Reprinted with permission from Performa Inc.'s Correctional Facility Blog.
By David Robillard
If you want to save energy in your facility, look at your HVAC system. You try to keep every piece of your equipment running until it breaks, so why not do the same with your HVAC system? Don’t think you’re cutting costs by ignoring it; it will actually cost you more in the end.
Maintain the HVAC system itself
• Change your filter
• Place the thermostats in the correct places
• Get your belts tightened
• Install the correct-sized filters
• Unclog coils
• Clean fan blades to increase air flow up to 50%
Prevent scale build-up
• This hidden factor can cause massive energy inefficiencies, because it is an insulator which significantly reduces heat-transfer. If scale build-up becomes as little as 0.6 mm, additional energy costs can be more than $30,000 per year.*
• Treat scale build-up with a chemical or non-chemical program. Just make sure that the treatment program can take care of scale, corrosion and microbiological control.
Retrofit your HVAC system
If your central plant utilizes boiler and chillers for heating and cooling, consider retrofitting the HVAC mechanical system with pressure independent valves. Savings on utility costs have been shown to be within 35-45% within two years. If you’re building new, have these valves installed right away and enjoy low utility costs from the get-go.
Correctional Complex in Norfolk, Virginia, upgraded their system by installing a complex-wide energy management and control system. They also installed steam trap upgrades and replaced two 1,500-horsepower steam plants with the expectation of a positive ROI.
California has also done some major overhauling to their corrections facilities because of the governor’s bill that was passed. To see a list of facilities and their energy construction costs and annual savings, click here.
David Robillard is the President of Performa’s Justice Program. He has worked with numerous local, county, state, federal agencies and private sector clients, providing them with strategic business, land and facilities consulting services.
David’s 25 years of commitment and dedication to justice work has allowed him to be a strategic resource, helping clients achieve their goals by bringing to them the most recent organizational, operational and functional standards/guidelines and industry trends. He is personally involved in technical studies in the areas of design guidelines, proto-type facility models, site master planning, needs assessment, architectural programming and design.