ASPE NEWS

NEW! Companies Needed to Participate in Internship Program

In collaboration with ASPE, the University of Wisconsin-Madison is offering a Fluid Systems Engineering program, which emphasizes the role engineering concepts play in the design of domestic plumbing and process piping systems. The goal of the program is to produce engineering graduates fully versed in the fundamentals of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and fluid dynamics.

Incorporated into this engineering option is a cooperative work program for students. The cooperative program is intended to further enhance the lessons and concepts learned in the classroom. The University of Wisconsin-Madison and ASPE need plumbing industry companies to participate in a summer internship program for these Fluid Systems Engineering students and possibility students enrolled in civil and mechanical engineering. Students available for the internships will have sophomore- or junior-level standing when entering the summer session. To participate, please contact Cliff Reis at creis@aspe.org by January 16. Your information will be forwarded to the UW program administrator. To best suit the needs of each company and student, an interviewing process will match students with a company.

NEW! Virginia-area LEED Training Course Being Held Feb. 27

In conjunction with IES and Sustainable Design Consulting, ASPE’s Richmond Chapter is holding this day-long course to increase participants’ knowledge of green design and help prepare them to take the LEED accreditation exam. Cost is $150. Space is limited, and participants must RSVP by Feb. 13. Click herefor a registration form or contact Rob Grubbs at rgrubbs@hepc.com for more information.

LAST CHANCE! Take Advantage of Early-bird Special for Next ASPE Webinar

ASPE members who register before Jan. 9 receive a $10 discount! The first ASPE webinar in the 2009 series on grease interceptors will be held February 11 at 2 p.m. EST. Rand Ackroyd, executive director of the Plumbing and Drainage Institute, will discuss why more stringent enforcement on FOG discharge is needed, EPA and Clean Water Act guidelines, principles of operation, basic design, sizing, and installation tips, and the truth about common myths regarding grease interceptors. Cost is $69.95 for ASPE members and $129.95 for nonmembers. Click here to register today.

UPDATED! 2008 Convention Program Materials Are Available

Did you miss one of the educational sessions at the 2008 ASPE Convention in Long Beach? Were you not able to collect all the program materials? Available now in the ASPE Store online is the Anthology of the 2008 Convention Technical Presentation Program Materials. Act now to take advantage of this special offer: $35 for ASPE members and $135 for non-members when using this coupon code: Cov200812. Click here to order. Also available for purchase in the ASPE Store is the audio CD from each educational session.

ASPE Wants You!

Share your knowledge and expertise at the 2009 ASPE Technical Symposium, Oct. 23–25, 2009, in Dearborn, Michigan. ASPE currently is accepting proposals for educational sessions. Proposals should include a 300-word description of the proposed nonproprietary seminar or workshop, including how the program will enhance the skills of the attendees, what practical or professional skills will be augmented and strengthened, and how attendees and their employers will benefit directly. Include a one-page biography as well. Send proposals to Education Manager Cliff Reis at creis@aspe.org.  

Omaha Holiday Party Being Held Jan. 24

ASPE's Omaha Chapter's annual Holiday Party will be Saturday, Jan. 24, at Sortinos on 78th & L in Omaha, from 8 to 10 p.m., followed by bowling at Mockingbird Lanes on 96th Street promptly at 10 p.m. Contact Mike Gregory at 402-346-7007 or Dave McGill at 402-330-5900 for reservations and details.

Alfred Steele Scholarship Deadline Is January 31

The ASPE Alfred Steele Scholarship is limited to ASPE members and their immediate families. Applicants must be a full-time student in college, university, or technical school; have maintained a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent; plan to attend a college, university, or technical school on a full-time basis as of the fall or summer semester of 2009; and be enrolled in a school or program of engineering. Or, applicants can be a high school student who graduates as of June 2009; has maintained a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or its equivalent; has been officially accepted by and plans to matriculate into a college, university, or technical school on a full-time basis; and be enrolled in a school or program of engineering. Download forms at www.aspe.org and submit upon completion to Stacey Kidd at skidd@aspe.org or mail to the address listed on the application.

INDUSTRY NEWS

ICC-ES Expands Service to Include WaterSense Products

ICC Evaluation Service has expanded its Plumbing, Mechanical, and Fuel Gas listing service to include WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Project Agency that identifies water-efficient, high-performing products. The ICC-ES PMG listing service is licensed by EPA to certify products that meet its water-efficiency and performance criteria.

2009 ICC Codes Available in March

New features in the 2009 International Plumbing Code include the provision that establishments with occupant loads of 15 or fewer are no longer required to provide drinking fountains; a mandate to leak-test site-built shower pans ensure assure watertight installation to help prevent costly future repairs; and a method for calculating the number of plumbing fixtures will prevent a shortage of fixtures in business occupancies. New elements in the 2009 International Fuel Gas Code include new bonding requirements for CSST piping systems to reduce the chance of damage from lightning; revisions to address the problem created by appliance/hood interlock arrangements that shut off the gas supply to appliances equipped with standing pilot ignition systems; and a new code section requiring all vents that penetrate an exterior wall to be permanently sealed around the penetration to prevent the entry of combustion products.

California Adopts Plan to Cut Emissions

The California Air Resources Board recently approved a plan to reduce the state's greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. The plan is built on the principle that a balanced mix of strategies is the best way to cut emissions by approximately 30 percent and grow the economy in a clean and sustainable direction. An important component of the plan is a cap-and-trade program covering 85 percent of the state's emissions. This program will be developed in conjunction with the Western Climate Initiative, comprised of seven states and four Canadian provinces that have committed to cap their emissions and create a regional carbon market. Additional key recommendations of the plan include strategies to enhance and expand proven cost-saving energy-efficiency programs; implementation of California's clean cars standards; increases in the amount of clean and renewable energy used to power the state; and implementation of a low-carbon fuel standard that will make the fuels used in the state cleaner.

Requirements to Standard 90.1 Proposed and Open for Public Comment

Changes to the purpose and scope of ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1 as well as new lighting requirements are being proposed through public review. ANSI/ASHRAE/IESNA Standard 90.1-2007: Energy Standard for Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings provides minimum requirements for the energy-efficient design of buildings except low-rise residential buildings. One proposed addenda addresses applications not covered in the existing standard scope, such as requirements for laboratories, data center cooling, and kitchen exhausts. It would also permit the 90.1 committee to address technologies, such as computer equipment and refrigerated casework, and would extend existing requirements for envelope, space cooling and lighting to a larger group of spaces where energy is consumed. The addendum also incorporates utilization of on-site, renewable energy resources.