The campus-wide Energy Project modernized the way the majority of buildings on campus are heated and cooled. The 3-phase project, which began in 2016 and finished in 2021, converted the existing steam-based heating and cooling system to a more efficient hot/chilled water system. The drastic renovation changed the energy distribution across campus and improved efficiency at the Power Plant building.

The reason for this change was two-fold:

  • The original system was nearing the end of its useful life. Many system components were 30 years or older. Equipment often needed 24/7 operators to maintain basic operations and the state of constant and continuous repair and maintenance was costly to the University.
  • The original system was inefficient. The amount of heat and energy lost in transit from the source (the Power Plant building) to the designated site was significant. So much so, that more energy was generated at the source to compensate for this loss to the environment.

The University selected a water-based system to increase efficiency and lower operating costs. Compared to steam, water is supplied at lower temperatures requiring less energy to heat buildings and less energy lost through radiation and convection.

Scope

The general scope of this project included the replacement of old steam boilers with high-efficiency hot water boilers, the installation of a new central chiller plant, and the installation of below-grade piping to distribute utilities to all campus buildings. This enabled the removal of hundreds of small scale boilers and pumps in individual buildings, all of which required high levels of maintenance and operations. The plan was divided into three components: improving the heating of the buildings, improving the cooling of the buildings, and renovations to the Power Plant building.
  • Improvements to heating: the aging central steam plant and distribution system was replaced with an energy-efficient, state-of-the-art central heating water system. The new system includes high-efficiency condensing boilers, variable flow distribution pumps, and an optimized control system. Direct buried and highly insulated steel piping with digital leak detection now deliver hot and chilled water to campus buildings.
  • Improvements to cooling included a new central chiller plant to produce and provide chilled water to campus buildings, replacing numerous stand-alone chillers in buildings that are air conditioned. In buildings that are not yet air conditioned, the connection to the new chilled water plant will enable air conditioning to be installed more easily over time and as funding allows. Designed to achieve current standards for sustainable design, the new cooling system consists of variable flow centrifugal chillers, cooling towers with gray water usage, pumps, and new digital control systems. A 15,000 gallon stormwater harvesting cistern and filtration system collects rainwater for use as gray water in the cooling tower. With the average rainfall of 40.78 inches per year and a stormwater capture area of 10,630 square feet, the expected water savings are 270,226 gallons (36,124 cubic feet) per year.
  • Renovation of the Power Plant: Originally constructed in 1910, the Power Plant building houses the new modern heating water system and the new central chiller plant. The project included new "smart" electrical infrastructure and system control upgrades to support the new central heating and cooling systems. An energy-efficient emergency generator was installed outside the power plant to provide back-up power in the event of a loss of power on campus. The Energy Project also features an autonomous system that continuously tracks the state of the machine as well as the system. Therefore 24-hour operators are no longer required because the system provides live updates of the state of the machine from anywhere it is accessible.

Campus Impact

The Energy Project included installation of the utility lines, which required the construction of 12' wide and 6-8' trenches below existing roadways and greenspaces. The design and construction teams planned utility routes to minimize campus disturbance. Most buildings were connected to the new heating and chilled water loop. Some buildings, such as Opus Hall and Father O’Connell Hall, cannot run on a heating/chilled water system. Rather than remove the current systems, it is decidedly cheaper and less invasive for these specific buildings to have mini, modern and easily maintainable steam boilers. Also, a few buildings on north campus such as the DuFour Center and the facilities grounds center that have dedicated, high efficiency hot and chilled water systems remain unconnected to the new utility loop for now.

The Triple Bottom Line

The Energy Project is projected to dramatically boost energy and water efficiency on campus. The design estimates indicate that the new heating water system is expected to save the University 10,401 million BTUs of natural gas each year and the chilled water system has the potential to save 616,478 kWh each year. Water conservation measures are expected to save 7,093,482 gallons of water each year. In addition to these significant energy and water savings, the Energy Project enables real-time adjustments to the heating/cooling system on campus via the autonomous system and sets a precedent of sustainability for future campus projects.

Thanks to the Energy Project, Catholic U community members have access to more comfortable spaces to live, learn, work, and play.