Higher Education Experience

The Convocation Center is more than 109,000 square feet under roof. The size of the facility and the diversity of its uses present a unique operational challenge. A large cooling load is needed when the Gore Arena is in use, but a small fraction of that cooling is necessary at most other times. The original 500-ton chiller could easily handle the cooling needs of a full-house arena event but was much less effective—and very inefficient—for other uses.

With more than 18,600 students and 2,500 faculty and staff, the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG) is the largest state university in the Piedmont Triad (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point). UNCG is situated on 210 picturesque acres and includes 30 academic buildings and 24 residence halls.

For over 50 years, St. Andrews University in Laurinburg, North Carolina, has fostered a “community of learners” for the benefit of its students. The University’s goal is that “what you learn both inside and outside the classroom creates a sense of intellectual and social engagement that will empower you to make a difference in your community, in your profession, and in the world.”

UNCW is reducing energy consumption, increasing efficiencies, and leveraging underutilized central plant assets as part of its conservation commitment and cost reduction efforts. However, aging equipment, obsolete building systems, and limited budgets were negatively impacting these efforts, leading to increased use and costs, and negatively impacting comfort.

More than 3,000 students each year pursue their educational, career, and personal goals at CCC. They have the luxury of choosing from 26 programs of study within which they can select from 50 associates degrees, 104 certificates, and 43 diplomas. The college administration and staff are proud of the college’s history and accomplishments, and they continue to look for ways to improve and advance the college. In 2015, their director of facilities identified an area where improvement and advancement could both be achieved.

ECU’s main campus has two central chiller plants that provide HVAC service to campus buildings. Both systems had been plagued for many years by low delta T syndrome, excessive chiller run time, constant volume distribution pumping, obsolete controls, and other operational and control deficiencies. These problems led to uncomfortable indoor environments for students and staff, and facilities staff that were run ragged trying to fix the problems by manually overriding the systems. Add to that the high energy costs of the systems and unnecessary stress on the equipment, the situation was quickly becoming critical.

Res Non Verba—Deeds Not Words—is FSU’s guiding motto. The university administration, faculty, and staff do all they can to live this out through their focus on outstanding education, civic service, and social responsibility. They also encourage their students to live this motto by inspiring them to set high expectations for themselves in their educational, personal, and community lives. FSU is proud of their students, who spend more than 50,000 hours each year helping local organizations such as public schools, youth clubs, and medical facilities

In 2010, the college administration reviewed the history and operating costs for their physical facilities and realized that inefficient and aging equipment at many of their buildings was driving energy costs upward each year. The same issues were also contributing to less than ideal indoor environments at their campuses. ECC also realized they needed help identifying creative ways to finance the needed upgrades.