May 17, 2023

Getting Ready for the Heat: Before Your HVAC Acts Up

Avoid headaches with these tips from the pros

By Mike Furey, General Manager, MIH Systems Group

There is a famous saying within the HVAC industry: Components don’t die, something kills them. Component failure can lead to costly repairs, and when it happens, service technicians turn into de-facto detectives looking for the killer. Most of the time though, failures come from one thing: lack of maintenance.

Given the many levels of preventive maintenance required to keep equipment from dying, being proactive with all systems connected to your mechanical equipment is key. “Unnecessary breakdown” is a word no one likes to hear, but it’s caused when preventive action isn’t performed. During a formal maintenance visit, a trained technician inspects equipment looking for any possible defects in devices that could cause a failure, and when a dirty device or failed component is discovered, the technician can address the problem in real time, avoiding a breakdown.

So, what is the number one preventable cause of major damage and repair costs? Water Leaks. An unchecked leak can lead to a host of other issues, including clogged drain lines, slimy overflow in condensate drain pans, and more. While inspecting for leaks, it’s also a good idea to check for dirty air filters, worn fan belts, and dirty blower wheels.

Being proactive with your equipment doesn’t just prevent breakdowns either. It can improve normal operation as well, affecting:

  • Energy Efficiency: When equipment is maintained properly, it reduces stress on the internal machinery, allowing it to operate as designed.
  • Air Quality: Poor air quality is a direct result of an unclean air filter, but maintaining and replacing UV lighting and other devices that regulate the amount of air transfers performed throughout day are also just as critical.

 

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Just like for us, reduced stress extends life. This is especially important when talking about equipment that operates off electricity. When equipment consistently operates un-maintained, it uses more electricity, which causes overheating, additional stress, and equipment failure.

MIH Systems Group, of the Gil-Bar and Ambient HVAC collective, has advocated for peak efficiency, maintenance, and safety for each of its clients since its inception in 2009. MIH recommends regular maintenance checks every three months for commercial properties.

 

HVAC Critical Systems Checklist:

[ ] Inspect for Leaks

[ ] Check for Dirty Air Filters

[ ] How is your Fan Belt Looking?

[ ] Are your Blower Wheels Clean?

 

MIH Systems Group

20 West 36th Street, Suite 700

New York, NY 10018

info@mihsystemsgroup.com

(212) 714-0178

April 20, 2023

Geothermal Heat Pump Technology Approved As A Renewable Energy

Earth Month is a great time for commercial properties to take advantage of new and considerable tax benefits, while helping to reduce emissions from HVAC


By Chris Plummer, Product Manager, Gil-Bar 

For building owners, consulting engineers, and general contractors searching for new ways to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of cooling units while seeking to preserve the atmosphere and global ecosystem, the big news is geothermal heat pump technology.

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 introduced some exciting new opportunities for Owners and Developers in building sustainability. Under the new Act, geothermal heat pump technology is now classified as a “renewable energy,” offering considerable tax benefits and allowing you to keep BTUs in the building. The Federal Income Tax breaks offer:

  • 30% of Geothermal Heat Pump System costs
  • Direct rebates equal to the credit for non-taxable entities
  • No limit to the maximum credit or rebate
  • Exemption from AMT
  • Recognition for up to three years prior
  • Rights to sell and transfer
  • Use for more than one year

The Act also introduces the ability for commercial properties to take advantage of accelerated depreciation within their taxes, such as:

  • 5-Year MACR depreciation for Geothermal Heat Pump System costs
  • Bonus depreciation eligibility

In order to qualify for these enhanced benefits, you simply need to meet the following criteria:

  • The building is located within in the United States
  • Original use of the property begins with the taxpayer
  • Your construction commenced before 12/31/2034

In many cases, these benefits can result in a Return on Investment (ROI) in less than one year.

As industry leaders, Gil-Bar Industries has a variety of geothermal heat pump products that you can take advantage of today. From Geothermal Water Source Heat Pumps to Water Cooled Chillers, Gil-Bar has the solutions and expertise to help you take advantage of this recent change in legislation.

During the first week of March, Senior Account Executive at Gil-Bar, Nick Denson, organized a full week of presentations to customers in New York City with Dan Ellis, former President of ClimateMaster. These presentations went on to explain why the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is important to Building Owners, Developers and Consulting Engineers. “The excitement around this new law creates a win-win for everyone. Geothermal helps the environment and pays for itself in just a year.” says Denson. “The reactions to this news have been incredibly positive.” To schedule a presentation or talk to a Gil-Bar representative, call (212) 331-8272.

 

August 6, 2021

Gil-Bar Launches Gil-Bar Academy to Offer Convenient, Industry-Leading Training Standards for All HVAC Professionals

New York — August 6, 2021 — Gil-Bar is pleased to announce the launch of Gil-Bar Academy, a continuing development program designed for HVAC industry professionals. A diverse array of courses are being offered on the topics of energy-efficiency, indoor air quality, local code requirements for energy systems, commissioning and PDH credits. Gil-Bar Academy is being established to elevate the knowledge base of HVAC professionals and ensure engineering teams are prepared for coming energy-efficiency changes and new technologies.

