Where to put building capital? Seen vs the Unseen

John BraceyEnergy Services, HVACLeave a Comment

When an HVAC system needs significant investment to continue to function reliably, there are often two opposite reactions.  The building engineer and property manager see an opportunity for less maintenance, higher efficiency, and generally smoother operations.   Conversely, an asset manager thinks of all the other things that capital could be used for to improve the value of the investment.  Is … Read More

Twisted Problem Solving

Ricky LehnerEnergy ServicesLeave a Comment

When a system malfunctions, somebody needs to fix it. The systems we deal with at McKenney’s often have thousands of variables with one, or ten, of those variables being the issue. So how do you solve a random problem when everything is all twisted together? The following is a description of the steps we used to solve a recent problem.

Helping Building Owners Comply with Atlanta’s Energy Efficiency Ordinance

Andrea LaMontEnergy Services, NewsLeave a Comment

With the recent implementation of its Energy Efficiency Ordinance, Atlanta has become the first city in the Southeast to adopt a comprehensive policy to significantly reduce energy use in commercial buildings. McKenney’s, Inc., the Southeast’s most trusted name in facility construction, operation and maintenance, is working closely with building owners and operators to help them meet the new standards set … Read More

Condenser Water Temperature: “What is your strategy?”

Matt NormanEnergy ServicesLeave a Comment

We are in the midst of summer here in Atlanta and our air conditioning systems are working hard to keep us comfortable.  Operating a chilled water system in larger facilities can be a challenging thing.  Understanding what your largest energy consumer in your system wants can be the key to operating these systems as efficiently as possible.  As is the … Read More

Would You Buy This?

Matt NormanEnergy ServicesLeave a Comment

What are owners and operators truly buying when they buy building systems? Have these purchases become too complicated? For many building systems, just as in all of our world today, the technology is evolving quickly and this makes what used to be a relatively straightforward “apples to apples” comparison nearly impossible. Could our industry (HVAC) make buying decisions different and … Read More

The (Dis)connection between Construction and Operations

Matt NormanEnergy ServicesLeave a Comment

When considering options for HVAC systems for a large commercial or industrial facility, which option is better … saving 20% on design & construction costs or saving 10% annually on operating & maintenance costs over the expected life of the installed system and associated equipment? Instead of answering this question let’s consider another first, “Do construction and operation teams make … Read More