Project Highlights
Location: New York
Products Used: Energy Management & Controls, Energy Storage Solutions, Chillers, Air Handling Solutions,
Services Used: Energy Analysis & Monitoring, Energy Efficiency Contracting, Upgrading,
Topic: Efficiency, Cost-Saving, Optimal Comfort,

Challenge
The James McVean College Center, one of Jefferson Community College’s eight permanent buildings, houses offices, space for music instruction, a dance studio, dining facilities, a fitness center, the 478-seat Sturtz Theater, and a large multipurpose gymnasium, used for athletics and other events, such as the college’s graduation ceremonies. While a perfect venue for a variety of college activities, the aging McVean Center was in need of serious renovation. Originally built without air conditioning, a combination of direct expansion split systems and window air-conditioning units had been installed in portions of the building over many years. The college wanted to centralize cooling to improve efficiency and increase comfort for its students, faculty and guests, all on a limited budget.
Solution
Jefferson Community College consulted with its engineer regarding
the needed upgrades. While the college wished to increase its cooling
capacity by more than fifty tons, adding electrical capacity would
require a substantial, and costly, utility upgrade that could
jeopardize project approval. One way to add cooling without extra
power: increase system efficiency. In addition, the engineer did not
want to place an undue burden on a reduced facility staff. A
water-cooled system would require water treatment and additional
equipment to be maintained, while an air-cooled system might not be
efficient enough. The engineer suggested a chilled-water plant with
ice storage and requested competitive bids.
Trane
proposed the EarthWise™ Ice-Enhanced Air-Cooled Chiller Plant. Based
on previous experience with Trane, both the college and the engineer
knew they could rely on Trane as a single source for professional
consultation, systems and services. The engineer was also thrilled
with the simplicity of the system design. Trane was selected to
partner with the college and the engineer on the upgrade.
A simple, highly efficient, quiet design
With a pre-engineered standard system configuration, integrated
with a system controller and operator interface, the Trane EarthWise™
Ice-Enhanced Air-Cooled Chiller Plant simplifies the design and
implementation of a system typically considered complicated. A 90-ton
CGAM air-cooled scroll chiller, supplemented by four CALMAC IceBank®
thermal energy storage tanks and a Trane system completion module,
serve the desired 200-ton peak cooling capacity, with increased
comfort and a better learning environment.
Managing peak demand
The EarthWise Ice-Enhanced Air-Cooled Chiller Plant builds ice
at night during off-peak hours when the building cooling and power
load is low. Shifting the time when cooling is created allows the
college to take advantage of lower-cost, off-peak electricity, as well
as milder outdoor conditions for improved system efficiency. During
the day, the ice and the chiller work together to cool the facility.
The ice tanks and the downsized chiller help the college manage peak
electrical demand and avoid a costly substation upgrade.
Optimizing performance
Building operators use a Tracer™ SC controller to manage the
EarthWise System. With a click of a button, facility managers can
monitor equipment, make set-point changes, manage alarms and decide
whether to melt, make or preserve ice. Tracer SC dashboard screens
make reporting and programming adjustments simple, at a workstation or
with remote access via devices such as smartphones or tablets. The
campus uses Tracer ES™ software to integrate the variety of control
systems currently in use at the college and help them
make
enterprise-wide decisions.
Results
A Trane EarthWise Ice-Enhanced Air-Cooled Chiller Plant has allowed
the Jefferson Community College to nearly double its cooling capacity
while decreasing utility costs. The efficient system provides the
college with load shifting flexibility to help manage peak demand,
avoid a costly electrical substation upgrade, and take advantage of
lower cost off-peak electricity. Comfort has been enhanced, and with
the chillers working mainly at night and further away from occupants,
sound levels have been reduced.
“We haven’t fully tested
the chillers to see what kind of loads they can handle. In most
instances so far, we have been able to use ice-only to cool the
facility,” said Bruce Alexander, Director of Facilities, Jefferson
Community College. "We want any renovation we do to be as ’green’
as possible. The EarthWise system is aligned with our green
initiatives."
“Overall our utility bills have gone
down," said Dan Dupee, Vice President for Administration and
Finance, Jefferson Community College. “Trane has been very responsive
and great to work with."