC industry right now is dealing with the same issues that virtually every other industry is facing at the moment,” Alexis said. “From material shortages to labor shortages, to the warehouse to the trucking industry. It's even been impacted by the semiconductor chip shortage that's pretty much crippled the auto industry.” The HVAC industry isn't unique in its present struggles but there is an overlap in dealing with the same shortages as other industries. At Boland, they are taking the situation one day at a time by dealing with and adapting to each issue. The issues are equally spread across residential and commercial applications. “The semiconductor chip shortage has impacted the residential side of things a little bit more,” Alexis said. “There's a little bit more electronics, like some of the temperature sensors in the thermostats. They need these semiconductors chips and some of these boards and higher-end stuff.”

On this episode of 10 Minutes To A Better Building, Host Tyler Kern talked with Jason Lawrence, Ductless Technical Specialist at Boland Trane, which provides HVAC solutions and a network of more than 360 locations throughout the United States and Canada. They dove into VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow), the ins and outs, and when VRF is a good design application.“Most VRF is heating and cooling equipment, and it's a split system,” Lawrence said. “We have a condenser outside, and then we have indoor units. We could have up to 50 indoor units, or as something as simple as a condenser with one indoor unit.” What makes this system different is that it's a VX refrigeration system. It has refrigerant in it, but the compressor is actually modulating various capacities. And it's the same thing with the fan motors, Lawrence explains. VRF systems provide energy savings, smaller zones, heat recovery, and reduced duct losses. While a simple Google search might show that a VRF system is ductless that isn't always the case. “Ductless is almost an improper term,” Lawrence said, “...but there's a lot of ducted units, as well, that have air ducts on them. The difference being we may have a smaller duct system on a VRF unit.” VRF systems offer many benefits. For example, in a home, there's a thermostat, and it's hot out. The home unit comes on at 100 percent of its capacity, cools it down to the thermostat temperature, and then turns off. A VRF system is similar to a car in that it's able to match the load. It will require more energy when it starts up, but it's easier to maintain once it's going. “We want it to match the load,” Lawrence said. “It stops so much of the slamming on and off, so it's very energy efficient.”

On this episode of 10 Minutes To A Better Building, Host Tyler Kern talked with Jason Lawrence, Ductless Technical Specialist at Boland Trane, which provides HVAC solutions and a network of more than 360 locations throughout the United States and Canada. They dove into VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow), the ins and outs, and when VRF is a good design application.“Most VRF is heating and cooling equipment, and it's a split system,” Lawrence said. “We have a condenser outside, and then we have indoor units. We could have up to 50 indoor units, or as something as simple as a condenser with one indoor unit.” What makes this system different is that it's a VX refrigeration system. It has refrigerant in it, but the compressor is actually modulating various capacities. And it's the same thing with the fan motors, Lawrence explains. VRF systems provide energy savings, smaller zones, heat recovery, and reduced duct losses. While a simple Google search might show that a VRF system is ductless that isn't always the case. “Ductless is almost an improper term,” Lawrence said, “...but there's a lot of ducted units, as well, that have air ducts on them. The difference being we may have a smaller duct system on a VRF unit.” VRF systems offer many benefits. For example, in a home, there's a thermostat, and it's hot out. The home unit comes on at 100 percent of its capacity, cools it down to the thermostat temperature, and then turns off. A VRF system is similar to a car in that it's able to match the load. It will require more energy when it starts up, but it's easier to maintain once it's going. “We want it to match the load,” Lawrence said. “It stops so much of the slamming on and off, so it's very energy efficient.”

One badge of honor that's synonymous with energy savings is the ENERGY STAR logo. With the ENERGY STAR Certification on a product, industrial plant, or building, people can ensure that energy efficiency is top of mind. Jim Bauer, Account Executive with Boland, and Gary Wine, IT Director, at the Berkeley County Council, spoke about the meaning of achieving this elite status and what steps building owners need to take to receive this coveted certification. “To achieve it, you need to measure how you're performing,” Bauer said. “As an HVAC company and energy services company, when we develop a relationship with a client, we want to be able to have access to their energy consumption, their bills, and their energy data. From that, we can help them start getting their ENERGY STAR rating.” Once Boland receives the data, Bauer said the next step is to get that building connected. “We like to connect to the building's automation system because there's a plethora of information available. By gathering that information then we can monitor how that building's performing. And we can then start communicating with the client about scheduling, and setbacks, and how the building is waking up and going to sleep every day and making sure that is done properly.” Wine detailed the process that Berkeley County went through with Boland to achieve the ENERGY STAR certification. And the importance of saving money for the taxpayers played a considerable role in the desire to increase energy efficiencies with their buildings. “With Boland, they made it really easy,” Wine said. “They came to us and said, ‘we would like to help you identify some of these inefficiencies, some of these problem areas, and we've got this solution that can track data, track statistics, and help to speak to your problems from a numbers' scenario.”

