Better Building Systems

Welcome to the Better Building Systems Podcast with the Building Hotrodders. In this episode we bring on special guests Joe and Mike with RP Fedder to help discuss Cleanrooms and the Cleanroom design process along with the Building Hotrodders Clay, Mark, and Nick. If you are new to cleanrooms, they are critical environments that control the quantity of airborne particles within the space to serve...

Welcome back to the Better Building Systems Podcast with the Building Hotrodders! In this episode the Hotrodders bring back Steam expert Chase to continue the steam discussion, specifically on Steam, Energy Conservation at Point of Production. This discussion revolves around steam boilers and Energy Conservation Measures to help make the Boilers as efficient as possible. Throughout the episode we...

Welcome back to the Better Building Systems podcast with the Building Hotrodders. In this episode we discuss How Might AI Tools Improve the Work of Small to Medium Sized Engineers, Consultants, Contractors, and Subject Matter Experts? The Building Hotrodders start off the discussion covering different types of AI (Weak AI, Strong AI, and Super AI) and how it is currently applied in todays society...

Welcome back to the Better Building Systems podcast with the Building Hotrodders. In this episode we discuss Steam, anybody making it anymore? You bet! For this episode we bring on steam expert Chase with Steam Management Inc. to help the Building Hotrodders discuss current uses of steam, how its made, and the future of steam. Steam is currently plays a very large role in commercial and industrial...

Welcome back to the Better Building Systems podcast with the Building Hotrodders. In this episode we discuss the possible heartbreak of an electrified nation. What do we mean by this? With the recent push for electrification of our heating, cooking, transportation, and more there are inherent risks and challenges that the Building Hotrodders discuss. Two large examples are grid capacity and grid s...

Welcome back to the Better Building Systems podcast with the Building Hotrodders. In this episode we discuss The 4 Cardinal Virtues and how they apply to Energy Management. The cardinal virtues are four virtues of mind and character in both classical philosophy and Christian theology. They are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance which form a virtue theory of ethics. The 4 Cardinal Virtues...

Welcome back to the Better Building Systems podcast with the Building Hotrodders. In this episode we discuss Heat Pumps for HVAC. Many people may think Heat Pumps are new green technology but in fact have been around for a very long time. The Heat Pump was invented in 1856 but did not become "popular" until the 1970's. With todays very high COP (coefficient of performance) Heat Pumps and push for...

Welcome back to the Better Building Systems podcast. In todays episode the Building Hotrodders Clay, Nick, and Mark take a dive into the "green agenda" and provide our opinions on what we believe is currently the most important aspect of the green agenda and why we feel energy and resource conservation should be at the top. Throughout the episode, the Building Hotrodders discuss various examples o...

Welcome to the Better Building Systems Podcast with the Building Hotordders. In this weeks episode we bring on a special guest Pat Kyne from LotusWorks to discuss the cleanroom HVAC commissioning process. Cleanroom HVAC commissioning requires precision, thoroughness, and patience as the areas this HVAC equipment serves are very high performing, low tolerance facilities with very stringent temperat...

Welcome to the Better Building Systems Podcast with the Building Hotordders. In this weeks episode we discuss Electric Vehicles. There are many aspects to this discussion as Electric Vehicles and their implementation is highly dependent on electric production and distribution. The Building Hotordders brought on a special guest to help discuss the pro's and con's of EV's and breakdown the challenge...

Welcome back to the Better Building Systems podcast! In this weeks episode the Building Hotrodders cover VRF (Variable Refrigerant Flow) HVAC systems in detail. With a recent push to electrify HVAC systems we felt it was a great time to bring this discussion to the podcast. We outline the two different types of VRF (2 pipe and 3 pipe) and breakdown the pro's and con's of this technology. Our resid...

Welcome to the Better Building Systems throwback series. In this episode we are recovering another great past podcast episode from the archives to bring to you! This episode is originally from our Building Management Systems podcast. We discuss the importance of proper control loop tuning. We discuss the three different closed control loops P (proportional), PI (proportional and integral), and PID...

