The Consulting-Specifying Engineer Podcast

Data centers have several design constraints and challenges, including airflow and liquid cooling. How can engineers address this HVAC topic? Listen for insights on selecting a system for a data center’s design, heat recovery, energy efficiency and future trends. In this episode, meet Dan Gentry, Applications Engineer, and Sarah Hilden, Applications Engineer, at Trane Commercial North America.  Ch...

When working through an HVAC project, understanding risk management cannot be underestimated. Learn more about how to equip your engineering team from Cindy Cogil, PE, FASHRAE, Vice President | Mechanical Engineer, Mechanical Practice Leader – Midwest/East, SmithGroup, .

Mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems must all be considered when doing an assisted living facility conversion. In this conversation with Brian Evan, PE, and Sitha Chhum, PE, from Wold Architects & Engineers, understand the trends, engineering requirements and technical factors to address. 

Cyber-informed engineering, operational technology (OT) security and information technology (IT) cybersecurity should be part of every mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) design. Listen to Adam Brody, EIT, Electrical IB from Cannon Design, St Louis, discuss how this affects electrical engineering.  Chapters (00:00:03) - Cyber Informed Engineering (00:00:58) - How is Cyber Informed Engineerin...

Drives can have an appreciable impact on energy performance, along with making mission critical facilities more reliable. Listen to Erik Lange, Product Manager – HVAC, Yaskawa, Franklin, Wisconsin, to learn more. Chapters (00:00:00) - CSE Podcast: No Pressure (00:00:33) - What are Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) and Do (00:02:55) - Best Practices for Drive Reliability in Mission Critical Faciliti...

Guest: Melisa Rodriguez, PE, NICET Level IV, Johnson Controls Inc., Eagan, Minnesota Cold storage fire protection is a challenging feat for any fire protection engineer. Melisa Rodriguez from Johnson Controls Inc. breaks down the details of this fire suppression topic. Chapters (00:00:00) - Cold Storage Fire Protection (00:00:26) - Fire Protection Engineer Melissa Rodriguez (00:01:29) - Fire prote...

Guest: Jeffrey Staub, Danfoss Climate Solutions When designing data centers, understanding whether and how to incorporate heat recovery requires several considerations. Jeff Staub at Danfoss Climate Solutions explains how mechanical engineers might successfully integrate heat recovery. Chapters (00:00:00) - Data Centers Podcast (00:00:40) - Request for heat recovery in data centers (00:03:38) - Ho...

Guest: Robert Knight When explaining integrated building systems to building owners, it’s best to start the conversation with all the right questions. Listen to Robert Knight from Arup as he talks about the benefits of smart buildings that include integrated systems. Chapters (00:00:03) - The Consulting Specifying Engineer Podcast (00:00:24) - How to Talk to a Building Owner About Smart Building S...

Guest: Chris Forth, Vice President Regulatory, Codes & Environmental Affairs, JC Residential and Light Commercial Mechanical engineers should understand the many aspects of putting A2L refrigerants in practice: codes and standards, refrigerant detection systems and supply. In this conversation with Chris Forth from JC Residential and Light Commercial, learn more about the transition to low-glo...

Guest: Hailey Mick Listen as Hailey Mick, engineering business development manager at GF Building Flow Solutions, discusses how water-based applications, such as radiant heating and cooling, hydronic hot-water heating and chilled-water systems. These options can provide a solution for comfort, efficiency, air quality and other indoor environmental quality benefits while helping projects meet sched...

Guest: Taylor Goade, Xylem’s Bell & Gossett Commercial Buildings In-person and online training are a must for younger mechanical engineers. Listen to this episode to learn more about gaining hands-on experience and keeping up-to-date with new HVAC technology. Chapters (00:00:00) - Consulting Specifying Engineer Podcast (00:00:30) - How to Pass Down Field Knowledge to New Engineers (00:03:01) -...

Guests: Kevin Langan and Richard Vedvik Listen to Kevin Langan (a mechanical engineer) and Richard Vedvik (an electrical engineer) discuss how integrated building systems can be designed from the start. Topics like electrification, building automation systems and collaboration are all touched on. Chapters (00:00:03) - Consulting Specifying Engineer Podcast (00:00:53) - Integrated Building Systems...

Guests: Anne Ullestad, LC, LEED AP, Assoc. IALD and Paul Daniel, LC LEED AP, HDR Self-professed lighting nerds Anne Ullestad and from HDR talk about all things lighting, from health care and office buildings to unusual LED and daylighting applications. Chapters (00:00:00) - Consulting Specifying Engineer Podcast (00:01:05) - Integrating Lighting with Architectural Design (00:08:14) - How LED Light...

