Learn more about your favorite folks at Alps Controls with our new series “5:00 pm. 5 Questions”.
At our e-catalog site alpscontrols.com we’ve got a page called Talking Heads where you can watch videos about our company, our HVAC and building controls manufacturer partners, our website capabilities, and a whole lot more.
And yes, you should think of it as an added bonus that the Talking Heads page often features our own Alps Controls employees, doing our best to provide you with insight into our work, our business, our outlook and the industry we share. Plus, you get to take a look at the very same people that maybe you only usually get to talk to on the phone.
We’ve begun a regular series called 5:00 pm. 5 Questions in which – just in case its title didn’t pretty much tell you everything you needed to know – I pose a near half-dozen softball queries to someone right at the end of the day when they’d really rather be on the way home. It’s my hope that their answers will delight, inform, amaze and bewilder you, if only for a few precious minutes.
Find out who would come out on top of a classic sci-fi deathmatch in this 5PM5Qs with our Webmaster/DBA Chuck Benscoter:
And here you can learn what might be for dinner tonight when 5PM5Qs sits down with Sales Representative extraordinaire Wendy Siefert:
Got a question or comment for Chuck and Wendy? Want to suggest someone for 5PM5Qs? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll make it happen.
UPDATED: The webinars have passed – but keep an eye on this space and our e-catalog site for more webinars in the future.
Believe me, if I could pack any more good news into a single post, I would.
GE Sensing will be launching a fantastic new product called the Ventostat at this year’s ASHRAE show in Orlando, coming up in just a few weeks. The Ventostat is a sensor that monitors temperature, CO2 and humidity, all in a single device. 
Traditionally these measurements would be taken by separate monitors because stuffing all of the components into a single device created too much heat exchange inside the box to ensure accurate measurements.
But the design created by GE Sensing for the Ventostat has fixed all of that, and they’ve been kind enough to partner with Alps Controls to give our customers an exclusive sneak peak at the new Ventostat, before anyone else can see them in Orlando.
Want to get in on this right now? Here’s how:
- Register for our upcoming webinar on one of the dates below. The presentation will be only 20 minutes long and you’ll get to hear all about the Ventostat’s design, applications and more.
- Stay tuned through the end of the webinar and you’ll have a chance to win an Amazon Kindle!
With Christmas just right around the corner, we hope that you’ve already written to Santa to ask him for more energy-efficient buildings, a greater number of green building construction starts, a massive upcoming tradeshow and a house that spins around following the movement of the sun in the sky.
No? Then you’d better delve deeply into Today’s Control Freak News:
In an effort to increase transparency on non-residential building energy use, and to educate and inform building owners and operators, tenants and prospective buyers, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) has created the Building EQ Label program in which buildings will be assigned an “energy quotient” rating that will enable building owners to evaluate and reduce their building’s energy use, indoor air quality and more. (via the Journal of Indoor Environmental Quality)
Green building projects could account for up to $15 billion in annual spending over the next five years, according to a recent report by McGraw-Hill Construction. Building starts for these types of projects – which include new construction as well as renovations and retrofits – have already increased fivefold between 2003 and 2008. The trend is expected to continue upward, due in part to increased use of tax incentives offered for LEED-certified projects. (via the Las Vegas Business Press)
As I’m meandering about the convention floor at AHR Expo 2010, I’ll no doubt find my way to booth #1355 to visit the folks from the ClimateTalk Alliance, a newly-formed group that seeks to “establish common communication infrastructure for HVAC and Smart Energy devices, enabling easy interoperability of diverse applications across multiple protocols.” If you’re not 100% certain what that means, you’re not alone (I’m raising my hand right now). Fortunately, I’ll be able to learn more next month in Orlando. (via AutomatedBuildings.com)
What with that whole “rotation of the Earth” thing, it’s darn difficult to create buildings that take the most advantage of the delightfully warm rays of the sun – unless you happen to be a rather clever couple in Australia who decided to build a house that rotates all day long. Bonus: optimal amounts of sunshine and shade. Drawback: stumbling home after having one too many Queensland Iced Teas not recommended. Click the picture to see internal and external views on the rotating house’s website. (via FacilityBlog/TFM)
Are you thinking about lighting controls right now, at this very moment? Probably not, but building automation systems that integrate lighting controls are going to be increasing in demand very soon as the desire for green building projects continues to increase. WattStopper has the answer in the form of Digital Lighting Management (DLM) – it’s like having a personal lighting manager in every room! Keep an eye on our e-catalog site alpscontrols.com where we’ll have more news on this and related products coming up soon.