Welcome to the Better Building Systems throwback series. In this episode we are recovering a great past podcast episode from the archives to bring to you! This episode is originally from our Building Management Systems podcast. We cover the physics behind mechanical refrigeration and cover the positives and negatives of all different types of chillers utilized in industry (Centrifugal, Screw, Reci...

In this podcast episode the Building Hotrodders take a dive into a very complex topic, Renewable Energy. We start off by defining what we consider to be "renewable" vs "sustainable" energy sources which was very thought provoking. After defining what was considered renewable vs sustainable energy, the Building Hotrodders began to assess the various renewable energy sources such as Wind, Solar, and...

In this podcast episode the Building Hotrodders take a dive into some unthinkable ways to save time and increase productivity. We review 5 possible ways presented in a recent article, give our thoughts and opinions on them, and provide our own insight into the subject. Tune in to hear our thoughts and let us know what you think in the comments! For more information on us check out our webpages: ht...

In this podcast episode the Building Hotrodders take a dive into the question "Has Mediocrity increased in todays society and professional world?" We try our best to answer this complex question and in doing so cover what we believe Mediocrity is, what it may stem from, and some rules to live by to not be Mediocre. We even jump into the time machine to review some very challenging questions from a...

Welcome back to the Building Hotrodder's podcast! We are opening Season 2 by discussing what it means to hotrod a building. We discuss the origin of our podcasts name, take a dive into what hot-rodding really is, and how the roots of hot-rodding come into play with todays facilities. This is a very long overdue discussion that we are excited to have with our listeners. Some key takeaways from the...

In this weeks episode the Building Hotrodders Nick, Jim, Mark, and Clayton discuss the Engineering Quandary. What exactly is this? We believe the Engineering Quandary is how much practical knowledge is needed before one becomes an Engineer. We start with what we consider practical knowledge to be in our industry, discuss some of our own thoughts/experiences, and try to boil down this complicated t...

Welcome to the Better Building Systems podcast! In today’s episode we will be discussing the importance (or not) of increased filtration/ventilation/disinfection of supply air in facilities as we re-open in 2021. As you all know, COVID-19 has caused some substantial changes in 2021. In the building world, there is increased visibility in OA intake, filtration, and disinfection in our buildings HVA...

In this weeks episode the Building Hotrodders talk about the importance of getting small. What does that mean you may ask......to the Building Hotrodders, getting small means multiple things. Overall, to have the ability to get small means you can take the tour from the boiler room to the board room. It also means an individual or a team can break down complicated calculations/tasks to clearly ide...

In this episode the Building Hotrodders discuss some of the biggest mistakes being made in todays facilities and some technologies to avoid. We cover the application of bad technologies, misapplication of good technologies, and bad technology overall. As always, this was a very interesting discussion and our industry experts provided great insight. Are you applying good technology incorrectly? Tun...

In this weeks episode the Building Hotrodders change gears and discuss our top 6 best business practices. On the list is: Answer the phone Be brief Be right Be on time Be nice Don't plan too much Tune in to hear our reasoning behind these best business practices. You might be surprised on our reasons behind some of these! For more information on us check out our webpages: https://www.vsenergy.us/...

In this weeks episode the Building Hotrodders discuss emerging technology in the commercial/industrial HVAC industry. We cover different applications of VFD's, discuss magnetic bearing chillers, ground source heat pumps, and new networking technology to allow for easier communication and programming of equipment. A lot of the technology we discuss in this episode has actually been around for many...

What if your Building Management System had feelings, could rationalize thoughts, and learn from mistakes...... you would probably think we were talking about the person behind the computer. Well in this weeks episode the Building Hotrodders take a look at Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how this technology may be applied into todays Building Management Systems giving the computer (BMS) human lik...

In this weeks episode the Building Hotrodders discuss the importance of attention to detail. This discussion is applicable in every aspect of our industry. For this episode we brought on a special guest to discuss the importance of attention to detail in the first stages of any building, the sitework. We discuss how attention to detail can make a good project great, and why the lack of attention t...