Excellent service often means successful service coordination. In fact, at Boland service coordination is a critical ingredient to the success of their company, and Edith Lemus, Service Coordination Leader at Boland, is the head chef of this essential operation. Lemus joined Tyler Kern to discuss the importance of service coordination at Boland and why Boland views it as its backbone. “Service coordination is really important,” Lemus said. “We take care of our internal and external clients, answering the phone calls, making sure that everyone gets AC in their building.” While there are many different hats Lemus wears to juggle all the things that come into play in service coordination but staying organized is one way she keeps everything in balance. “We have a group of ten coordinators who stay on top, making sure that all the requests coming through are answered,” Lemus explained. Everyone on the team follows a similar organizational strategy. Boland's customers need to make sure their building tenants are comfortable and happy, and that task becomes Boland's service coordination team's mission. “We also want to make sure we are responding and making sure we call technicians and do our part to get the call covered,” Lemus said. When a customer calls into the service coordination team, it's to address a pressing need. “They don't want to hear us tell them we'll get right back to them because they wanted service yesterday,” Lemus said. “But when you talk to the customer and you make them feel that you understand what their issue is, and you care about it, it eases them down, and that's where Boland stands out.” At Boland, Lemus and her team treat clients like family. And as the saying goes, family comes first.

There are times when a building may require HVAC rental services. Two typical scenarios are planned shutdown and unplanned failures (or planned and unplanned downtime). Regardless of the situation, Tim Parrucci, Rental Services Leader at Boland, assured Tyler Kern that Boland is ready to help. Parrucci contextualized each event type for Kern. “A planned event would be a larger office building that maybe has a large chiller involved that has to be broken down for service and maintenance on a regular basis,” Parrucci said. “A building operator may call us to come out and do a site survey on the site to determine what we can do to provide them with temporary cooling or heating, depending on what the application is while their system is down for preventative maintenance.” And what about unplanned events? “You have the other scenario, which is an emergency. For example, a hot summer day, 100 degrees outside, someone's system breaks down, chiller goes down, and they need air conditioning,”Parrucci said. “We can provide them, typically within 24-hours, a form of temporary cooling for their building and have them back up and operational while they are waiting to get their equipment repaired.” As for selecting the right rental service company for these planned and unplanned HVAC needs, Parrucci said it's important to look at the knowledge base of that particular provider. “Boland's been in the heating, air conditioning, and ventilation business for 60+ years,” Parrucci said. “Not only do we rent HVAC equipment, we have an on-staff service team pretty much 24-hours a day, seven days a week.”

Boland's client partnerships are at the heart of everything they do. But what does that partnership look like from the client's end? To determine precisely how clients feel about working with Boland and what makes this relationship so unique, Tyler Kern brought in two leaders from one of Boland's partners, Tatitlek Technologies. Brian Stokes, Program Manager at Tatitlek Technologies, and Nicole Grant, Operations Control Analyst at Tatitlek Technologies, joined Stefanie Timpke, an Account Executive with Boland, to get down to the bottom of all the secrets that make up this trusted and valued partnership. “The partnership with Boland transcends Tatitlek Technologies,” Stokes said. “I've had a partnership with Boland since 2004. Boland has been instrumental in systemically meeting the goals and objectives of all our contracts at mission-critical facilities. We're talking about a long-term partnership. It has been, by far, one of the most essential organizations to our success.” While moved by Stoke's words, Timpke said that partnerships like the one Boland has with Tatitlek are core to their business. “What I try to do as the account executive is think like Brian and Nicole,” Timpke said. “I want to mitigate frustration for them. I want to side-step traps before it gets to them for them and be their easy button.” A critical component that can lead to frustration is downtime due to an HVAC failure in a building where maintaining operations are genuinely necessary. In cases such as this, who a business trusts to maintain their facility is of the utmost importance. “Several of our buildings are 24-hour monitor,” Grant said. “The services Boland provides aren't just on-site, but off-site, remotely. They monitor a vast majority of the HVAC equipment. To stay on top of it and to have a timely response for our client, we do heavily depend on Boland to act, respond and turn things around quickly when it comes to any issues we might experience.”

