Thoughts On: Information Technology (IT) Staff ~ Chuck Morris

Thoughts On:

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) STAFF

Iby Chuck Morris Information technology (IT), as defined by your district’s operation. If you have a ‘Help seem to slow down, THEYneed to keep up the Information Technology Association of Desk’with that department you are even to speed with their education and certificaAmerica (ITAA), is “the study, design, devel- closer to providing 100% service for your tion. Let’s ensure we all move forward with opment, implementation, support or manage- schools and Administration. technology at a comfortable and smooth ment of computer-based information sys- We need IT. With the advances that don’t warp speed! tems, particularly software applications and computer hardware.” (Wikipedia Online) Our lives are immersed in it. Some of us manage the ITdepartment within our school district. The vast majority of us (I would hope ALLof us) use information technology in our everyday work life. Let’s see now; laptops, desktops, Blackberry’s, Treo’s, DVD players, MP3 players, VOIPphone systems, LCD projectors, Smart boards, PLC’s, remote control, PDA’s, Blue Tooth, wireless everything and on and on! Who are the techies that provide the support in our districts? Are they the types who sit in a dark closet with the lights out writing computer code? Are they kind of ‘geeky’and speak in weird tongue, using names and protocols that no one on earth has heard before (except their peers)? Whatever they are, they are valued staff members who provide a service that many of us don’t want to be part of or can’t even fathom! Ever wonder what it takes to keep systems running and safe (not vulnerable to attacks from viruses, etc) and accessible to staff? If there is a good system in place and hardware and software firewalls exist to help protect things, you probably would not experience failures. If you are upgrading from one system to another, things may be different. Ever feel like your right arm has been severed when email is unavailable? It’s almost like what water is to life; no water, no life! What a horrendous thought. Life without email! If you are anything like me, you likely carry out 80% of your daily business using email. Shut it off and it suddenly becomes a problem finding work (just kidding, I doubt any of us have difficulty finding work). Coordination of contacts for your Blackberry and back-ups of district files are courtesy of our techs. Smooth running desktops and laptops and the programs you use most are flawlessly executed because someone is there to ensure downtime is not impacting your operation. Aknowledgeable ITDepartment is one essential component of

SolarWall Systems Making Schools’ Futures Bright

Tby Dawn M. Barker To do something that’s good for the planet gives one a warm feeling. To harness the power of the sun – something that’s good for the planet and makes a great deal of economic sense – makes one feel warm all over, inside and out.

Centennial Secondary School in Coquitlam School District. Photo courtesy of Astravan Distributors Ltd.

That’s the message that Pat Martin of Astravan Distributors Ltd. would like to get across.

Astravan Distributors (http://www.astravan.com) is a Canadian distributor of SolarWall, a Canadian-patented invention which has been implemented in some 25 countries. The SolarWall system involves a specially perforated metal cladding material, technically known as a transpired solar absorber, which is installed several inches from a south facing wall, creating an air cavity. The metal cladding is heated by solar radiation from the sun, and thanks to ventilation fans located at the top of the wall, negative pressure is created in the cavity, pulling in fresh solar heated air through the perforations, siphoning off 40 per cent of the surface heat before it escapes into the atmosphere. An additional 35 - 40 per cent is also captured by conduction to the back surface and by passage through the holes. Aconnection to an HVAC air intake allows the air to be preheated prior to entering the air handler, thus reducing the load on the conventional heating system.

Until recently, SolarWall installations have mainly centered on industrial and commercial buildings; BC and Alberta have taken the lead in the use of it in school applications with 12 applications to date.

“Until recently, acceptance in western Canada has been slow, due to the relatively low cost of fossil energies relative to the rest of the world,” he said.

“Facility management recognized that SolarWall could not only reduce their costs to heat ventilation air, but also allow them to correct any deficiencies in ventilation requirements.”

When designed and installed properly, SolarWall can reduce daytime ventilation heating costs by between 40 and 70 per cent, depending on the geographic location.

