When the Energy Air team started work in June 2011, we were given the lead coordination role. Because of the concerted effort by our CAD department, led Scott Murphy and Crystal Byrd, we were able to develop a 3D design that was workable for all trades.

Our team overcame multiple challenges throughout the project through effective communication, planning and coordination.

All on-site deliveries had to be coordinated and scheduled with the contractor. The project was bordered by busy city streets, and the size of the site did not allow for onsite parking, staging or product lay-down areas. Because of Energy Air’s pre-fabrication capabilities and the support from Jason Tighe, Jeremiah Peterson, Jim Mikel and Donna Zeak, we were able to overcome the difficulties presented.   

The majority of equipment and piping material was installed on the roof, requiring upfront coordination to obtain access from adjacent businesses for early-morning/late-night crane sets.

The 25,000-pound chiller, two custom Trane air handling units, weighing a combined 28,000 pounds, and all remaining equipment were set on the roof by crane. This was successfully accomplished because of the Safety, Rigging and Execution Plan that was carried out by Carlos Ferrer and Roberto Aquino.

Our installation team did an exceptional job managing the challenge of extremely tight and congested interior build-out conditions. The project included a unique mixture of exposed, concealed, lay-in, wood and gypsum architectural ceilings and finishes.

Mechanical systems installed include (1) 350-ton A/C chiller, (2) rooftop air handling units, (3) mini splits, (1) computer room unit, (2) MRIs, fume exhaust hoods, a kitchen grease hood system, (5) rooftop exhaust fans and a Trane energy management system. The duct systems were comprised of exposed/concealed round and oval spiral, rectangular sheetmetal, welded stainless, aluminum and flex ductwork.

Installed mechanical value: Approximately $1.4 million
General contractor: Brasfield & Gorrie

Learn more about Energy Air’s LEED projects.

Energy Air, Inc., recently named fourth largest specialty contractor in central Florida, has completed the heating and air conditioning system installation for numerous LEED projects, including those built according to LEED Platinum, Gold, Silver and Certification design standards. The company has LEED Accredited engineering and project management professionals on staff. Learn more about Energy Air’s LEED project experience.

As we close out 2011 and move on to a fresh new year, it’s a time to look back and recognize the accomplishments of our team. We’re proud to share with you below some of these key milestones for 2011.

• We graduated 38 students from our in-house Florida Air Conditioning Training Program (FACT) at a graduation celebration on April 22, 2011.
• Energy Air, Inc. was honored with the prestigious Excellence in Construction Eagle Award for our work at Edgewater High School.
• We received two Excellence in Construction Awards of Merit for our work at the IKEA project in Tampa and the Gander Academy in Lake Mary.
• We were ranked as the fourth largest Specialty Contractor in central Florida by the Orlando Business Journal, and we ranked No. 31 on ENRSoutheast’s Top Specialty Contractors list.
• We once again achieved the Gold level for Associated Builders and Contractors of Central Florida’s Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP).
• Our residential division was recognized by Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) as a participant in the Quality Assured (QA) Program, which recognizes professional HVAC companies that install heating and cooling systems in support of the ENERGY STAR for Qualified New Homes program.
• We ranked No. 41 on Orlando Business Journal’s list of the Golden 100: Central Florida’s Largest Privately Held Companies.
• We once again received a prestigious Four Star TEAM award from Associated Builders and Contractors of Central Florida.
• We’ve been able to contribute to many local charities that have touched the lives of our employees, as well as families and individuals in our community.

While we celebrate these many accomplishments, through reflection, we also realize this year was met with many challenges. It is with great thanks to the hard-working Energy Air Team, our clients, vendors and suppliers that we have remained stable through this economic downturn. 

As the time of this draft, news has been released that the unemployment rate has fallen in many states. We are hopeful for a continued positive outlook. An election year brings about a sense of uncertainty, but there are many owners that are ready to take advantage of prime conditions for building. We hope we are the contractor of choice as these projects progress.

Remember that Energy Air has an in-house design department for design-build/assist projects and a full CAD team for BIM/3D modeling. Our preconstruction team has a complete database of pricing available, so please contact us for any budgeting needs.

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.

Now through December 16th!
In place of a tree competition this year, the Energy Air team is hosting a charity drive for Loaves & Fishes in Apopka.

