High Performance HVAC Solutions

The "Green" movement is it taking the construction field by storm. Begun by people well equipped with good intentions but little practical knowledge as to how to accomplish its goals, the sustainable building movement was a good idea whose time had come. Being viewed as "Green" brings in projects from people who are often genuinely concerned about the impact they are having on the environment. Many are motivated to control their future costs in an era of rapidly rising energy costs. Governmental and institutional markets have jumped on board in a big way as have numerous businesses, large and small. This is a good thing. But buyers of sustainable building technologies need to be beware. "Sustainable" design is in it's infancy. There is much we do not know, yet, and much more we do not know how to do.

Too many design firms still lack the knowledge and basic skills necessary to actually provide environmentally sustainable designs. Those who have yet to get their first sustainable building award are often at a competitive disadvantage competing for projects with others who do. The financial realities of competition for these firms creates strong motivations to represent projects as "green," whether they are, or not. There are unscrupulous practitioners among us who will do whatever is necessary to get that plaque, including false representation. Many facilities being built today and claimed as "green," are merely the same old solutions repackaged and sold under a different label.

Lentz Engineering Associates, Inc. (LEA), was "green" before the moniker was invented. It was specifically formed in 1995 for the purpose of developing real High Performance HVAC Systems for the coming era of high energy costs. Today, LEA leads the HVAC industry in High Performance HVAC Systems development. Where other's talk abut "potential" and "possibilities," LEA has had real high performance hvac systems in place for as long as a decade and with actual performance data.

High Performance HVAC Systems differ substantially in form, function and technology from, and have little in common with, their Classical HVAC counterparts. High performance HVAC design is really an entirely new field of design. One major difference comes from what is necessary to efficiently processed and managed ventilation throughout a facility. To accomplish this, High Performance HVAC Systems must be configured about air-to-air energy recovery processes. In addition, Classical HVAC systems have numerous "systemic inefficiencies," features which result in the systems using more energy than necessary to accomplish their tasks. Real "High Performance" HVAC systems are fundamentally efficient strategies that address "systemic inefficiencies" functionally eliminate, or substantially reduce, those inefficiencies to minimize energy waste.

When an architect or engineer tells you, "We want to stick with the "Tried and True," you are not going to get a real "High Performance" system. Instead, this kind of statement should immediately raise red flags with any owner who is trying to watch out for his long term best interests.