“In the case of repairing existing exterior walls, SolarWall is the only exterior cover that pays for itself,” Martin said.

In addition, the system provides a cooling system in the summer, as it keeps solar radiation from striking the south wall of the building, and built-in ventilation holes at the top of the cladding allow the rising warm air to pass through it and out, rather than soaking into the building.

School District 60 has installed three SolarWall systems in existing buildings, at Dr. Kerney Jr/Secondary School, Charlie

Dr. Kearney School in Ft. St. John. Photo courtesy of Astravan Distributors Ltd.

Lake Elementary, and Prespatou School. Maintenance supervisor Ivan Lewis said the decision to try the SolarWall solution initially coincided with the need to replace cladding at Dr. Kerney Jr.

“It was used for two reasons: First, as a system for bringing fresh air into the building; and second, as a heat transfer system to bring in heated fresh air to the building.”

The systems even have monitors to determine whether additional fresh air is needed in the school. When it is, the monitor automatically turns on the ventilation system to draw additional air in.

“It is an attractive looking wall. It doesn’t look out of place in an architectural type setting,” he said of the SolarWall appearance.

As yet, Lewis is unsure of the savings in dollar and cent amounts, but he said the school district will find out next spring the impact the Prespatou installation has had,

McGREGOR GROUP

McGregor & Thompson Hardware LTD. McGregor Hardware Distribution McGregor Hardware Distributors INC. McGregor Door and Hardware Locks4Less.com

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS SINCE 1964.

1250 East Georgia Street Tel: 604.253.8252 Vancouver, BC V6A 2B1 Fax: 604.253.4260 sdery@mcgregor-thompson.com www.mcgregor-thompson.com

Calgary • Edmonton • Kelowna • Nanaimo • Seattle • Vancouver • Victoria

as it was hooked directly into the DDC system and cost saving will be able to be monitored.

“I can tell you, though, that in all three schools, the furnace doesn’t run nearly as often or for as long as the other schools (without SolarWall), so there has to be money being saved there,” Lewis said. Martin said the environmental benefits, plus the virtually nonexistent maintenance requirements of the SolarWall system, make it an excellent match for school applications.

“Donna Lewis, our school specialist, has found that while architects have specified SolarWall on some new schools, historically they have felt challenged to incorporate a large, dark wall into their design, or to sacrifice the aesthetics and benefits of windows in exchange for a renewable energy wall. This is now changing with the recognition that SolarWall benefits can qualify for up to eight LEED® (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) points.

“Hopefully we will see the day when SolarWall is incorporated as a “must” rather than an “option” at the initial concept design stage – not as an afterthought after all major design aspects are complete.”

At present, most school installations are to be found on existing, renovated buildings, presenting the challenge of finding sufficient south facing wall space which lends itself for easy duct connection to existing heating equipment. Gym walls have proven to be the easiest target, Martin said.

“Most gyms can be satisfied by 500-800 square foot SolarWalls, but no wall space should be ignored if it can be easily connected to heating equipment,” he said.

“Some buildings don’t face south; given the equal choice of a southwest or southeast wall, the southeast wall is preferable as the most heat is required in the mornings.”

Arange of dark architectural colours are available, ranging in efficiency from 65 per cent for some colours up to the top colour, black, which has an 80 per cent absorption rate.

Do schools considering the system have to worry about their students freezing during cloudy days or inclement weather?

“Not at all,” Martin said. “SolarWall also recovers the heat normally lost through the wall it’s covering, and it can capture partial solar power, even on cloudy days.”

Even in harsher climates, where snow is present for many months of the year, the system is optimal, since the snow acts as a reflector for the solar energy.

The panels are pre-engineered, tailored specifically to each site and are provided as a package, including all framing, with panels cut to size and installation shop drawings. The systems may be installed by contractors normally involved with metal walls.

Schools incorporating SolarWall may be eligible for a grant of up to 25 per cent of the cost, including system installation, duct work and fans if required, and provided that accepted guidelines are met.