Facilities Master Plan - 2012 - Chesapeake College

Chesapeake College January 2012 Facilities Master Plan UpdateCHAPTER 5: WYE MILLS: CAMPUS-WIDE MECHANICAL,ELECTRICAL,TECHNOLOGY SYSTEMSMECHANICAL SYSTEMSEXISTING CONDITIONSThe 2011 Master Facilities Plan includes evaluations of the existing buildings on the main Wye Mills Campus exceptfor buildings renovated or constructed since the 2003 5-Year Facilities Master Plan Update. These buildings, whichare not included in this analysis, are: Kent Humanities, Learning Resource Center, Dorchester AdministrationBuilding, Caroline College Center, Talbot Science Building, Todd Performing Arts Center and Eastern Shore HigherEducation Center.GENERAL ANALYSISENERGY COSTSPrevious analysis in the 2003 Facilities Master Plan Update determined that electricity costs were about 2.25 timesthe cost of No. 2 fuel oil as an energy source for heating. Based on the magnitude of energy costs for heating, itwas determined that the capital costs for boilers, stacks, pumps, fuel storage, etc., probably could not be justifiedover the continued use of electricity as the primary heating energy source.Analysis on subsequent projects, involving either new construction or renovation, determined that a geothermal heatpump system was the most cost-effective system for heating and cooling the buildings on Campus. The geothermalsystem has become the preferred system on Campus for space conditioning. And, indeed, as long as the real-estateis available for the well fields and the well fields can be placed in a manner that will not hinder future development onsite, the continued use of geothermal systems is encouraged, thus providing a substantial contribution to sustainabledesign on Campus.Factors which have contributed to the success and popularity of the geothermal systems on Campus are:Requires less ceiling space than conventional ducted VAV systems, which integrates better with the lowfloor-to-floor heights in the existing buildings.Utilizes energy recovery units as part of the system design, thus reducing loads related to ventilation air.The result is a very efficient building.The simplicity of the system and its operation.Ease of control and controllability.The overall efficiency of the system and its use of a renewable energy source - thus a “green” design withsustainability.5‐1