International District Energy Association Announces New Chair, Board Members.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Robert Smith of RMF Engineering was elected 2007-2008 chair of the International District Energy Association at the annual meeting held yesterday during the organization's 98th Annual Conference & Trade Show in Scottsdale, Ariz. Eight members also were elected or re-elected to the 21-member board.

Smith is a vice president at RMF, a Baltimore-based consulting engineering firm specializing in the analysis, planning and design of complex buildings and campus utility generation and distribution systems. Smith has been an IDEA member since 1995 and has served on its board of directors since 2002.

Dennis Fotinos, Enwave Energy Corp. of Toronto, was elected vice chair; Juan Ontiveros, University of Texas at Austin, was elected second vice chair; and Thomas Guglielmi, NRG Thermal LLC, was re-elected secretary/treasurer. Gary Rugel, EVAPCO, will serve as immediate past chair. Newly elected and re-elected board members to serve three-year terms are James Adams, Cornell University; Paul Caldara, University of Colorado at Boulder; Gregg Coffin, University of Missouri-Columbia; Timothy Merrill, NRG Energy Center Pittsburgh; Tom Pierson, TAS Packaged Central Plants; David Toombs, Citizens Thermal Energy; Steve Tredinnick, Syska Hennessy Group. Mike Goff, Stanford University, was elected to complete a term for a retiring board member.

District energy is an efficient, environmentally responsible method of heating and cooling buildings. District energy systems product steam, hot water or chilled water at a central plant. The steam or water is then piped underground to individual buildings within a designated area for heating, cooling or use in industrial processes.

With headquarters outside of Boston, Mass., the 900-member IDEA was founded in 1909 comprises district heating and cooling executives, managers, engineers, consultants and equipment suppliers from 22 countries. Its core mission is to support the growth and utilization of district energy as a means to conserve fuel and increase energy efficiency to improve the global environment. For more on IDEA, go to www.districtenergy.org.

IDEA's 99th Annual Conference & Trade Show will be held in Orlando, Fla. The association will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2009 in Washington, D.C.