My husband and I recently purchased a new refrigerator. This is how I know I’m getting old(er) — I get excited about new kitchen appliances. We opted to go with an LG Wi-Fi-enabled model. I can connect to the refrigerator through LG’s ThinkQ app.

It doesn’t take a crystal ball to predict that demand for Air Handling Units (AHUs) for new builds and retrofits will skyrocket over the next decade. Climate change will drive the need for more and more efficient new HVAC systems. 

My grandparents lived in Saint Clair, Pennsylvania, which is in the heart of the anthracite coal region. Pop-Pop had a Westinghouse Appliance store and serviced everything they sold. In addition, he had helped to wire homes when electricity first became available and serviced lots of coal boilers. 

Fresh water is an undeniably valuable and essential natural resource. But are plumbing engineers unintentionally putting building occupants are risk by implementing water conservation guidelines and equipment? What are the unseen consequences of water conservation?

It’s not unusual for folks to wax and wane during conversations about experiences that we have had or read about that push the limits of our experience. When I worked as a pump applications engineer, I used to pour over the catalogs and pump curves of all the various manufacturers and think about what each type of pump was capable of.

Ever notice how new words or phrases continually slide into our social vocabulary? Here are a few examples that pertain to energy and buildings: Sustainability, energy justice, climate justice, beneficial electrification and decarbonization.

In a previous column last year, I identified a change in definition, by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), regarding showerheads, body sprays and safety shower showerheads. In December 2020, during the Trump administration, DOE basically redefined “showerhead” as a single device that discharges water. Hence, if you installed two showerheads installed on a single shower valve, DOE would consider them two showerheads.

Last month, two multi-family residential buildings 100 miles away from each other caught fire just days apart, resulting in the deaths of nearly 30 people.

I read somewhere that the most prevalent machine in the world is the electric motor. I thought about that for a while and it made sense. Just look around. But then I began to wonder what the second-most prevalent machine in the world is. Turns out it’s the pump!

Recently, there was a discussion on the ASPE Open Forum regarding, “Plumbing Pipe Thermal Expansion and Expansion Fitting.” Generally, this topic would be found within your specifications under Section 22 05 16, “Expansion Fittings and Loops for Plumbing Piping;” this topic is under-discussed, and in many cases, poorly understood by many designers and engineers.