 

 

Courses will be available in both virtual and in-person formats, with a seamless registration process meant to maximize convenience for the industry’s busy professionals. Coursework will include best practices and technical specifications across a diverse array of the industry’s leading hardware manufacturers, including Armstrong, AAON, Cooney, Dectron, Hitachi, Konvekta, Nortek, TCF and TSI.

“The Gil-Bar Academy is our way of sharing what we’ve learned in this industry over the past 35 years, while engaging new talent and keeping established professionals sharp,” said Chris Bisaccia, partner at Gil-Bar. “Staying informed and well-educated in the competitive and changing HVAC industry has never been more crucial as local laws bring on rapid change and new systems are produced annually.”

“With the proliferation of highly efficient HVAC systems and local codes that change from state to state across the East Coast, it can be difficult for even the most seasoned HVAC engineers to keep up with the knowledge base that enables them to give the best guidance to clients,” said Alan Stefanac, an engineering executive at Gil-Bar who is helping to build the academy. “HVAC careers should also be attractive to younger talent as offering a specialized field with great earning potential. We want to share this passion for HVAC with the new generation.”

In the New York Metro Area alone, demand for building energy improvements could add 15,000 new jobs by 2024 and another 126,000 jobs by 2030, according to a forecast by MIT’s Associate Professor of Urban Environmental Planning David Hsu.

Examples of topics and lectures that will be held at Gil-Bar Academy this year include “Design Practices for Optimum Operation and Reduced Energy Costs,” “Introduction to Chilled Beams and Radiant HVAC,” “VRF Design and Layout,” and “Optimizing IAQ and Energy Efficiency with Air Scrubbing and Filtration.”

For more information on registration and scheduling, please contact academy@gil-bar.com.

About Gil-Bar Industries
Founded in 1986, Gil-Bar has become the largest and most comprehensive provider of HVAC solutions in New York and New Jersey, spreading into the Pennsylvania and Delaware markets as well. Gil-Bar believes HVAC is about a lot more than just moving air. It’s about creating places where we can live our best lives and do our best work. It requires understanding the total indoor environmental experience and providing optimal thermal and acoustical comfort. Gil-Bar partners with building developers, architects, engineers and contractors to help design, install, problem-solve and service the right custom HVAC solution for every building. We build and maintain these relationships because we have one of the largest and most experienced teams of engineering salespeople in the industry.

June 23, 2021

Gil-Bar in the News: “IAQ Solutions as ‘Ground Zero’ Reopens”

The following article first appeared in Contracting Business on Apr. 28, 2021.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City became known as “ground zero,” due to the high numbers of cases and deaths attributed to the virus. In response, HVAC contractors in and around the New York metropolitan area have been on unending high alert since the earliest days of the pandemic, providing indoor air quality advice and solutions for buildings that remained open, and now, for those that are reopening for public use.

One of those leading solutions providers is Gil-Bar, based in mid-town Manhattan. Never at rest, this team tackles more than 5,000 HVAC projects in any given year – and up to 40% of all custom HVAC work in New York City. Additional offices are based in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Gil-Bar was founded in 1986 by Joe Sbarra and John Gill. Both men are still involved in the company, doing all it takes to keep customers’ air clean and their spaces cool and comfortable.

Twelve-year partner Chris Bisaccia spoke with Contracting Business to describe the firm’s history in indoor air quality, which has been a company specialty for the past 15 years, in commercial high-end properties and high-end multi-family residential buildings.

The COVID-19 pandemic took indoor air quality awareness to a whole new level, and Gil-Bar doubled down on its IAQ commitment.

“Gil-Bar continues to expand into other territories,” Bisaccia said. “For decades we have worked with many hospitals, schools and laboratories throughout the metro areas of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, to enhance their filtration and provide the best solutions to keep air pathways clean and to acceptable standards.”

One of Gil-Bar’s preferred recommendations for enhancing indoor air quality is the HealthWay Disinfecting Filtration System (DFS) The HealthWay DFS has been in use by the New York City Department of Education, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center and many surrounding areas during this pandemic. These plug-and-play, portable, high-efficiency filtration machines are locally stocked and available immediately. The filtration machines can also be integrated into an existing air duct system.

We started working with the HealthWay family of brands before COVID, about a year-and-a-half ago, as we were continuing everything we were working on, bringing better innovative products to the marketplace. It’s a very efficient way to clean the air with HEPA-type filtration, in an energy efficient manner. Also, we wanted to bring portable air cleaners to the marketplace, increase air changes per hour, and add contaminant “capture and kill” technology, including capture of .03 microns with HEPA-type filtration.

Bisaccia said HealthWay has a scalable line of solutions for almost any indoor environment, from a small bedroom to a large building.

“Their technology is individually and independently tested to provide the highest level of particulate efficiency with the lowest pressure drop of any system we have tested or seen in the industry, making it adaptable to almost any application in our market. The technology not only captures the smallest ultrafine particles, but also eliminates the likelihood of microbial growth in the filter and has been tested to all safety standards,” Bisaccia explained.

