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Press Release, July 26, 2000

AIMS Project Right on Track Heading into Year Two

The Advanced Integrated Mechanical Systems (AIMS) Project, which promotes the development of energy-efficient systems that integrate ventilation, space and water heating functions into one natural gas-fired unit, is right on track heading into year 2 of the project. Joint project partners, the Heating, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Institute of Canada (HRAI) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), first announced the AIMS Project at HRAI's annual meeting on August 27, 1999 in Halifax.

The official project launch took place at the Canadian Mechanicals Exhibition (CMX) in Toronto on March 23-25, 2000, at which time Brent St. Denis M.P., NRCan Parliamentary Press Secretary, announced the following manufacturers chosen to develop AIMS as part of the project: Ecologix Heating Technologies Inc., Kerr Heating Products, Nu-Air Ventilation Systems Inc., Tirino Corporation, and Vebteck Research/Nutech Energy Systems Inc./Fleetline Products Ltd. Alliance. Since that time, the manufacturers have been in the product development phase of the project, most with the assistance of the Industrial Research Assistance Program (IRAP).

The AIMS Project is currently in the process of requesting proposals from third party Canadian laboratories to evaluate the performance and safety of AIMS according to protocol established by an industry consortium composed of manufacturers, industry associations, utilities, and government organizations. Laboratory testing will commence this October.

Beginning in November, the prototype AIMS products will also be evaluated at the Canadian Centre for Housing Technology (CCHT), Canada's new advanced housing research and demonstration facility on the National Research Council (NRC) campus in Ottawa. The CCHT has two fully monitored test houses, one serving as a baseline and the other allowing modifications, yielding accurate comparisons of new technologies against each other and against conventional systems. These houses are extensively wired with computerized testing and monitoring equipment, which will track detailed AIMS performance parameters.

In addition, field trials will be carried out in approximately 150 occupied homes across the country during the 2000-2001 and 2001-2002 winter seasons and a performance rating system will be developed.

To receive more information contact Laura Linza or Gordon Arnott at HRAI:

Phone: (800) 267-2231 or (905) 602-4700
Fax: (905) 602-1197
Email: info@ekocomfort.com

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