Meeting Announcement

2015-16 ASHRAE Year Begins Aug. 18 at Rock Bottom Brewery

The Illinois Chapter is kicking off the 2015-16 year on Tuesday, August 18. That’s when members and friends will gather at the Rock Bottom Brewery, located on the southwest corner of Grand Ave. & State St. on Chicago’s near north side. This is not our typical monthly meeting with a formal education seminar, but if you come you will learn about many engineering topics that are planned for the coming year. You’ll not only meet and hear from new Chapter President Roland Schleicher but also his fellow officers and committee chairs. Each leader will describe our goals and different ways you can get more involved and enhance your ASHRAE experience. 

The Kickoff Meeting is primarily about having fun and networking with your professional peers. So expect to have a good time also while enjoying Rock Bottom’s homemade brews and delicious food. We are not only interested in seeing Illinois Chapter regulars at the meeting but also new faces. Bring a guest and get your reservation in soon. August 18 will be a fun night you won’t want to miss!

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Upcoming Special Event

ASHRAE Golf Outing Is Set for Sept. 24 at St. Andrews Courses

The Illinois Chapter’s Annual Golf Outing returns to St. Andrews Golf Club in West Chicago at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday,
September 24. Event chairman Patrick Krause has been busy with arrangements and has said that everything has been set up to fill both 18-hole courses with ASHRAE golfers. We hope that you and your friends and associates will be among everyone under the sun and hitting the little white ball down the middle of the fairway straight to the cup! This late summer classic offers everyone one more day outdoors to enjoy a little more of the year’s best weather. So don’t miss out on all the day’s fun on the course and afterward in the clubhouse. As always, there will be competitions at several holes, and lots of valuable raffle prizes will be given away at the barbecue buffet dinner afterwards. Visit the Illinois Chapter website for full details and to purchase foursomes, corporate sponsorship plans and morning tailgate space.

2015 Technology Awards Program Officially Underway: Be a Winner!

What kind of design projects have you been involved in this year? The Illinois Chapter would like to know all about one or more of these. Share their details through the Illinois Chapter’s Excellence in Engineering Awards program. Our 2015 technology awards competition is underway, and we are looking for all types of HVAC&R design solutions that are worthy of recognition and special honor. It’s easy to enter your project in this year’s competition. Full details and an entry form may be obtained online. The deadline for entries is Oct. 9, 2015. Winners will be honored at an Awards presentation ceremony to take place on Tuesday, Dec. 8. Winners will be recognized also in the chapter newsletter and website. Over the years several past winning projects have gone on to compete and take honors in similar competitions taking place at the Region VI and Society levels of ASHRAE. Click here for more details and start thinking about which projects your design firm deserves special recognition.

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Calendar of Events

Here are education program topics the chapter aims to provide through our monthly dinner meetings and other ASHRAE events in 2015-16. Mark your calendar now and visit www.illinoisashrae.org for full descriptions of these programs as the dates draw nearer.

Sept. 8 — Energy Benchmarking: Design & Code Changes
Sept. 24 — Annual Golf Outing
Oct. 13 — VRF vs. Heat Pumps
Nov. 10 — Energy Modeling Theory vs. Reality
Dec. 8 — Annual Technology Awards Reception
Jan. 12 — Refrigeration
Jan. 23-27 — 2016 ASHRAE Winter Conference (Orlando, FL)
Feb. 2 — Colocation Data Center Design
March 20 — YEA Spring Conference: Equipment Sizing & Design 101
April 12 — ASHRAE Standard 90.1 Update
May 10 — How to Make Integrated Project Delivery "Work"
June 14 — Water Quality and Treatment

Reasons to Become a Sponsor and HVAC/R BACKER

Besides bright, hard working volunteers the Illinois Chapter depends on the support of members’ companies to keep ASHRAE working for everyone. Our many sponsors support our efforts and events — education and social programs, scholarships and important ASHRAE Research — throughout the year. Why should your company get involved as an HVAC/R BACKER? For one, you will help fund ongoing efforts aimed at advancing tomorrow’s HVAC&R engineers and technology. As a corporate sponsor your company will receive valuable exposure and special recognition at upcoming events, on the Chapter website throughout the year, and in communications received by members of ASHRAE’s largest chapter. Varied levels of support are available and described online at www.illinoisashrae.org.