If you’d like to help out, please click here for more information or scroll down for a list of items needed. We’ll be accepting donations at our office located at 5401 Energy Air Court, Orlando, FL 32810 until December 16, 2011.

Loaves & Fishes will help approximately 750 families with gifts and holiday food baskets this year. Learn more about Loaves & Fishes in Apopka.

Currently Loaves & Fishes is in desperate need of basic items such as:

Canned Foods (ex. soup, tuna)
Rice
Boxed Dinners (ex. Hamburger Helper and Mac and Cheese)
Pasta
Dry / Packaged Soup
Turkeys
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Chicken
Instant Potatoes
Ham
Cranberry Sauce
Stuffing
Gravy
Yams
Canned Fruit

Holiday items they are in need of include:

Toothbrushes & Toothpaste
Razors & Shaving Cream
Shampoo and Conditioner
Body Soap
Socks (Men’s and Women’s)
Blankets
Ball caps
Jackets
Gifts for younger children such as: Books, Stuffed Animals, Toys, Pajamas, Coloring Books and Crayons
Craft kits (everything included)
Teen gifts such as: Basketballs, Footballs, Soccer balls, Jewelry, Purses, Makeup

Let’s all get together this holiday season and help make a difference in our community!

Eeewww-Eeewww that smell. Can’t you smell that smell…??

Oh what a classic, but I am dating myself. It just so happens it’s the time of year when we decide to see if our heat works. Our service technicians have been performing regular Preventive Maintenance for our residential customers, making sure their systems are up and running and ready for these colder months ahead. A small percentage of incoming customer calls state there’s a burning smell in their house. We tell them this is normal if this is the first time they have turned their heat on this year. Odds are, there is nothing wrong with their heating system, but for peace of mind, we can come out and verify by doing a diagnostic of the AC/heating system.

What normally causes this is, for lack of better terms, dust. No matter how clean you think you keep the house and change the FILTER, dust still finds a way to settle on your electric heat strip. And that is the smell you are smelling. Even if you pull out the old plug-in, portable heater, the same smell will emit. The electric elements are cooking the dust off of them. Eventually, with the continued use of your heat strip, you won’t have any smell at all.

Speaking of heat, most heat pump systems we install include a heat strip with the air handler. This isn’t an add-on; it is supplemental heat for your continued comfort. Most thermostats have a spot on them that says EMHT or AUX heat. The auxiliary heat strip comes on for a few reasons, but for the most part, it is when the condenser unit cannot supply the necessary heat being asked for. This might be when the unit first starts up or when it goes into defrost mode (on heat pump systems only). In the heating cycle, the ‘roles’ of your units swap, so the outside unit sweats while the inside generates the heat for your comfort. But with the outside unit sweating and the temperature being cold, sometimes the unit will frost up. This is normal, and the system compensates for this by going into “defrost mode.” At this time, the unit basically stops providing heat, thaws out and the heat strip will kick in to continue giving you warm comfort. When the unit is “thawed,” it goes back into its normal operation.

A/C is not only air conditioning but AIR COMFORT – and we do take it for granted. Contact Energy Air, Inc. for all of your air comfort needs! We specialize in heating and air conditioning service, repair, replacement and maintenance. And by the way…..check your filter!

The Tavera home was built through the kind and generous help of many companies and individuals. Energy Air, Inc. provided heating and air conditioning equipment and labor and has been working alongside other contractors and suppliers with Building Homes for Heroes to provide this new home for Tavera, who was severely injured in 2008 when the Humvee he was riding in Iraq was hit by five rockets.

The force from the rockets and explosives fractured Joel’s skull, and he suffered third degree burns over 60% of his body. He sustained many injuries including losing his eyesight. At the time, his parents were told he was the second most severely injured soldier to survive since the war in Iraq began. His new four bedroom, four bath home broke ground on March 25, 2011, the day after Tavera turned 24. It was built with special modifications in a beautiful gated community.

Next up for Building Homes for Heroes is a new home in Orlando, Fla. for B.J. Jackson and his family including wife, Abby, and six young children. The Energy Air team is excited to get kicked off on this next home and is honored to be a part of the Building Homes for Heroes projects.