On this episode of Boland's 10 Minutes to a Better Building, host Tyler Kern was joined by Boland's Joe Lodico, Account Representative, and Monica Lucas, Account Executive.The trio explored a critical piece of any organization's effort to get the most out of their facilities and their investment in them – service contracts.“A service contract is a maintenance agreement with a client or customer to take care of their equipment,” Lucas said. “We [offer] a more consultative approach for our clients. So, we take their building goals and try to fit recommendations to those goals and try to fit that in their budget.”Studies show that effective maintenance programs offer tremendous ROI by making equipment more efficient, reliable, and useful. Service contracts have a positive impact on your bottom line that is measurable and data-driven.Boland provides a holistic suite of offerings from data and analytics to equipment repairs to rental solutions. Investing in maintenance service gives you the highest levels of performance from the entire system within your facility. This frees up capital to spend elsewhere while preventing costly failures and downtime you would have spotted well in advance and derailing ROI.“Service contracts allow us to build a relationship with our clients and really help them out more than just being out there four times a year or so,” Lodico said.

Ray Embly, Remote Building Automation Specialist at Boland, gave host Tyler Kern a rundown of Boland's remote site connection system, Smart Desk. The Smart Desk solution is a building automation system that allows Boland to assess an on-site issue and repair it remotely.“It's all done while they're on the phone most of the time,” Embly said. “The best part about it is we can usually do it in less than a half hour. Compared with rolling out a truck, which could take hours, it's a quick, easy way to get the buildings back up and running for our customers. It works great.”Embly stressed that not all situations a building runs into can be repaired remotely, but, often, they can. And, even when an on-site visit to a building is required, the information the Smart Desk system acquires ahead of time prepares the tech about the specific issue they need to address and the exact location in the building where the problem lies.A building's Boland service agreement includes Smart Desk.“That gives you up to a half hour a day that you can use the Smart Desk,” Embly said. “If you don't have a connected service agreement, you can still use the Smart Desk, but it will be at a fee.”

Ray Embly, Remote Building Automation Specialist at Boland, gave host Tyler Kern a rundown of Boland's remote site connection system, Smart Desk. The Smart Desk solution is a building automation system that allows Boland to assess an on-site issue and repair it remotely.“It's all done while they're on the phone most of the time,” Embly said. “The best part about it is we can usually do it in less than a half hour. Compared with rolling out a truck, which could take hours, it's a quick, easy way to get the buildings back up and running for our customers. It works great.”Embly stressed that not all situations a building runs into can be repaired remotely, but, often, they can. And, even when an on-site visit to a building is required, the information the Smart Desk system acquires ahead of time prepares the tech about the specific issue they need to address and the exact location in the building where the problem lies.A building's Boland service agreement includes Smart Desk.“That gives you up to a half hour a day that you can use the Smart Desk,” Embly said. “If you don't have a connected service agreement, you can still use the Smart Desk, but it will be at a fee.”

When the subject turns to building operations, the focus is on systems such as HVAC and how to maximize comfort and efficiency. But what about other essential building components that could also benefit from today's technology solutions? Doug White, Lighting Solutions Manager at Trane, and John Cain, Energy Services Business Development Leader, Boland, spoke with Tyler Kern about the many benefits lighting systems can play in the overall operations of a building." “When we talk about lighting and energy efficiency, lighting is a phenomenal first step,” White said. “Most people think about it as the low-hanging fruit within energy systems within our buildings. When you convert your lighting systems from fluorescent or HID over to an LED technology, you immediately recognize 50-60% lighting energy savings.” And while the benefits of LED are known and established, Cain said the technology hasn't caught on the way he expects it should have. “Most buildings still have the old technology,” Cain said. “Old lighting systems affect about 80% of the buildings on the marketplace today. So, there's a lot of opportunities to upgrade lighting systems and improve the quality of life for the occupants of the building.” Cain mentioned how lighting systems, like HVAC systems, are designed to handle peak load or maximum darkness. Unlike HVAC systems designed to modulate based on the load conditions, lighting systems are either on or off. “When lights are on, they are typically at 100% of their energy capacity so, they're not taking advantage of the ambient light conditions available,” Cain said. “Fully integrating control for both HVAC and lighting will allow the system to share occupancy sensing and utilize ambient dimming control, and this allows an owner to maximize their investment.”

Any organization that owns buildings understands the importance of maintaining them with regular service calls. Many have contracts with service providers, but not all of them are met on time. If that occurs, building owners can find themselves in need of emergency repairs to their HVAC unit.

Indoor air quality isn't the only aspect of building comfort that owners and those maintaining buildings need to consider. IEQ, or indoor environment quality, factors in many different considerations from noise to comfort and quality.

