Letters : Reader Feedback

Sustainability predictions

In response to the story, “Architects Predict Significant Increases in Sustainable Design, Singling Out the Importance of HVAC” (Sustainability News, csemag.com, 11/20/2006), the architects are missing the point. Using more energy-efficient HVAC equipment only saves miniscule amounts of building energy use. All an HVAC system does is provide heat make-up for that which is lost through the envelope, and in summer, gets rid of the heat gains in the building, again primarily through the envelope.

The architects have the biggest single, primary impact on the building energy and comfort efficiency through proper envelope design: window to opaque wall ratios, specifying higher performance glass, daylighting design, exterior shading and articulation, reduced thermal bridging details, and reduced infiltration through better envelope detailing.

GEOFF MCDONELL, P. ENGVIA THE INTERNET

Web development

The article “U.S. Companies Might Be Wasting Billions on Web Development” (Top Business and Legal News, csemag.com, 01/29/07) is thinly disguised advertising for a search engine optimization company. The modern search engine companies such as Google and Live.com have made these types of yesteryear shills obsolete. Back in the good old days (1998), maybe you needed an SEO to help get your website noticed. Not anymore.

The sky is not falling. All one needs to do is provide a good product so you get traffic. Print your web address on everything, make sure you have a good and easy-to-remember web address, and have a website that is something more than a glorified brochure. As with any good business, you need a solid plan. If you build it they will come.

JOHN D. RILEY VIA THE INTERNET

SEO is not a thing of the past. MSN did an article a few months back about the top 10 hottest jobs. Guess what? SEO was No. 3. Google utilizes organic rankings and sees all of the changes made to web sites. This is one of the things that helps people get their sites recognized nowadays. In fact, I thought the article contained a lot of substance. I also happen to like the authoring company’s website.

CHAD KINGVIA THE INTERNET

Correction

In the February issue of CSE (p. 58) and the March issue of Pure Power, we ran a two-part roundtable entitled, “Emergency Power in Healthcare.” The sponsor of this event, ASCO Power Technologies, was incorrectly identified.

Also, in the first part of the roundtable, a photo of one of the participants, Scott Kesler, P.E., incorrectly identifies his firm. Mr. Kesler is with OWP/P, Chicago.

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