ASI Solutions >> Sustainable Building • Allentown, PA • Charleston, WV • Los Angeles, CA • Seaside, CA

Sustainable Building Technologies and Practices

Sustainable building automation and control practices have evolved greatly over the last 20 years. The introduction of direct digital controllers and supporting software enabled HVAC control systems to automatically optimize energy use based on occupancy, zone settings, peak demand pricing, and other cost and performance factors. Opportunities for further improvements from HVAC control systems are readily available.

On this page we highlight organizations offering certifications, assistance and reference materials, and will also be sharing success stories where ASI Controls products control the HVAC/R system in buildings recognized for leadership in energy efficiency and sustainability.

Organizations that recognize and promote advances in sustainable construction and building operation include:

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™
US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Energy Star program
American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
High Performance Commercial Building Systems (HPCBS) Initiative

The USGBC LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. You can read a brief overview of the LEED system here, or visit USGBC LEED website for full details.

ACEEE's 2004 update of their research series assessing Technologies & Practices in the Buildings Sector (publication A042) is a useful reference for products, processes and strategies to increase energy efficiency in both new and retrofit building projects.

The High Performance Commercial Building Systems (HPCBS) is a joint initiative by US Dept. of Energy Lawrence Berkeley Labs, California Energy Commission and others. Source for reference material, research, and many links.

ASI Controls Sustainable Building Success Stories

» ASI authorized resellers Digital Control Solutions, Inc. of Gilroy, CA and N-Control, Inc. of Chicago, IL collaborated on the design and installation of a digital control system that helps Chartwell School achieve a USGBC LEED-NC Platinum rating. The Chartwell School is located in Seaside, CA.

"Due to daylighting and controls, energy use was reduced by about 50%..."

EHDD Architects - Chartwell School presentation

Full story ...

» ASI Authorized reseller Rigney Digital Systems in Charleston, WV designed and installed the HVAC control system for the new West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection headquarters building, the first LEED certified Green Building in West Virginia.

"The Agency is earning the most LEED points in the energy and atmosphere category.... The building runs off minimum energy... Our electric and gas costs are expected to go down 40 percent"

WV-DEP InDEPth newsletter, January, 2005 edition, p. 7.

Full story ...

» ASI authorized reseller Dual Temp of Allentown, PA configured and deployed a complete HVAC control system for Keystone Nazareth Bank and Trust's 5,000 square foot location in the Plaza at PPL Center building in Allentown, PA.

ASHRAE Standard 62 and LEED requirements combined presented new design and configuration challenges... We do the Standard 62 CO2 calculations directly on the ASIC/2-7040 unitary controller, without needing a supervisory controller.

Full story ...

We hope to offer insight into issues particular to the Green Building certification process. The ASI Controls partners who configured and installed the HVAC systems have had a positive experience with the LEED process. The resellers are now positioned to leverage their experience in submitting new bids on Green Building projects, and to share this knowledge with the ASI network of authorized resellers and integrators.

As one of our authorized resellers puts it, “Our projections for incremental time and cost on the LEED project were not quite right, but now that we’ve done it we know what to expect next time."

ASI Controls continues to support our authorized partner network as they accumulate more knowledge and experience in the LEED Green Building certification process, and in the areas of sustainable construction and facility management/control. We plan to share more success stories here in the future .