Author(s)

D. F. Dyer & C. O’Mary

Abstract

An energy evaluation at Russell Medical Center in Alexander City, Alabama was undertaken by the senior author as a part of a senior design class at Auburn University. Eight students (Chase O’Mary as their group leader) worked for eight months performing energy evaluations for all parts of the system. Based on their findings, recommendations for changes to reduce energy use and cost were made throughout the period. The largest savings were found in the following areas: Use of free cooling, consolidating chillers and boilers, better control of outside air, eliminating simultaneous heating and cooling, temperature reset, cooling tower optimization, setback in unoccupied zones, and control of evaporation from heated therapy pools. Partial implementation of these recommendations resulted in more than an actual 23% reduction in natural gas usage and a 40% reduction in electric usage. Detailed results from all these areas are presented. This project is being continued until present. Current focus is on determining causes for not sustaining initial improvements and better understanding of impediments to full implementation of recommendations as well as an update on the current status of the project. Keywords: energy audit, HVAC, chillers, boilers, cooling towers.

Keywords

energy audit, HVAC, chillers, boilers, cooling towers