On behalf of everyone at Alps Controls, have a joyous, peaceful and safe Christmas and New Year’s!
- Got an interesting piece of news, new technologies or gadgets you’ve come across? Or do you simply really, REALLY love HVAC and building controls and you’re anxious to share? Send me an email with news and ideas, or feel free to leave your comments below.
The FlexStat series from KMC Controls – like a building automation system that you can hold in your hand.
Wouldn’t it be great to find a low-cost, high-value device that provides automation power and support but at a fraction of the cost and installation of a building automation system? Take a look:
Looking for more information or want to take the FlexStat for a virtual test drive? Knock yourself out:
One of the (minor) disadvantages to being The New Guy at Alps Controls – especially when I’m also The New Guy to the HVAC and building automation controls industry – is that often when my boss comes to ask me a question, I have to answer something like this:*
BOSS: Say, New Guy, what do you think about selling belts on our e-catalog site?
ME: Er. Um. Belts? Like leather, snakeskin belts? Big buckles –
BOSS: No, like belts in an air handler or some other HVAC unit. You know, kind of like a fan belt that you’d have in your car? Many of our customers do maintenance on these units and would be interested in buying new and replacement belts in the standard sizes that they’d need.
ME: Right.
BOSS: …?
ME: So maybe I could find out if our customers would want to buy those, right?
BOSS: (already walking out) Good idea.
So help me out here and answer this quickie question:
*for dramatization purposes only. Actual conversation may or may not have been quicker, more succinct and less embarrassing to all parties involved.
UPDATED 12.23.09: We’ve added Functional Devices, Inc.
It’s inevitable: the holiday season comes rolling around and all of a sudden companies close down to allow “families” to “enjoy each other’s company” and “goodwill” to “spread among humanity”.
Bah, humbug?
No, not really. We just want to alert you to several of our manufacturers who will experience various closures during the the 2009 holiday season, so that you can plan your ordering process accordingly. We’ll update this post as we get new notifications from our suppliers, so bookmark this page or check back frequently.
- Alps Controls – our offices will be closed on Thursday, December 24th; Friday, December 25th; and Friday, January 1st.
- BAPI will be closed for business on Friday, December 25th and Friday, January 1st to celebrate Christmas and New Year’s Day.
- Belimo will be closed for business on December 24th, December 25th, December 28th and January 1st.
- CED/Mosebach Electric will be closed on the 24th and 25th of December and will return on the 28th.
- Functional Devices, Inc. will be closed on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of December. They’ll also be closed on Friday, 1.1.10.
- GE Sensing St. Marys will be closed Thursday, December 24th and Friday, December 25th for the Christmas holiday.
- IDEC will be closed on Friday, 12.4.09 at 1:30 PM PST and then all day on 12.24, 12.25, 12.31 and 1.1.10.
- Innovative Solutions will be closed on Thursday, 12.24 through Friday, 1.1.10.
- KMC Controls will be closed to celebrate Christmas on Wednesday, 12.23.09 and will reopen on Monday, 1.4.10.
- Lynxspring will be closed 12.24 and 12.25.09 for Christmas and 1.1.10 for New Year’s.
- The Marktime/MH Rhodes Cramer factory will be closed from Friday, 12.18 through 1.3.10. The company’s office will be closed from 12.25 through 1.3.10, and will return on Monday 1.4.10.
- Metropac will close at 2:00 PM on December 24th and then be closed December 25th. They will also close at 2:00 PM on December 31st and will be closed on January 1st.