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Other News

YEA Hosts Wrigley Rooftop Cubs Game

(From left) Dan Hosko and Julia Fredian, The Hill Group; Frank Moccio, Primeria Engineers Inc.; and JR Mungo, Temperature Equipment Corp, enjoy the view and the atmosphere inside the Brixen Ivory rooftop deck alongside Wrigley Field for the June 12 Cubs game.

This summer a group of ASHRAE people met on a popular north side rooftop, but this time they didn’t come to view anyone’s air handler. On Friday, June 12, YEA hosted a game watch at Brixen Ivy, a Wrigley Field Rooftop, to see the Chicago Cubs take on the Cincinnati Reds. Despite the unusually cold and drizzly day, 40 people attended enjoying the baseball game with a side of networking and Chicago-style hot dogs. The social outing was made possible by a generous sponsorship from Temperature Equipment Corp. (TEC) and Honeywell, and was very well-received by all who came. Due to the high demand for advance tickets — the event sold out way before the game date — YEA will likely host another year-end baseball game at Wrigley Field next year, with plans to expand the event. (Thanks to Mallory Schaus for sharing this story and photos.)

[Editor’s Note: While the Cubs came up a little short against the Cincinnati Reds (5-4) on the field, up in the Wrigley Rooftop there was plenty of fun — and plenty of time for it with an extended rain delay.] 

MCA Engineers Lunch to Cover VRF Basics

The Mechanical Contractors Association (MCA) of Chicago is hosting another in its series of Engineers Lunches on Friday, Sept. 4, 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m., at Harry Caray’s on Kinzie. The lunch includes a seminar on “VRF Energy Usage, Standards and Codes.” The presentation by Ryan Hoger, director of corporate training for TEC, will begin with a refresher on VRF basics and include a discussion of AHRI Standard 1230 rating system for VRF, ASHRAE 90.1 energy standard compliance, and practical tips for ASHRAE 15 refrigerant safety compliance. There is no cost for the lunch or the seminar at this MCA complimentary program. Reservations are limited. Register online at www.mca.org or email Laurie Leonard at [email protected].

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ASHRAE Society Update

ASHRAE Virtual Conferences Now Provide PDHs

Looking to gain a competitive edge in today’s market? Want to learn more about current practices, case studies and hot topics? And gain valuable PDHs while learning on your own? Look no further than your desktop thanks to ASHRAE’s Virtual Conference series. ASHRAE is offering a virtual conference option so you won't miss the state-of-the-art concepts and latest design techniques presented in the Society's technical program. The Virtual Conference includes access to all seminar, technical paper and conference paper presentations and most special sessions through synced audio and PowerPoint presentations. Virtual Conference access is FREE for 2015 Annual Conference attendees who purchased a full Conference registration. For additional information and to download a sample seminar for free.

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Worth Noting

Chicago Archdiocese to Benchmark Its Buildings for Energy Efficiency

Chicago Roman Catholic Archbishop Blase Cupich has set a goal of benchmarking all 2,700 buildings in the Archdiocese of Chicago to ensure that they are as energy efficient as possible. Churches, schools and other buildings will be evaluated for their water use, energy efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions. Data will be tracked using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager software tool of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is believed that Chicago archdiocese is the first to commit to a benchmarking program. (From HVAC&R Industry for July)

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Welcome New Members

Congratulations to the following individuals who recently became 
ASHRAE members, and welcome to the Illinois Chapter:

Associates
Ken Anno
Maria Behrens
M. Docter
Julia Fredian
William Hartman
Taylor Heinzmann
William Krafcheck
Krystyna Kwak
Ross Larson
Owen Meyer
Paul Petticrew
Michael Scaletta
Steven Schwalbert
Sandeep Vadivel
Thomas Walsh
Mir Zakaria

Members
Matt Absolon
William Bauer
Amjad Habib
Charles Heavener
Morris Ogunleye
Rob Olden
Jeff Picchiottino
Douglas Roslin
David Underwood

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