WELL building certification is an evidence-based system that measures, certifies and monitors performance features that impact the health and well-being of people who live, work and learn in buildings. Meaghan Trentacost, an Energy Performance Engineer at Boland, joined host Tyler Kern for a 10-minute dive into this vital building maintenance process.

An essential part of building improvement is elevating indoor air quality, especially during the pandemic. Bri Widmoyer, Optimization Engineer at Boland, spoke on this topic and how partnering with the right solutions provider can make all the difference.So, how do building experts like Boland do it?

Boland and Lynxspring are two strategic partners that help bring HVAC system solutions to building owners. Katie Kimmel, Account Executive at Boland, and Marc Petok, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer at Lynxspring, Inc., joined host Tyler Kern to talk about HVAC systems and providing the right solutions for building owners.“When we first meet with a client, we always want to discuss with them what their needs are in general for their building and control system,” Kimmel said. Part of that discussion is to find out what changes or upgrades that clients might be making to their system. “With those discussions and with their input, we can help define and develop the best solution for them.”Building owners have different needs and goals, and an owner is often looking to update their control systems, not replace them. And, when the solution matches the need, Kimmel said they bring in Lynxspring's offerings.“They help us put together some of the software drivers and hardware that we would need. The result is the customer has better control of their equipment, better control over the plant, and an enhanced user interface, which is more helpful for their building operators,” Kimmel said.“I don't know of any building owner that wants to rip out something they have unless they strategically have to,” Petock said. “So, the fact the technology exists today, and Boland has the people, the technicians and the ability to put together solutions that do not require that rip-and-replace, is second-to-none out in the industry.”

Host Tyler Kern grabbed 10 minutes from Allen King, Service Team Leader at Boland, to discuss an important topic in building maintenance – the regular service and upkeep of HVAC systems. Like getting scheduled oil changes to maintain a car's performance, an HVAC system also needs routine maintenance for optimal performance, efficiency and longevity.“You go change your car's oil at the proper intervals to keep the engine clean and performing properly,” King said. It's the same with a building's air conditioning system. “You keep the filters clean, you keep the coils clean, and the systems can perform much better.”One maintenance tip for HVAC systems is keeping the condensers clean. Over time, mineral builds up in the condensers, so water treatment of the condensers will reduce those minerals and maintain the unit. “And, typically, once a year, you have to rod the tubes, where you push a brush through to push out silt and mud that accumulates,” King said.Using a good-quality filter on the HVAC system will also provide benefits. For a few additional dollars, a better filter will last longer and provide more efficiency.An HVAC system's belt requires maintenance to ensure slippage does not occur.“If you're a building owner, that's the last thing you want is to hear from your tenants that they're uncomfortable,” King said. “It's a wise property manager that takes care of the air conditioning system.”While routine HVAC maintenance is essential, so is safety. “When you go in to, say, check the fan belts, you want to turn the fan off,” King said. “You want to turn the disconnect off that feeds power to the fan starter or the fan frequency drive or whatever is being used to make sure it cannot start when you're putting your hands in there. You don't want to take a chance on losing any fingers or anything like that.”The professionals at Boland are available to consult on any HVAC maintenance building requirements.

When funding a healthy building project, finding additional savings wherever possible is always welcomed. Do hidden nuggets of energy savings assist? That was the question posed to Dean Smith, Controls Specialist at Boland, and he had some good news for building owners.

Building projects often take a back seat, especially in a post-COVID-19 world. Some projects, tied to recent building regulations, should not wait. These can lead to penalties if they are not completed.

Although he's quite the busy man, Vince Dawson, General Manager at Boland Supply, found 10 minutes to spare, and that's precisely the time needed to help host Tyler Kern with some tips and insights on choosing the right parts and supplies partner.

Buildings are Boland's business, but why even bother with a structure if you aren't worried about the people inside? Karen Walker, Director of Community Relations at Boland, helps direct the company's efforts to not only be a great business but to build relationships within the community.

Indoor air quality took on an added importance in 2020, with the COVID-19 pandemic getting building owners thinking about just how much circulation there was in their building and the best ways to keep their employees safe. But indoor air quality has always been important. People like Kevin Bradley, Sales Team Leader at Boland, have thought about it for years and keep it in mind when looking to improve a building. “Even before COVID, an anecdote was that, in a typical year, we spend one-third of our time inside of a commercial office building. Commercial buildings could be schools or anything like that, so we're inside quite a bit of our time. That's not even counting how much time we are at home,” Bradley said. “The pandemic has really brought about the need for a better IAQ inside buildings that's both sustainable and resilient.” While there are plenty of new products on the market that help with IAQ issues, that doesn't mean the best option is simply to run out and buy the sleekest filters or purifiers. “It's not necessarily me putting in air cleaning technology,” Bradley said. “That's why one of the things we recommend is to do a formal IAQ assessment where we come in, kind of walk through your building, make some measurements and observations, talk with you to come up with what you're seeing, and address any problems.” From there, the experts at Boland can look at the scenarios to figure out what makes the most sense for the customer on all fronts.

