ATIS Standards for Telecommunications Energy Efficiency Ratio

A New York Times article, Landlords Double as Energy Brokers  - North Jersey Data Center Industry Blurs Utility Real Estate Boundary, notes that [in data centers] “As computing power has soared, so has the need for power, turning that relationship on its head: electrical capacity is often the central element of lease agreements, and space is secondary.”

James Glantz writes in an earlier article in the New York Times, Power, Pollution and the Internet, “Most data centers, by design, consume vast amounts of energy in an incongruously wasteful manner, interviews and documents show. Online companies typically run their facilities at maximum capacity around the clock, whatever the demand. As a result, data centers can waste 90 percent or more of the electricity they pull off the grid, The Times found.”

The Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions (ATIS) announced that it has published three standards used to determine telecommunication equipment’s energy efficiency. The standards introduce the Telecommunications Energy Efficiency Ratio or TEER as a measure of network-element efficiency. The standards provide a comprehensive methodology for measuring and reporting energy consumption, and uniformly quantify a network component’s ratio of “work performed” to energy consumed.

The efficiency standards are specific to equipment type, network location and classification. Normalizing these ratings by functionality enables “apples-to-apples” equipment comparison. This systemized assessment results in repeatable and comparable energy consumption measurement.

• ATIS-0600015.2009, Energy Efficiency for Telecommunication Equipment: Methodology for Measurement and Reporting – General Requirements provides the methodology for determining telecommunications energy efficiency.

• ATIS-0600015.01.2009, Energy Efficiency for Telecommunication Equipment: Methodology for Measurement and Reporting -- Server Requirements defines how to measure the Telecommunications Energy Efficiency Ratio (TEER) of a server or server blade and defines how equipment vendors shall respond to a TEER request.

• ATIS-0600015.02.2009, Energy Efficiency for Telecommunication Equipment: Methodology for Measurement and Reporting – Transport Requirements. Energy Efficiency for Telecommunication Equipment: Methodology for Measurement and Reporting - Transport Requirements specifies the definition of Transport products and systems as well as a methodology to calculate the Telecommunication Energy Efficiency Ratio (TEER) of a transport system or network configuration. The standard also provides requirements for how equipment vendors shall respond to a TEER request.

ATIS is an ANSI accredited standards developer. Find out more about standards work in energy efficiency at ANSI.

Growth of the Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Industry

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there were 9,086 establishments that were registered in the Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Industry in 2001. These establishments totaled just over $12 billion in sales in 2002. The following year, sales exceeded $24 billion.  

By 2009, the number of registered establishments in the Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Industry had decreased to 8,018. Although the overall number of registered establishments had decreased, the industry sales continued to grow. By 2010, the total Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Industry sales exceeded $65 billion. Farm machinery, equipment, and parts represented 60 percent of the industry while lawn and garden equipment accounted for about 30 percent. The primary leaders in the industry, such as AGCO Corp, Caterpillar Inc., and Deere & Co., accounted for about 30 percent of total revenues.

Several leaders in the Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Industry, such as Deere & Co, Briggs & Stratton, and Stihl Incorporated, are members of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI). OPEI is the major international trade association that represents the manufacturers and their suppliers of consumer and commercial outdoor power equipment such as lawnmowers, tractors, trimmers, edgers, chain saws, and more. OPEI develops standards for several pieces of equipment including snow-throwers, mowers, tillers, chain saws, and more. These standards focus on attempting to develop safer and more efficient outdoor power equipment. The Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Industry is constantly growing and improving so it is important that OPEI standards remain updated. 

Outdoor Power Equipment Industry Statistics

Outdoor power equipment industry statistics for the US are reported by US Department of Commerce Census Bureau. The latest aggregate statistics cover 2007 US manufacture of all goods in the NAICS 333112. This classification also includes statistics for non-powered garden accessories such as carts, wagons and plow attachments.

The total value of shipments in 2007  was $8,264,035,000. The four largest companies had 71.1 % of this revenue.

NAICS 333112 covers mainly lawnmowers, trimmers, blowers, vacuums, tractors.

Related categories:
•333111 Manufacturing commercial mowing and other turf and grounds care equipment, Farm Machinery and Equipment Manufacturing
•332216 Manufacturing non-powered lawn and garden shears, edgers, pruners, and lawnmowers, Saw Blade and Hand tool Manufacturing

Census also publishes annual detailed statistics for the 10 digit NAICS classifications which cover manufacture as well as import and export statistics.

New Group to Focus on Standards for “Internet of Things”

Stakeholders to Begin Work This Month on Common U.S. Approach

The U.S. tech sector is engaged in setting common standards to drive interoperability and connectivity for the Internet of Things.

The InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) will serve as the central U.S. technical advisory group for a global effort.

“As the Internet links more things in our lives – from smartphones to cars to refrigerators to sensors – the potential benefit for people’s lifestyles and business productivity is significant. But with the benefits come responsibilities on security and governance that common global standards can address,” said Philip Wennblom, Chairman of the INCITS Executive Board.

The INCITS study group will develop the U.S. positions for the talks. The group will focus on several key areas including work to:

• Identify market requirements and standardization gaps for the Internet of Things (IoT);
• Facilitate cooperation across economic sectors; and,
• Promote common U.S. and global standards for IoT and encourage them to be recognized and utilized by industry, government, and other standards-setting organizations

The INCITS IoT meeting will be held at the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) in Washington, D.C., on February 27, 2013, at 9:00 a.m. ET. Stakeholders wishing to participate in this effort should contact Barbara Bennett (bbennett@itic.org).

