Hawaii Building Engineers Association

In the News

Commercial

Building

Tax Incentives

What is the tax incentive for commercial buildings?

A tax deduction of up to $1.80 per square foot is available to owners or tenants (or designers, in the case of government-owned buildings) of new or existing commercial buildings that are constructed or reconstructed to save at least 50% of the heating, cooling, water heating, and interior lighting energy cost of a building that meets ASHRAE Standard 90.1-2001.  Partial deductions of up to $.60 per square foot can be taken for comparable reductions from any one of three building systems—the building envelope, lighting, or heating and cooling system—that meets goals consistent with achieving the 50% savings for the entire building.  An interim system-specific goal for lighting is provided directly in the legislation and is valid until and unless the IRS issues a different final regulation. The interim lighting provision allows prorogated deductions from 30 cents to 60 cents per square foot for lighting systems as described below.

These deductions are available for buildings or systems placed in service from

January 1, 2006

, through

December 31, 2007

.

IN THE NEWS.....

In the news this month is that Armstrong Ceiling has started a recycling program for old ceiling tiles. the program enables building owners to ship old ceiling from renovation projects to an Armstrong ceiling plant as an alternative to landfill disposal. Under the program Armstrong even pays for the freight costs for shipping the old tile (30,000 square feet minimum), which it uses to manufacture new ceiling tile. Since the program started in 1999 the company has recycled 25,000 square feet of tile. this total represents 17,500,000 pounds or 8,750 tons, of construction waste that would have normally ended up in a landfill site. I wonder if that includes Hawaii?

The association has asked for some R-410A certification for the beginning of next year. if anyone is interested let me know.

A new white paper is available for anyone interested in Interoperability from Hirsch Electronics @ www.WeSecureBuildings.com/interop

Christmas and Thanksgiving is here so I wish everyone a safe and Happy time putting up their decorations.

IN THE NEWS...

In the News

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) released a new version of its ventilation standard. The ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 62-1-2004, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air Quality, incorporates 17 addenda, which were inspired by 30 years of ventilation practices as well as user input and developments in research.

The standard specifies minimum ventilation rates and indoor air quality requirements for commercial and institutional buildings. Among the major changes is the revision of the Ventilation Rate Procedure to reflect recent information regarding ventilation impacts on indoor air quality, and to clarify the adjustments necessary for space air distribution and system efficiency of multi-zone recalculating systems.

ASHRAE reports that the breathing zone ventilation rate now includes both an area related component and an occupant-density-related component. Which, added together, is used to determine the required ventilation for the space. Check out the new standard at www.ashrae.org the cost is $60 ($48 for ASHRAE members).

Also In the News is that ASHRAE may conduct seminars on how to do load calculations for residential homes utilizing software. These seminars are intended to promote the use of software to accurately size equipment for residential homes. In the past with air conditioning contractors using rule of thumb methods equipment was under sized or over sized due to improved calculation methods. Contractors using rule of thumb sizing utilized 500 square feet per ton of air conditioning or 35 btu’s per square foot in a home well shaded or 45 btu’s for a home in the sun. In some cases 50 btu’s per square foot was utilized. In all cases, it left the contractor open to litigation from homeowners when mold was found to be a problem. The use of load calculation software helps alleviate those problems associated with improper sizing in residential homes.

Also in the News is that Johnson Controls has just closed their deal to acquire York International. Nextel is merging with Sprint and their new phones will be out soon.

In The News

One of the most talked about issues in the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry this year is the approach of the new federal minimum efficiency standard for residential air conditioners and heat pumps. When the new 13 SEER (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) standard takes effect in January 2006, homeowners will be introduced to a new era of efficiency and a new class of HVAC equipment. Anyone interested in finding out more about this new Federal Standard should attend the residential air conditioning work shop offered on Thursday August 18, 2005, 8 A.M. TO 12 noon in the Hawaiian Electric Industries Training Room at the American Savings Bank Tower 1001 Bishop Street, 8th floor Honolulu, Hawaii please contact Howard Wiig, DBET 587-3811 or hwiig@dbet.gov for reservations.

Also in the news are some job offerings listed below:

Day Porter - general custodial duties Monday thru Friday 8 am to 4:30 PM
Maintenance helper - variety of maintenance work experience, Monday thru Friday, day shift, hours vary.

Administrative Assistant - general office duties, customer service, part time position, 20 hours per week, must be able to work Saturdays 8 am to 12 noon. Proficient on the PC and with PC programs, i.e. Word, Excel, etc.

All applicants can apply at Hawaiian Building Maintenance, 1001 Bishop Street Ste 2020, Phone Number 808-5374561. Positions are available at Imperial Plaza.