Electrification and decarbonization can guide building managers to more energy-efficient, sustainable spaces.

Who doesn't love to save money? Scratch that. Who doesn't love to save time, energy, stress, and money? That's what we thought. For building owners, finding the right water treatment system may not be at the top of their to-do list, but it should be.

While there are plenty of new buildings constructed every year, chances are you're working with an older building.According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 50% of commercial buildings in the country are 40 years old or older. That means their building controls may also be lagging behind the times.“Systems degrade over time, which makes your building more expensive to operate and more energy inefficient,” said Joey Ponton, Controls Account Executive for Boland. “Addressing buildings' shortcomings can be the first step in identifying these inefficiencies and creating a plan to make your building work better for you.”It's similar to a cell phone, Ponton said. At time of purchase, it probably was the latest and the greatest on the market, but, over time, it's being outpaced by new developments taking place in the sector. Your photos from the camera that was top of the line two years ago may look blurry compared to the shots your neighbor is getting.In buildings, one of the biggest areas of growth is in remote access to controls, something that not only is convenient but also has provided plenty of peace of mind during the pandemic.“In 2020, we found out just how important it is to be able to work remotely, and if your system's not capable of allowing you remote access, you were in a hard spot last year and moving forward,” Ponton said.Boland works with clients of all sizes, whether a single building or a campus comprised of several facilities, to determine exactly what their needs are and make sure their building controls are meeting the needs of the present and the future, not the past.

Brendan Dowd, Service Team Leader at Boland, believes each building owner and operator need to understand the billing structure of their building's energy consumption.“The grid is changing due to climate change and the growth of intermittent renewable resources, so my prediction is that, soon, electricity will be priced by time of energy used,” Dowd said.While different parts of the country utilize different energy rate structures, Dowd said there was a common factor.“There isn't enough power to support the demand.” And, while people ask about solar and wind power, today those sources only make up a fraction of the market. “Buildings need a strategy for energy consumption and reduction, and we think we can help clients in the designing of new systems and the retrofitting of existing systems to address the changing energy market and the grid,” Dowd said.A building may start life meeting a set of established energy consumption goals, but it can worsen over the years.“We try to make a building better as we go,” Dowd said. “We track our progress and our metrics, and we provide visibility and hold our team accountable.”The goal is to deliver optimum building performance for the customer. Boland uses a model called applied building insights to generate efficiencies by managing a building's energy demand on the grid.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a hot topic in building maintenance to the forefront of the conversation – indoor environment quality.On this episode of 10 Minutes to a Better Building, Boland EVP Jerry Scanlan noted that the term has implications that extend well beyond just air quality.

Rich Young, Rental Services Leader at Boland, understands the importance of HVAC and power services for building needs. For one thing, Young said, rentals can provide peace of mind if a piece of equipment breaks down. Boland's rental services can swap out the equipment right away without the need to buy expensive replacements.“Some of the typical situations we encounter are where a piece of HVAC equipment in a customer's facility has failed or is underperforming for some reason,” Young said. “And that could be a chiller of some sort, an air handler, a cooling tower or even a hot water or steam boiler.”

How can building owners have a better building? Julie Wolfington, Energy and Sustainability Leader at Boland, provided some answers, insights and tips in under 10 minutes. And, if the one thing that ties building owners of different types together is the desire to make their buildings better, Boland's mission is to help them achieve that mission.“The recipe to a better building is different for each of our clients,” Wolfington said. “For example, if you're a commercial real estate company and you want to flip your building next month, your better building is one that costs you the very least amount of money right now. So, your recipe might include a box of band-aids and some duct tape. Suppose you're a university, and you're going to be around for many, many years, and you own your buildings. In that case, your recipe for a better building will probably include energy efficiency upgrades that will lower the lifecycle costs of your buildings.”How does energy efficiency factor into making a better building?“When a building is energy efficient, the building owner's saving money,” Wolfington said. “The building is running better. If it's energy-efficient, that means it's tuned well, probably more comfortable for the occupants, the building is marketable, and it's the right thing to do.”There are a few critical steps to ensuring the desire for a better building is achievable. Wolfington said any building improvement project must align with business goals and consider all internal and external factors to be a success. And, once the goals and factors are assessed and aligned, a plan to make the building better should follow.