2024 November Chapter Meeting - Research Promotion

LOCATION: Basso | The Cheshire - 7036 Clayton Rd, St. Louis, MO 63117 and Virtual Option.

In order provide the venue with an accurate lunch headcount, registration for in-person attendance will close on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. Registration for virtual attendance will close on Friday, November 15.

NOTE: If you sign up for IN-PERSON and do not show, the chapter will request a $25 donation. You can cancel you ticket 7 days in advance through Eventbrite

EVENT SCHEDULE:

10:30 AM– 11:00 AM Registration & Networking

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM 1st Session

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM 2nd Session & Lunch

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Primary Heating/Cooling Plant Strategies & How to Maximize the Energy & Financial Savings

FEE $0 for ASHRAE St. Louis Members, Past Presidents, and full-time students; $25 for Non-members

Topic Summary:

This workshop focuses on strategies to improve efficiency of central heating and cooling plants applicable to single building as well as multiple buildings in a campus setting. You will learn about various configurations of equipment arrangement, operating parameters, piping distribution systems, primary utilities and environmental regulations associated with primary heating and cooling plants.

The workshop further discusses low temperature chilled water systems application that can operate with high overall efficiently, use smaller distribution piping network, and save the end users significant fit out costs when compared to traditional temperature systems.

Also included in this workshop is critical commissioning (Cx) activity that focus on ensuring the proper operation is achieved either at time of turn over or through the life of the system. By focusing on large elements of your building like the central plant, the benefits of Cx can be huge! The big energy consumption for your building is from the central plant. The cost and level of effort for Cx is focused on the number of system pieces and number of sequences, therefore the best place to start is in the central plant; best bang for your buck. Cx can ensure that the central plant is capitalizing on all available economizer options, reset schedules and load following optimization. Studies have shown that a new building without Cx may consume 20% more energy than designed and that an average existing building can save 30% after three years of operation. So quit throwing those operating dollars out through your central plant and bring them back into your budget.

SPEAKER: Jim Vallort

Jim Vallort has spent his career focusing on energy: ranging from measuring energy usage, optimizing the systems, integrating automation to control energy and the impact of commissioning on energy consumption. Jim brings a unique perspective having been on the engineer of record, 3rd party commissioning and contracting sides of project delivery.

Jim is the Commissioning Program Manager for Mortenson, a Top 20 US Contractor. Jim also served as an ASHRAE Society Vice President for the 2015-2016 Board of Directors. He currently serves as a member of Technical Committee (TC) 7.9, Building Commissioning and Guideline Project Committee 1.6, Commissioning of Data Centers . Jim previously served on the Board as a director-at-large in 2005-08 and as Region VI director and Regional Chair in 2001-04.

Jim has over 20 publications and numerous presentations under his belt on topics ranging from Energy Efficiency, Automation and Commissioning to Underfloor Air Distribution. He has been an invited speaker at multiple fortune 500 companies educating their staff on building automation, energy efficiency, existing building commissioning and new construction commissioning. He brings a unique perspective on the constructability and real world aspects of our industry having been a union pipefitter, spent years in the field commissioning projects, combined with the experience as a mechanical designer, building automation designer and energy modeler.

Jim’s greatest joy at work is teaching and mentoring others on the mix of art and science that is required to solve today’s challenges in the engineering community. Vallort is the recipient of the ASHRAE Exceptional Service Award, ASHRAE Distinguished Service Award and an Excellence in Engineering Award from the ASHRAE Illinois Chapter in 1998.

Jim Vallort plays a large role in organizing one of ASHRAE’s largest, best-attended, and most profitable Conferences held in Chicago every three years. Vallort served as advisor to the most recent 2015 ASHRAE Winter Conference; co-chaired the Chicago meetings in 2012, 2006, 2003 and 1999; and served as chair of the ASHRAE Centennial Meeting in 1993; he organized the Technical Tours and was on the Entertainment Committee for the 2009 Chicago Winter Conference. His earlier service includes Technology Council, the Planning Committee, the Standards Advisory Committee and a presidential ad hoc Committee on Certification. He also served as chair of the CIBSE/ASHRAE 2000 Joint Conference Steering Committee, the Member Council ad hoc Committee on Young Engineers (YEA) and the Society Program Committee and vice chair of the CIBSE/ASHRAE 2003 Joint Conference Steering Committee. He was president of the Illinois Chapter in 1999-2000.

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