GREENVILLE, Fla. (April 1, 2003) – The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP), a NASA-funded outreach program, has helped a local, 101-year-old Victorian bed and breakfast inn with its heating problems while preserving the hotel’s historic character.
     David Nusbickel, vice president and treasurer of the historic register Grace Manor Bed and Breakfast Inn, was having problems with the inn’s central heat and air system, resulting in higher power bills. In addition, Nusbickel could not make any major modifications to the historic inn in order to preserve its authenticity.
The inn, with two open stairwells and 11-foot ceilings, rapidly lost heat generated on the first floor. The rising heat would affect the thermostats on the second floor, “fooling” the upper level system into thinking it was warmer than it was. An HVAC professional had proposed that Nusbickel to upgrade his five-ton air handler to a "gas-pack" system with gas-heated forced air delivery, a significant expense that would have treated the first floor symptoms, rather than correct the cause of the problem.
     Unable to come up with an affordable, aesthetic solution himself, Nusbickel contacted SATOP after seeing an article about its services in the local newspaper.
SATOP arranged for David Dai, an engineer with GB Tech, a SATOP
Alliance Partner in Houston, Texas, to assess Nusbickel’s Request for Technical Assistance (RTA).
     Dai recommended monitoring the temperature on all floors of the inn, the installation of a reverse air circulation system and the construction of a passive thermodynamic insulator between each floor. “These adjustments will control the flow of air and improve the overall balance of temperature of the inn throughout the entire year,” said Dai.
     Inspired by Dai’s suggestions, Nusbickel’s wife, Tammy, conducted her own research and came up with the idea of hanging heavy curtains across the openings of the stairways. Once the design was in place, Tammy Nusbickel was able to purchase, sew and hang the ornate material within two days.
     “Overall, our comfort level has improved, and our fuel costs appear to be lower, despite a harsher winter.” David Nusbickel said. “We are very grateful to SATOP for sharing its valuable resources with local businesses that can not afford these professional services in the open market.”