Retrofits, Refrigerants, Energy Efficiency and More Explored at CSG Conference

Owens Companies, Minneapolis, MN, hosted the 20th Anniversary meeting of the Chiller Systems Group, October 8-10, 2014 in Bloomington, MN.Founded by the late Robert H. Owens with Pat Rucker of Entech Sales and Service of Dallas, TX in 1994, the group represents the best and brightest of the Independent Chiller Service organizations in the country.

Some 70 members, guests and sponsors attended the three day meeting. The opening reception, sponsored by Midwest Parts, was followed by a full agenda of committee reports, updates and presentations by members and sponsors. Among the groups internal initiatives, the Website Committee unveiled a new cloud storage and file management system, which will enable CSG to share information and expand its knowledge base in a secure environment. Information is organized in an easy-to-navigate folder structure that can be accessed via a browser, smart phone application, or desktop widget. Files can be found quickly using a simple search or a filtered search and can be previewed prior to being downloaded to keep data usage to a minimum.

Presentations were made by MCS Controls, Bitzer, Schneider-Electric, Coolgas, Trane, and Armstrong. Most of the presentations were related to retrofits and upgrades of central chiller plants, for greater reliability and energy efficiency.
Sonny Goodman of Entech Sales and Service presented an in-depth analysis on how a building owner can make an intelligent and calculated decision when selecting a replacement chiller.

Other presenters included Gus Rolotti, Coolgas; Dave Sylves, Bitzer; Sonny Goodwin, Trane; Bruce Long, Armstrong; Craig Storer and Bob Gray, Schneider Electric.

The next CSG meeting will be October, 2015, hosted by Mallory & Evans Service, Scottsdale, GA.