Army Specialist B.J. Jackson lost both legs below the knee and suffered severe burns on his arms, legs and back, and flash burns on his face and head, when his vehicle triggered a roadside bomb and was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade in Baghdad. The soldiers were besieged by Iraqis firing AK-47s, and BJ was trapped in the burning wreckage. He spent nearly 50 days in the post burn unit.

These extraordinarily courageous young men and their families are a few of the fortunate and deserving that benefit from the services of Building Homes for Heroes, a non-profit organization that’s mission is to provide individuals, corporations and others with an opportunity to help severely wounded and disabled veterans and their families rebuild their lives. For more information about Building Homes for Heroes, visit www.buildinghomesforheroes.org.

Families, companies, individuals and teams in Orlando raised a total of $91,318.65. Donations to the American Lung Association help sustain their commitment to the prevention of all respiratory diseases including lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (emphysema and chronic bronchitis) and asthma.

This year’s theme was Handlebars and Hot Rods, and all proceeds benefited the Florida Hospital Diabetes Institute.

Attendees started at the Seminole Harley Davidson dealership located in Sanford, Fla. From there, bikers and hot rod drivers hit the open road for a scenic, 45-minute ride along Lake Monroe, ending with a barbecue lunch, live music from Diablo Canyon and a plethora of door prizes.

Copies of If Today is All I Have were available for sale. The book recounts the remarkable life of the late Linda Nordyke Hambleton and her life-long battle with diabetes. All proceeds help fund education for the Florida Hospital Diabetes Institute.

Additional sponsors for this year’s event include Cascade Water Services, Inc., Conklin Metal Industries, Brasfield & Gorrie General Contractors, Florida Door Solutions, Ferguson, Quality Fabrication, Johnstone Supply, Stan Weaver and Action Bolt & Tool. Straight Edge Creative donated graphic design services.

Photos from the event can be seen by visiting the company’s facebook page.

Every 60 seconds, a person is diagnosed with diabetes. More than 1.5 million people are affected by diabetes in Florida, and 500,000 of them are unaware they have diabetes. The Diabetes Institute at Florida Hospital is committed to providing state-of-the-art diabetes care and education for people with diabetes and their families. This annual fundraiser enables the Diabetes Institute to continue clinical research and provide patient education. The funds raised by Florida Hospital Foundation stay in Central Florida to benefit people with diabetes.

Energy Air was honored with the award by the Central Florida chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors at the annual Excellence in Construction awards banquet held at the J.W. Marriott in Orlando on October 22.

Energy Air Senior Project Manager, Louie Marquez, and Senior Foreman for the project, Andres Flores, were presented with the award on stage to applause from the nearly 600 people in attendance.

Energy Air completed the new construction phase of the existing Orange County school in December 2010. The mechanical scope included installation of the county’s first thermal storage system, a system that stores thermal energy in storage reservoirs for later use. They are employed to balance energy demand between day time and night time and have become more popular as energy efficiency has become a greater concern for building owners.

Energy Air also received an Award of Merit for the company’s work installing a unique mechanical system at the Gander Academy in Lake Mary, Fla, and Director of Marketing, Kati Bucciero, received the esteemed Marketing Award of Excellence for the creative layout and design of the Gander Academy entry book. Read more here.

Bucciero received the award for her creative layout and design of the Gander Academy entry book; a project the company submitted for consideration in the Excellence in Construction awards competition.

This is the first Marketing Award of Excellence Bucciero has received. She has been a member of ABC for more than two years and currently serves as chairwoman of the Public Relations and Communications committee.

“I wasn’t expecting this at all, but I’m very flattered and honored,” said Bucciero. “There were a lot of really great entries this year, and it was so much fun to put this book together.”

The central Florida chapter of Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) judges the entry books to determine the Marketing Award of Excellence recipients. The books are separated into two categories, subcontractor and general contractor, and the scores are added up to determine one winner in each category.

Energy Air, Inc. also received an Eagle award for the company’s work installing the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system for the new construction phase of Edgewater High School in Orange County and an Award of Merit for its work on the HVAC system at Gander Academy in Lake Mary, Fla.

Energy Air, Inc., an open-shop contractor that was recently named fifth largest mechanical contractor in the southeast by ENRSoutheast, has received more than 15 ABC Excellence in Construction awards.