The Energy Efficient Buildings (EEB) Hub recently welcomed a new demonstration unit to its Industry Partner Gallery, as Warminster-based ThermOmegaTech® introduced its latest EEB-related product, CircuitSolver® self-actuating thermostatic recirculation valves.
In replacing the display by FARO Technologies, which completed its demonstration run in July, ThermOmegaTech® is the latest area business to occupy the Gallery with a product for the commercial building Advanced Energy Retrofit (AER) market.
ThermOmegaTech® specializes in the design and manufacture of self-actualizing temperature control valves. Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing contractors, as well as architectural firms, rely on CircuitSolver® valves and similar ThermOmegaTech® products to dramatically reduce the expense and energy required to supply hot water throughout large residential, industrial, and other buildings.
“CircuitSolver® valves deliver hot water instantly, eliminating the need to purchase and power oversized recirculating pumps,” says ThermOmegaTech® Chris Ashworth. “We offer significant electrical savings by virtue of our design—an application that required a five-horsepower pump before CircuitSolver® may need less than one horsepower with CircuitSolver® valves. The smaller pump is far less expensive to buy, and the energy savings can be on the order of hundreds of watts per hour.”
The product also represents dramatic labor savings. While traditional water systems might require a crew of workers to properly balance the temperature for a high-rise building, CircuitSolver® valves automate the entire process.
“You used to have a series of manual balancing valves that required a lot of fine adjustment,” Ashworth adds. “They would turn the system on, see how it worked, and radio to workers on other floors to gauge their temperature. Unfortunately, once you get it set for the empty building, everything is going to change once you get people in it. Unless you have someone there opening and closing valves around the clock, you won’t have an optimal system. CircuitSolver® valves optimize those water flow rates to maximize efficiency.”
When asked about the opportunity to exhibit in the Industry Partner Gallery, Ashworth says it’s a way to raise awareness for CircuitSolver® valves as a supremely cost-effective upgrade option.
“I’m excited for those contemplating building retrofits to see there is a way to significantly reduce utility bills without having to spend a whole lot of money. A lot of green projects have high costs of entry, and you may not see a return for a number of years. With CircuitSolver® valves, it’s as fast as 3-4 months.”
“ThermOmegaTech® has developed a product that not only preserves a limited resource, but they did it in a way that exemplifies the kind of innovative thinking we foster here at DVIRC and through the EEB Hub,” says Barry Miller, DVIRC’s President & COO. “We’re proud to have been active with ThermOmegaTech® through a host of Lean, continuous improvement, and marketing projects. CircuitSolver® valves are proof that their spirit of creative problem solving is alive and well.”
The Industry Partner Gallery can be found on the third floor of the Hub’s temporary headquarters in Building 101 at the Navy Yard in Philadelphia. The program will accompany the EEB Hub when it moves to its new home, Building 661, in 2014, which will include a permanent display space to showcase building retrofit technologies such as CircuitSolver® valves.
Rob Crossett, DVIRC’s Business Development Manager, coordinates the Regional Supplier Program for the Gallery. These suppliers’ displays rotate at 2-3 month intervals and can be seen together with those of the Hub Industry partners: Lutron Electronics, Inc., United Technologies Research Center, PPG Industries, and Bayer MaterialScience, which manages the Gallery display area. The displays are open for viewing to all visitors and participants in EEB Hub activities.
About ThermOmegaTech®
ThermOmegaTech®, Inc. was established in 1983 to produce a proprietary freeze valve for the railroad industry. This valve is now the industry standard for North American railroads, and ThermOmegaTech® has applied that same technology to develop valves and systems for the industrial market. These include valves for freeze protection, scald protection, steam traps, ambient sensing, and surface sensing, as well as many other applications. ThermOmegaTech, Inc. is a privately held organization whose products are distributed and used worldwide. CircuitSolver® is a trademark of ThermOmegaTech®, Inc.
About the EEB Hub
The Energy Efficient Buildings Hub (EEB Hub) was established in by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on February 1, 2011 with a mission of improving energy efficiency in buildings—literally re-energizing them for the future—from its headquarters in Philadelphia’s Navy Yard, one of the nation’s largest and most dynamic redevelopment opportunities.
Federal funding for the EEB Hub’s first five years of operation comes primarily from the DOE, with additional contributions from the National Institute of Standards and Technology Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership (NIST/MEP), the Economic Development Administration (EDA), and the Small Business Administration (SBA).
About DVIRC
The Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center (DVIRC) is a private, non-profit economic development business consulting firm established in 1988 to serve the needs of the 4,500 small and mid-sized manufacturers in southeastern Philadelphia. The organization’s primary focus is to grow the value of our clients’ businesses through consulting services, training and education, and executive network groups. Our vision is to establish the region as an internationally recognized leader in manufacturing competitiveness. We believe growing business value improves the standard of living and quality of life for those that live and/or work in the region. DVIRC is a founding partner of the EEB Hub and a member of the executive board.
DVIRC is one of seven affiliates of the Industrial Resource Center (IRC) Network in Pennsylvania. DVIRC is funded in part by the NIST/Manufacturing Extension Partnership and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania through the Department of Community and Economic Development. The collective role of DVIRC and its sister organization New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP) is to connect Greater Philadelphia’s manufacturers to projects and opportunities being developed at the EEB Hub, and to grow business value and spur job creation.