This project was to reduce the need for burning coal to fulfill the campus steam energy demand, by reducing the steam load at the Main Library.  The Library’s annual utility expense is almost $1.3 million with steam accounting for $775,000 of it. Much of the steam distribution equipment is original and in need of replacement. 

This project was initiated after the F&S Retrocommissioning (RCx) team completed RCx.  The RCx report includes a nice summary of the Main Library’s systems:

“The Main Library houses several departmental library collections as well as study rooms, computer stations, classrooms, offices, and reading rooms. The Main Library that stands today was originally built in three sections with the first, second, and third sections being completed in 1923, 1925, and 1927. The facility has regularly scheduled hours, closing typically by 11pm. There are 27 constant volume air handling units (AHUs) which condition the building. The building’s cooling needs are met by the campus chilled water loop, while the heat in the building is provided by a combination campus steam and hydronic systems. AHUs and heating systems have Siemens PXC and MEC DDC control, while the reheat and radiation devices are pneumatically controlled.”

From RCx online report