About INCITS

The InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) is the forum of choice for information technology developers, producers and users for the creation and maintenance of formal IT standards. INCITS is accredited by, and operates under rules approved by, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). INCITS is sponsored by the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), a global advocacy and policy organization that represents the world’s leading innovation companies.

Updates to the ANSI Z359 Fall Protection Code

Updates to the ANSI Z359 Fall Protection Code have significantly advanced fall protection standards as a whole as well as augmenting their utility in the workplace. Developed by an Accredited Standards Committee with the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) as the secretariat, the Z359 Fall Protection Code was developed to tie fall protection standards together, providing employers with the tools they need to develop, implement, and maintain fall protection programs.

Newly updated in 2012 is ANSI/ASSE Z359.0-2012 Definition and Nomenclature Used for Fall Protection and Fall Arrest. Available for free on the ANSI webstore, the standard establishes the scope for the Z359 Fall Protection Code as a whole, defines terminology and nomenclature, lists exceptions where the code is not applicable, and provides examples of the terminology as it will be used later in the code.

Also recently updated in 2012 is ANSI/ASSE Z359.14-2012 Self-Retracting Devices for Personal Fall Arrest and Rescue Systems, a standard dealing with the performance, design, qualification testing, markings and instructions, inspections, maintenance and storage, and removal from service of self-retracting devices (SRD). ANSI/ASSE Z359.14-2012 also deals with self-retracting lanyards (SRL), as well as SRLs with integral rescue capability (SRL-R) or leading edge capability (SRL-LE).

2011 marked the publication of ANSI/ASSE Z359.7-2011 Qualification and Verification Testing of Fall Protection Products, another free standard available on the ANSI webstore. Addressing qualification and verification for fall protection products covered elsewhere in the Z359 Fall Protection Code, the standard serves to assure those using fall protection programs that they are implemented according to code.

As the Z359 Fall Protection Code repeatedly cautions, these standards are not applicable for other uses such as window cleaner belts, sports-related activities, rescue and evacuation, or any other systems that incorporate horizontal lifelines or personal protective systems, even if they share components or subsystems that the Z359 Fall Protection Code does address.

Emergency Preparedness

Property damage in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut caused by Hurricane Sandy is still being evaluated. The New York Times reported estimates of $30 to $50 billion of losses due to the storm. Roads and offices were closed. Tunnels were flooded, homes destroyed. Train service and electricity were disrupted. Raw sewage and oil spilled into waterways, mold grew on walls, construction debris was carried away out to sea and far inland.

Talk has turned to cleanup and preparation for whatever comes next. Ready.gov advises, "be informed, make a plan, build a kit for disasters, get involved and prepare your business."

The ANSI Homeland Security Standards Database provides centralized access to standards critical to the jobs of first responders, code officials and others charged with maintaining pubic safety.

Emergency preparedness standards are organized in categories:

Emergency Preparedness and Response 

•    Incident Management 
•    Communications 
•    Training 
•    Personal Protective Equipment 
•    Urban Search and Rescue Robots 
•    Geospatial Information Standards 
•    Medical 
•    Equipment 
•    General

Other standards that pertain to construction and demolition, mold remediation, water damage restoration and inspection and cleanup, oil spills and health and safety are available on webstore.ansi.org.

For a time, lower Manhattan with its busy streets was dark, subways flooded, office workers walked to the office and waited on line for buses. This video discusses the impact of Sandy on foot traffic in NYC in the immediate aftermath of the storm and how it affected retail.

ANSI C136 Roadway Lighting Standards

The ANSI C136 Roadway Lighting Series of standards addresses the variety of possible solutions available when it comes to roadway and area lighting. Without dictating the exact products to use, ANSI C136 standards provide guidelines for interoperability between similar products; construction, performance, and dimensional specifications for lighting poles of varying materials and designs; and luminaire attachment features. With the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) as the secretariat, these standards represent the result of a consensus based process that strives to include all interested parties in the development of its standards.

Standardization in roadway lighting is important precisely due to the plethora of options available to those designing lighting systems. While replacing one luminaire with a different one is not by itself a problem, care must be taken to avoid potential mishaps such as keeping the lighting distribution the same so that the existing pole and mounting systems remain adequate to illuminate the area, and to avoid affecting visibility by being too bright in certain locations or angles; to be sure that the new luminaires fit the existing mounting system and that the mounting system is strong enough to support the new luminaires; and to keep maintenance procedures as unaffected as possible.

Ranging from broad standards that apply regardless of the technology used such as ANSI C136.15, Luminaire Field Identification, which provides a simple, uniform method for identifying the type and wattage rating of luminaires in the field, to more specific standards that address a particular technology, like the new ANSI C136.37, Solid State Light Sources, the ANSI C136 series covers a wide range of possibilities. Other broad ranging standards, such as ANSI C136.25, Ingress Protection, address how protected luminaire enclosures are from their environment with regard to hazards such as dust, moisture, or solid objects. ANSI C136.28, Glass Lenses, covers flat and molded glass of soda-lime and borosilicate materials used as lenses, regardless of the technology behind the light source. Similarly without regard for the light source technology, ANSI C136.31, Luminaire Vibration, covers the capability of luminaires to withstand vibration and provide vibration test methods to that end.

Taken together, the ANSI C136 series of roadway and area lighting standards provides guidelines for a wide range of lighting situations, allowing for a variety of different solutions, all while linking them together and making the system more reliable as a whole.