AHR Expo 2024

The AHR Expo brings together manufacturers & suppliers of all sizes & specialties to share ideas and showcase the future of HVACR technology. It’s the industry’s best place for OEMs, engineers, contractors, facility operators, architects, educators, and other professionals to experience everything new in HVACR and build the vital relationships that grow businesses and careers. The AHR Expo is co-sponsored by ASHRAE and AHRI and is held concurrently with ASHRAE’s Winter Conference.

LonMark International will be hosting a day of free education sessions on Tuesday, Jan. 23rd. Topics to include:

8:00am – 8:45am  Revolutionary Energy Management: Rethinking the Paradigm

Imagine a world where energy management systems defy conventional wisdom and bring about remarkable results. The prevailing notion of reducing energy consumption by optimizing HVAC and lighting efficiency is being challenged. We’ve been approaching it all wrong!

Traditionally, the focus has been on making energy-consuming devices more efficient or using them for shorter durations. While this approach has its merits, it fails to address a crucial aspect—the thermal dynamics of buildings. It’s time to shift our perspective and embrace a truly groundbreaking strategy.

Consider this: lowering the temperature of the air by 1°C is relatively straightforward compared to cooling down the furniture, flooring, walls, and other building materials. These elements possess significant thermal mass that requires substantial energy to affect. It’s time to unlock the full potential of the building itself as an energy reservoir—a thermal battery waiting to be harnessed.

– Tracy Markie, Chairman of LonMark International

9:15am – 10:00am  Leveraging AI to Revolutionize Microprocessor-Based

Dive into the transformative power of AI in control applications.  There are limitations in traditional control methods and the need for more advanced and adaptable techniques. Delve in the rise of AI in control systems, introducing machine learning, deep learning, and reinforcement of learning techniques.  Highlighting the benefits of AI in microprocessor-based controller, exploration into how AI enhances performance, adaptability, and learning capabilities while handling complex systems.  A case study is showcased demonstrating the successful implementation of AI in control applications and the resulting performance improvements and cost savings.  Challenges and considerations related to data availability, computational resources, and interpretability.  Future direction and opportunities for AI-driven control systems are reviewed.

– David Kniepkamp, Smart Controls

10:30pm – 11:15pm  Meeting New NEC Requirements for Wall-Mounted Switches in Building Control Networks

Learn how to meet the new NFPA 70 National Electrical Code (NEC) Section 210.70 requirements for wall-mounted switches in existing LON and BACnet building networks.  This session will summarize the new NEC requirements and will describe how to meet them using LonMark web services to integrate wall mounted switches meeting the new NEC requirements with existing LON and BACnet devices as well as BACnet workstations.

-Rich Blomseth, EnOcean

1:30pm – 2:30pm  Building Automation Adapts to the Smart Grid  

In this session, the audience will hear about the latest Smart Grid regulations, which include specific guidance for heat pump water heaters. Increased usage of renewables, stricter carbon limitations, and new electricity consumers like electric vehicle chargers amongst other things require more flexibility on the demand side. Appliances have been a target for several years but no harmonized implementation models have been developed. This session will review some of the standards that have recently been put in place including a deep dive into EcoPort the brand name for hot water heaters and other grid-connected appliances that are compliant with the ATSC/CTA-2045 standard. All new water heaters are required to be CTA-2045 compliant in Washington and Oregon starting in 2023, and the California PUC also requires the standard among its Heat Pump Water Heater program requirements. We will discuss the importance of grid connectivity for water heaters and other appliances, and provide updates on utility pilots that are using the EcoPort technology.

-Rolf Bienert, LonMark International