- Neptronic will close at 1:00 PM on Wednesday, 12.23. They’ll be closed all day on 12.24 and 12.25.09 for Christmas. On 12.29 and 12.30, service will be open but production and shipping will be closed. Then Neptronic will also be closed all day on Thursday 12.31 and Friday 1.1.10 for New Year’s.
- Setra Systems will be closed on Thursday, 12.24; Friday, 12.25; and Friday, 1.1.10.
- Spartan will be closed from 12.23 at noon through 1.3.10. Spartan will open again on January 4th, 2010.
- Viconics will be closed from Thursday, December 24th through Friday, January 1st, 2010. All orders acknowledged with ship dates prior to and on 12.23.09 will be shipped accordingly. All requested ship dates between 12.24.09 and 1.04.10 will be rescheduled for delivery consistent with standard lead times on the week of 1.4.10.
Questions? Contact our customer service folks or leave a comment below.
Thanks and happy holidays to you and yours!
Here it is November already and as we race willy-nilly into the 2009 holiday season, you’re probably imagining yourself doing some shopping, decorating your porch with 10 strings of half-burned-out lights, and – naturally – catching up on all of the most compelling bits of controls news from across the interwebs.
Here’s today’s Control Freak news:
According to a recent study, construction of green buildings across this great land of ours currently supports more than 2 million American jobs – 
and that number is expected to swell to nearly 8 million over the next four years. (so start buying your energy-saving controls products now before there’s a long waiting line! – ed.) ( via facilitiesnet)
Tired of thumbing through hundreds of directory pages to keep up to date on HVAC information? Well, get your mousing hand ready because ASHRAE has put the newest edition of their handbook online. Now you’ll be able to navigate, read, search and link through the industry’s most comprehensive resource for HVAC&R technology, and the online version is even cheaper than its old-school, tree-murdering older cousin. (via Automation.com)
A temperature-regulating coffee mug? Yes, please.
As it turns out, all of them CAN just get along: last month, the Air Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), along with more than a dozen manufacturers and seven energy conservation groups announced an agreement that calls for regional, climate-based HVAC-product efficiency standards and more-stringent building code provisions for new construction. (via GreenBuildingAdvisor.com)
Are you a truly outstanding air conditioning contractor? Well of course you are – you just need everyone else on the planet to realize it. Then why not nominate yourself for the Air Conditioning Contractors of America “Contractors of the Year” award? Exceeded national standards! Offer breakthrough performance and high-quality results! Crush your competition! (via @acca_kevin on twitter)
- Got an interesting piece of news, new technologies or gadgets you’ve come across? Or do you simply really, REALLY love HVAC and building controls and you’re anxious to share? Send me an email with news and ideas, or feel free to leave your comments below.
Come for the HVAC and building controls products, stay for the delicious CCTV security equipment from Pegasus Products.
Here’s a warning: gratuitous e-commerce product-plugging is just ahead in this post.
Security equipment is, perhaps, not a high-priority item on the shopping list for most building controls contractors. Our e-catalog site alpscontrols.com sells primarily HVAC and building controls products: you know, sensors and valves and actuators and all of those clever gadgets that allow building contractors to automate their HVAC systems and their lighting controls to create smart buildings.
But here’s the thing: many of those buildings end up needing security camera equipment of one kind or another, and it seems to me that it’s just as simple to buy all of the cameras and DVRs and monitors and mounting accessories and all of those security high-tech gizmos at the same time. It’s all about the power and efficiency of your online purchasing process – which means that having quick and easy access to the security products from one source is every bit as important as your purchase of the controls materials that brought you to our site in the first place.
That forms the basis of my ham-handed segue into telling you that Alps Controls sells the entire line of Pegasus CCTV Products – a leading manufacturer of security equipment at extremely competitive prices.
Here are Five Things that you should consider about buying Pegasus CCTV security equipment from Alps Controls:
- Pegasus is an efficient, lean-and-mean company. That means that they make and sell durable, high-quality security equipment at unexpectedly great prices.
- You can get up and running seriously fast with all-in-one Value Kits from Pegasus. They include a DVR, multiple cameras, power supplies, mounting brackets, monitor, cable and surge protector starting at around $1000 (list).