Guest: Chris Finen, PE, LEED AP, Eaton, Nashville Eaton’s Chris Finen works with young electrical engineers, along with this own new staff to provide them with the practical knowledge needed in power and electrical engineering design. This conversation will give you some tips and tools to help your younger engineers gain practical know-how. Chapters (00:00:03) - Interviewing Chris Finnan (00:00:57...

Guest: Edward W. Powazki, PE, LEED AP, Mechanical Practice Group Lead, Senior Associate, SSOE Group, Toledo, Ohio SSOE Group didn’t want its mechanical engineering team to just survive — it needed to thrive. Learn how the firm structured its various engineering groups, and how mentoring and cross-connections have made it successful. Chapters (00:00:03) - Consulting Specifying Engineer Podcast (00:...

Guest: Casey Crown, Reliable Controls  Women in the HVAC industry face many challenges, all of which continue to evolve. In this conversation, learn the how to take on hiring, retaining and training these younger female engineers and HVAC staff members.  Chapters (00:00:03) - The Role of Women in the H Vac Industry (00:00:27) - The H Vac Industry's Diversity (00:03:12) - The Challenges of HVAC Wom...

Guest: George Hawkinson, Burns & McDonnell  By knowing building analytics and how to correlate the vast amounts of data gathered by mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems, building engineers can help their building clients design and maintain various systems. Chapters (00:00:04) - Data Analysis and visualization for Building Experts (00:01:17) - Big Data in the Building I...

Guest: Josh Dinaburg Product certification standards for energy storage often lag behind changes in technology and safety concerns. Designers must navigate the requirements of product certification while staying on top of research and development testing to meet the changing demands of the industry. Josh Dinaburg, PE who oversees the Fire Testing Lab at CSA Group’s Distributed Energy Resource Lab,...

Guest: Jeffrey Jerwers, Data Center Cooling Subject Matter Expert, Johnson Controls Inc.  Sustainability is a critical factor in data center design. Engineers must now design systems that can optimize energy efficiency without evaporating water. In this conversation, Jeffrey Jerwers from Johnson Controls will discuss the trends driving the need for water conservation and the associated equipment i...

Guest: Mario Perez, PE, Associate Principal and Americas West Life Sciences Leader, Arup, San Francisco What does the lab of the future look like? According to Mario Perez, PE, labs might have robotics, automation and artificial intelligence, all while offering the researcher or scientist a more comfortable place to work. Learn about trends in laboratory design. Chapters (00:00:00) - Consulting Sp...

Guest: Doug Bougher As the HVAC industry prepares for the refrigerant change next year, it's important for specifying engineers to understand how it will impact design decisions and considerations. Doug Bougher, director of applied sales for LG Electronics, joins Consulting-Specifying Engineer to discuss the most important aspects of the refrigerant change. Chapters (00:00:00) - Consulting Specify...

Guest: Enelio Enriquez, Senior Associate, Team Leader, Jordan & Skala Engineers Hot water heating systems in assisted living facilities are complex to design, and require a lot of attention to detail. Learn about balancing and testing these plumbing systems. Enelio Enriquez from Jordan & Skala Engineers joins Consulting-Specifying Engineer in today's episode to discuss this topic. Chapters...

Guest: Aaron Kilburg When designing plumbing systems, engineers need to choose between different valve types and materials. Aaron Kilberg, Commercial Sales Manager for Nibco, joins Consulting-Specifying Engineer to discuss main considerations for material selection of ball valves and butterfly valves in plumbing systems. Chapters (00:00:00) - Material Selection for Plumbing and Mechanical Systems...

Guest: Eddie Rodriguez Centrifugal compressors offer a multitude of advantages to the HVAC market including energy savings, reduced maintenance and increased sustainability. Eddie Rodriguez, senior product manager for Danfoss Turbocor, joins Consulting-Specifying Engineer in this episode to discuss the applications and advantages of centrifugal compressors. Chapters (00:00:01) - Consultant Specify...

Guest: Tyler Haak, Schneider Electric Resiliency, sustainability and decarbonization are terms frequently used by engineers when designing buildings, or when incorporating systems into a building. In this conversation, hear more about building management systems, integration and future trends for buildings. Chapters (00:00:00) - Consulting Specifying Engineer Podcast (00:01:13) - How can Building...