HealthWay first began offering IAQ products in 1981, with electrostatic attraction. Subsequent offerings included HEPA/ULPA filters, UV, air exchange, electrically-enhanced mechanical filters, and a photocatalytic product.

The HealthWay DFS uses patented technology developed through a United States Military Grant combating germ warfare. The technology is individually tested to guarantee better than HEPA efficiency, capturing 99.99% of all particles down to .007 micron in size. DFS also prevents microbial growth inside the filter through microbial inhibition, according to HealthWay.

Gil-Bar has installed thousands of HealthWay DFS units.

“We’ve installed it in every major market sector, from healthcare, to financial locations, commercial spaces, residential applications, vaccination centers, restaurants and classrooms, as an in-line ductwork solutions or portable unit.”

Bisaccia said the inline installation uses the same technology as the portable units and can be modified to be installed in an air handler. The team also employs other more traditional methods, such as UV-C and HEPA filtration.

“We typically bring options to our client base, so they can look at it from an engineering perspective and understand what the best solution is, to complement the existing system. Much of the time it will be a combination of different types of systems. When you’re looking at a commercial space, it’s important to understand what options are available, and how to use them in a cost-effective manner, without compromising energy efficiency, and making sure you understand what you’re trying to accomplish, based on the way you use your space, to make sure you get the proper filtration, and the end-user gets the results they’re looking for.”

See the story in its original format and read more from Contracting Business here!

Gil-Bar in the News: “Modernized HVAC Systems Have Key Role in New York City”

The following article first appeared in New York Real Estate Journal on March 23, 2021.

New energy-efficiency requirements mandated by NYC in Local Law 97, part of the Climate Modernization Act, amount to some of the most sweeping sustainability measures passed by any city globally. Commercial properties spanning more than 25,000 s/f will see their carbon emissions caps tighten starting in 2024 and must achieve a 40% reduction to their carbon footprints by 2030, based on a 2005 emission data baseline. By 2050, the city is targeting an 80% reduction for commercial buildings. In November, the city amended the law to include buildings with rent-regulated units, which were originally exempt. As it stands, Local Law 97 will affect 50,000 buildings in NYC.

The progress of NYC’s landlords in meeting the 40% reductions required by 2030 target is not uniform. Closer to reaching the new 2024 caps are larger, institutional level landlords–they can more easily access the capital needed to begin retrofitting older buildings with advanced, energy-efficient systems and incorporate energy-efficient infrastructure into their new projects. But the majority of Manhattan’s commercial landlords do not operate at an institutional scale and the majority of its buildings are at least 30 years old. As emissions caps tighten, significantly more capital improvements will be needed for the vast array of Manhattan commercial buildings. The Urban Green Council has forecast that by 2030, the energy retrofit market opportunity in NYC will range from $16.6 and $24.3 billion. (In comparison, about $235 million was spent on energy-saving building improvements in 2018.) Right now across the city, owners of commercial real estate are consulting with HVAC, engineering and efficiency experts to understand and roll out the types of retrofitting they will need.

To really make a dent in their carbon footprints, landlords will need to assess and upgrade their HVAC systems. Engineering research has shown that installing energy-efficient systems can have a significant impact on the carbon-emissions performance of older buildings. The heating and cooling of a building is one of the biggest contributors to its carbon footprint; traditional HVAC systems can account for about half of a building’s energy use.

A number of new HVAC systems and technologies are available to building owners to help reduce energy consumption. These efficiency systems utilize less power load thanks to advances in materials, engineering technology and installation procedures. For example, dedicated outdoor air systems are a type of HVAC that can dehumidify air, improve indoor air quality and reduce energy load by venting outdoor air separately. Passive and active chilled beam systems for ceilings are another HVAC option for reducing energy output and thus, building emissions. Sophisticated HVAC options are complex enough to create microenvironments within buildings that can be independently controlled by occupants. Besides being energy efficient, a variable flow HVAC system runs more quietly and offers fine-tuned environmental control with multiple heating and cooling zones.

Working closely with an HVAC specialist is essential to the equation of balancing new energy-efficiency requirements within a commercial building’s envelope. Through the scope of projects, HVAC specialists coordinate with manufacturers on a continuing basis and can leverage these relationships to the benefit of landlords making decisions on retrofits or new installations. Because manufacturers know their products inside and out, they are valuable partners working in concert with HVAC specialists to decide which systems will produce optimal efficiency results for their properties. Landlords should regard the guidance gained from HVAC specialists as essential to solving the puzzle of Local Law 97 compliance.

HVAC systems are far from blanket solutions. Every commercial building in the city has unique characteristics of age, building material and existing infrastructure, and bringing in the right expertise is crucial to ensuring a building is optimized for a reduced footprint. These proactive measures will ultimately help owners avoid penalties and even realize facility management savings in the long run.

See the article in its original form and read more from New York Real Estate Journal here!