- Want to record 30 days’ worth of video surveillance from 16 camera angles onto one DVR? They’ve got products that can totally do that.
- Their systems are simple to set up and as easy to use as your DVD player at home.
- If you’re already wiring your building for HVAC and other building automation controls, you’re just a few steps away from also wiring up security equipment.
If security is a consideration for your building – in other words, if it’s a store or a school or an office or a hospital or a restaurant or pretty much anything these days – you can confidently purchase Pegasus Products security equipment from Alps Controls by finding them on our website, dropping them into your cart, creating a single purchase order along with all of the other products you need, and being quickly on your way again.
And you don’t even need to go searching for them on our website because I’ve thoughtfully provided you with a direct link to Pegasus CCTV Products right here.
As an added bonus, here’s Rich Morgan, General Manager at Pegasus Products, to introduce us to his terrific product line:
At first, this seemed like a pretty cool application of occupancy-based energy consumption control: a company called ILLUMRA has launched a Wireless Key Card Reader, ideally suited for hotel room use, that turns off HVAC and lighting controls in an unoccupied room. Apparently the card reader doesn’t need wires or batteries, and can be installed in minutes with minimal downtime.
But here’s what I didn’t quite understand when I read about this product earlier today: the ILLUMRA Key Card Reader isn’t the same card reader you’d use to gain entry into the hotel room. In other words, you don’t unlock the door and the room automagically lights up and cranks on your heat to a comfy, I-don’t-keep-it-this-warm-at-home 72° F. Instead, it’s a separate gadget on your hotel room wall.
From the company’s product data sheet:
When entering a room, a guest inserts a key card to make power available to selected devices. When leaving, the guest removes the card to set devices in the room to an energy-saving “unoccupied” mode. With seven code combinations available, key cards can be customized to offer additional functionality, giving the ILLUMRA Key Card Reader the ability to activate different sets of appliances based on the preferences of the building manager.
I feel a bit conflicted about this, because while I’m certainly a big fan of applying efficient wireless controls to the benefit of energy conservation, I’m confused by the usability of this product. For example:
- Now when I go to a hotel room, I’ve got to keep track of a room key card and an occupancy key card? How confusing is that?
- If the key card reader only registers the room as “unoccupied” when I remove the card, its very function depends on me – the customer/traveler – to complete an additional action that I’m not necessarily prone to do. Aren’t the chances just as likely that visitors will simply leave the card reader alone for their whole stay and thereby remove its usefulness?
- The product’s web page suggests that different key cards could have different functionalities depending on “guests selecting optional amenities”. So does that mean that someone staying in a premium room gets to set their thermostat at any level they want, but those in the economy rooms (i.e., me) are subject to the preferences of the building manager?
- Wouldn’t some decent occupancy sensors essentially do this same job, without depending on the hotel’s customers to activate them?
Admittedly, it’s tough and perhaps unfair of me to speculate about the product’s complete functionality without seeing it work and talking to others more familiar with its application. In fact, I’d be interested to do so, because it does suggest an intriguing way to use building controls toward the preservation of energy consumption.
But I think that when it comes to travel and hospitality consumers, a kind of entitlement mentality prevails. When we travel, we expect – almost above all else – customer service tailored to fulfilling our needs. We want our towels clean and our pillows fluffed and our meals delivered hot and quickly. Placing the responsibility on the consumer to assist in his home-away-from-home’s desire to save money on energy – or perhaps charging him a premium rate so that he doesn’t have to – stretches the expectation of how that traveler chooses to travel.
(via AutomatedBuildings.com)
When we revamped and relaunched our e-catalog site alpscontrols.com about seven weeks ago, we made it easier for anyone searching online for HVAC and building automation control products to be able to find our site, discover product solutions, browse the catalog and purchase products. What’s more, we’ve been able to develop robust, time-saving tools for customers who have established accounts on our website to more efficiently manage their supply chain process.
But in the transition from our old website to the new one, we’ve discovered one function for which our account-holding customers, it seems, could use a gentle reminder. Take a look:
Hope that’s a helper. If we can answer any additional questions about our site or our products, please leave a comment below and we’ll follow up with you right away.
