Mississippi State University Upgrades HVAC Technology and Benefits Bottom Line





By Dave Lubach, Associate Editor  
OTHER PARTS OF THIS ARTICLEPt. 1: This PagePt. 2: Mississippi State Converts Steam Plant to Condensing UnitsPt. 3: BAS Significant Part of Mississippi State University ProjectsPt. 4: Next Step to Savings for Missisippi State: Ice Storage Area


Like many institutional and commercial facilities around the country, Mississippi State University faced growing utility costs in the mid-2000s that forced maintenance and engineering managers to find new ways to do more with less.

In 2006, the university, located in Starkville, set a goal to reduce its energy consumption by 30 percent per square foot by 2016. So far, so good. The university has saved more than $25 million in electricity and natural gas and is well on its way to reaching its goal. The success has resulted from a series of retrofit projects — most notably, converting its central steam plant to high-efficiency hot-water condensing units. The projects also have added variable air volume (VAV) systems to its buildings and introduced building automation systems to campus as time and budgets allow.

"It's been pretty well documented that doing these types of things over time definitely impacts your bottom line," says J.D. Hardy, the university's associate director of utilities and an energy and mechanical engineer in facilities management in 2008, when the project started. "The cost avoidance is energy we would have otherwise spent if we had not taken the initiative to implement these changes and operate more effectively."


Continue Reading: Project Management: HVAC

Mississippi State University Upgrades HVAC Technology and Benefits Bottom Line

Mississippi State Converts Steam Plant to Condensing Units

BAS Significant Part of Mississippi State University Projects

Next Step to Savings for Missisippi State: Ice Storage Area



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  posted on 2/10/2014   Article Use Policy




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