Product Solutions
Jan 1, 2009 12:00 PM
New products/case studies.
Carbon-neutral vision
Illinois college aims to be state's first self-sustaining college by 2012
Control Technology and Solutions (CTS)
Leaders at Lake Land College, Mattoon, Ill., were determined to install a campuswide geothermal power system to reach their goal of becoming Illinois' first self-sustaining college by 2012.
The college is working closely with Control Technology and Solutions (CTS) to achieve its vision through a four-phase, five-year plan, which started in 2008. A campuswide geothermal power system, along with solar panels and wind turbines, will save the school 850,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity and 70,000 therms of natural gas annually, for a carbon reduction of 556 metric tons each year.
Phase I, completed in 84 days during the 2008 summer break, included installation of the central plant's 12-inch-diameter heat pump diversification loop, running 3,000 feet around the circle-shaped campus perimeter. The closed-loop geothermal heat-pump system works by piping water deep into the earth via wells that capture the earth's heat in winter and dissipate heat in summer.
The geothermal system alone will cut energy demand by 40 percent and reduce electricity use by at least 580,000 kWh. At project completion, the goal is for the system to supply 100 percent of the campus' heating and cooling.
"Our solution is clean and quiet, moving the proper amount of air," says Raymond E. Rieck, vice president for business services. "Students and teachers have been delighted by the move from hot and dark spaces with stale air to cool, well-lit classrooms. That helps the college better fulfill its mission."
Select the January 2009 issue RSN number 170 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
Simultaneous savings
Large-scale roof installation at Ohio school district saves money and reduces environmental impact
West Development Group (WDG)
The Berea City School District near Cleveland, Ohio, began a program to reduce energy consumption in its 11 buildings. Among other improvements, the district re-roofed its buildings using the System 14 Silicone Roof System and spray polyurethane foam (SPF), with a minimum insulation factor of R-11.
The project included 522,595 square feet of new roof, with 385,000 square feet of roof removal — all of which had to be completed within eight weeks. Most of the buildings required 1.5 inches of WDG SPF and a 20-mil solvent-free base coat. Using solvent-free silicone prevented the release of about 3,000 gallons of solvent into the atmosphere — enough petroleum to drive a car around the world three times.
The SPF's high-insulating properties will provide substantial energy savings over the life of the roofs. The manufacturing process, which uses WDG's R2R Roof-to-Roof process, provides additional environmental benefits. In this process, about 20 percent of the silicone consists of recycled EPDM from old roof tear-offs, saving tons of EPDM from going to landfills. Nearly 10,000 square feet of the EPDM roofing that was removed from Berea City Schools is being recycled into new roofing products for other projects.
The EPDM also adds to the desired physical properties of the silicone coating, such as formulation for exposure to harsh outdoor environments such as UV rays, ozone, water and ice.
Ohio law requires that upgrades to school buildings must result in energy savings that pay for the upgrades within 10 years. So far, the district's energy savings goals are being met, and the district is on schedule to meet the state's requirement.
Select the January 2009 issue RSN number 171 on AS&U's Product Information site for more information.
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