First established in 1939, the Energy Systems Laboratory (ESL) is the official testing laboratory for the Home Ventilating Institute. For more than 50 years, this independent, certified laboratory at the Texas A&M University Riverside Campus has served air conditioning and fan manufacturers across the nation and abroad. Its well-earned reputation -- for tests conducted to industry standards, for equipment traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology and for quick response to clients' needs -- has made the ESL a preferred research facility among industry leaders.
The Energy Systems Lab continues to improve its capabilities for fan air flow research and its testing certification program for axial and centrifugal fans, blowers, evaporative coolers, cooling tower fans and similar air flow equipment. Originally called the Fan Test Laboratory, the lab was renamed in 1985 to better represent its expanding environmental research capabilities, which now include research on air conditioners and heat pumps, buildings, flow meters, noise and fires.
During last two decades, the ESL was expanded to include the Building Energy Analysis Division (BEAD), which is responsible for research in and development of building energy analysis technology. The BEAD has expanded rapidly while its faculty, engineers, computer professionals, technicians, and graduate students have taken on several very large projects, from the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, the US Department Defense, and the Texas State Government. The ESL currently has an annual income for research and testing in excess of $4.5 million.
|