Research Interests:

Mr. Chasar is a registered Professional Engineer in the State of Florida. Since 1994, his work at the Florida Solar Energy Center has focused on energy efficiency and indoor air quality issues for buildings in hot and humid climates. Early work at FSEC included a comprehensive program to assess the impacts of increased ventilation (ASHRAE Standard 62-1989) on energy use, peak demand, HVAC equipment capacity, operating costs and indoor humidity levels for commercial and institutional buildings in Florida. Space conditioning technologies investigated included: heat pipe-assisted air conditioning, desiccant-enhanced air conditioning, alternate HVAC control strategies, thermal energy storage and enthalpy recovery wheels Mr. Chasar has presented over two-dozen workshops in Florida and the Caribbean targeting the requirements of constructing and maintaining buildings in humid climates where energy efficiency is often at odds with indoor health and comfort. Currently Dave is involved with the Building America, Industrialized Housing Project, which seeks to reduce energy use by 50% in modular and production housing while increasing indoor air quality and comfort. This involves finding cost-effective designs while documenting the results through data collection in the field. Results are passed on to manufacturers through plant visits and workshops.