Product Solutions
Oct 1, 2008 12:00 PM
New Products/Case Studies
Planning a payback
Heat mirror insulating glass saves high school 40 percent in annual energy costs
Southwall Technologies, Inc.
Manheim Township High School, Lancaster, Pa., which consists of renovated and newly constructed buildings totaling 40,100 square feet, is expected to qualify for LEED silver certification, in part because of its extensive use of suspended-film insulating glass.
By using suspended-film insulating glass, project engineers were able to specify a smaller HVAC system, which provided considerable cost savings. Specifying suspended-film insulating glass cost the school about three times that of generic low-e glass, but saved 40 percent in annual energy costs. The payback is 11.5 years. Factoring in a $90,000 savings by being able to specify a smaller HVAC system reduces the payback to 6.5 years.
The thermal and solar shading performance of suspended-film insulating glass enables glazing solutions that can achieve up to 21 LEED credits, or 54 percent and 40 percent of the total required credits for gold and platinum certification, respectively.
Circle 161 for more information freeproductinfo.net/asu
Time crunch
Solvent cement joining system for plumbing in new residence halls saves labor costs and keeps project on schedule
Lubrizol Advanced Materials
To accommodate a projected 3,900 additional students, The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, part of a five-campus system, launched a massive project to construct six new residence halls in less than eight months.
Each of the six buildings houses 239 bathrooms — a total of 1,434. The plumbing portion of the project alone was estimated at $11 million, and between 80 and 100 union plumbers were required on the job site working together to meet the tight completion deadlines. The contractors assigned to the job knew that copper pipe was not an option because it requires more time and labor for installation.
The plumbers used Corzan CPVC pipe and fittings for the mains and risers in 2˝-inch, 3-inch and 4-inch sizes. FlowGuard Gold CPVC pipe and fittings were used for the branch lines leading to the individual residence hall rooms. The labor savings realized by using Corzan and FlowGuard Gold CPVC pipe and fittings resulted primarily from the solvent cement joining system, which eliminates the need for soldering. Installation and cleanup are fast and easy.
Additionally, FlowGuard Gold and Corzan CPVC pipe provide superior thermal properties, translating into improved energy efficiency and less condensation. Both also provide a quieter plumbing system. Equally important, neither FlowGuard Gold nor Corzan CPVC pipe will pit, scale or corrode. This minimizes maintenance concerns, increases system service life, and enhances performance reliability.
Circle 162 for more information ■ freeproductinfo.net/asu
Efficient operations
Equipment upgrades and conservation strategies result in million-dollar savings
Johnson Controls
The Oklahoma State University (OSU) Center for Veterinary Health Sciences (CVHS), Stillwater, sought ways to optimize energy use and decrease its monthly energy spending. It worked with Johnson Controls to assess facility conditions and identify areas that could operate more efficiently.
The university used capital-planning management software to maintain data and forecast long-term spending. The result was a 20-year performance contract, which enabled OSU to fund the facility upgrades with the expected energy savings they would experience over the course of the contract that amounted to more than $9 million.
Facility improvements included replacing inefficient heating and air-conditioning units, installing occupancy sensors and high-efficiency windows, and retrofitting plumbing equipment to optimize water use. Based on a utility bill comparison, the project already has delivered more than $154,000 in operational savings during the installation period.
“Even before we had all of our systems operational, we could see our utility bills decreasing,” says Michael Lorenz, dean of the CVHS.
In less than two years, the amount of energy saved by the project equaled what would be consumed by 175 single-family homes. The amount of water conserved could fill 18 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Circle 163 for more information ■ freeproductinfo.net/asu
