Welcome Message

Welcome to the Ottawa Valley Chapter of the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).

Founded in 1894, ASHRAE is an international organization of 55,000 persons. Its sole objective is to advance through research, standards writing, publishing and continuing education, the arts and sciences of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC&R) to serve humanity and promote a sustainable world.

The Ottawa Valley Chapter was established in 1952, and supports roughly 500 local ASHRAE members, of which approximately 200 are Chapter members. Our membership is comprised of a diverse group of men and women from the various fields in the HVAC&R and construction industries; e.g. consulting engineers, contractors, developers, facility managers, federal, provincial & municipal government, manufacturers, researchers, sales organizations, students, university and college faculty.

Our Chapter meets the third Tuesday of the month from September to May (excluding December) and typically consists of a tour or technical session, followed by a social gathering starting at 5:30 pm, dinner at 6:30 pm and the featured presentation to round out the evening. The meetings are held at Restaurant International at Algonquin College Woodroffe Campus, with the exception of the September meeting, which is occasionally held at a different venue.

The cost of a Chapter Membership is $60.00 and $30.00 for students. Chapter membership gets you a copy of the Ottawa Valley Chapter Roster which contains the contact information of the roughly 500 local ASHRAE members, monthly electronic access to chapter newsletter and discounts on Chapter meetings, seminars and events.

I hope you enjoy our web site and look forward to seeing you at our chapter meetings.

Yours very truly,

Steve Moons
2014-2015 OVC President

Presidential Message January 2015

I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season. I want to welcome you to a new year, and welcome you back to our ASHRAE season. January always presents the opportunity for new beginnings and new opportunities, and I hope that you all are able to take advantage of the opportunities in your personal and professional lives.

Our next evening meeting will focus on Air-To-Air Energy Recovery Technologies. We are very fortunate to have strong local representation for many manufacturers, and they are able to help us arrange for experts who are willing to come to Ottawa and speak about the newest technology. This month we welcome Paul Pieper with Venmar, who also is heavily involved with ASRHAE as vice chair of TC 5.5 as well as an instructor for the ASHRAE Learning Institute. While I encourage participation at every evening meeting, as energy recovery and efficiency continues to come to the fore in our industry, this meeting can offer very tangible benefits in your day-to-day work to ensure projects meet current requirements and qualify for various grants and certifications.

We are also close upon ASHRAE’s winter meetings, held this year in Chicago. Not only does this coincide with the largest trade show in our industry, but ASHRAE also offers a number of courses and learning opportunities throughout the week. It can be difficult to find the time for professional development, and this event offers an excellent opportunity.

I want to thank Georges Maamari and his Research Promotion team for their early efforts in this year’s campaign. Research Promotion is one of the most important items in our yearly goals. Georges was able to attain a significant milestone of donations by his end-of-December deadline, the first time in a number of years the OVC was able to achieve this. While ultimately our membership is responsible for donations, Georges has really taken control of this task. I encourage you to continue with your generous donations, and help us achieve our goal. Please speak to Georges directly with any questions.

Lastly, this month we will have the first of three “mentorship” technical sessions. These will include a talk from an equipment supplier, consulting engineer and contractor on how they got into the industry, how they interact with the other trades in the industry, what they would suggest to newer members of our Society for increasing their knowledge, abilities and penetration into the industry, and suggestions for students on how to prepare for a career in our industry, depending on which avenue they wish to pursue. I would ask you all to consider if there are junior people in your firm, or students that you know that might benefit from this. It is intended to be very open and honest, with lots of discussion back and forth.

Welcome to 2015, I hope it is a very successful and enjoyable year for all of you.

Steve Moons
2014-2015 OVC President
Stevem@totalhvac.com