Operations Division FY20 Annual Report

COME RAIN, SLEET, OR COVID THE PRODUCTION OF
STEAM AND CHILLED WATER MUST GO ON
Through an uncertain year, Utilities continued
to work 24/7 in order to keep campus up and
running
While campus has been quieted the last nine months, staff at the
Central Heating and Cooling Plants have been on site, masked up
and keeping the boilers and chillers fired up!
Behind the scenes 24/7 and 365 days/year the Utilities Department
is on campus to provide heating and cooling to the approximately
10 million square feet of main campus, HSC, and UMC.
While this past year has been a challenge it has provided the plants
unique opportunity to fine tune their operational efficiencies.
Buildings full of occupants don’t respond well to change and during
what we would consider a normal semester, setpoints are simply
put in place and the plants more or less run on cruise control. This
approach allows for smooth sailing but not necessarily the charting
of a better course.
The past months have allowed plant staff to test various operating
matrices to determine sweet spots that continue to meet the needs
of campus with measurable cost savings in electricity and natural
gas. Small adjustments can mean big dollars, in one month alone
$70,000 in savings was attained.
As life slowly returns to normal and Red Raiders return to campus,
we are excited to apply what we’ve learned during this time!
Reduction in Cost to Operate
CHACPS (per Ton Hours)
25