University Medical Research Facility Cuts Energy Consumption
A private Nashville university dramatically cut energy use in its chilled water plant, saving costs without disrupting over one million square feet of medical research space.
1,400,000
kWh saved annually
2.5
year payback
location
Nashville, TN
size
1M+ Sq Ft.
industry
Higher Ed
The Problem: Inefficient Legacy Systems
Outdated Technology Leading To Excessive Energy Consumption
Maintaining optimal environmental conditions for the university’s million-square-foot medical research facility had become increasingly challenging with the existing cooling infrastructure. The plant struggled during peak demand periods, particularly in sensitive medical research areas requiring precise temperature control. The Primary/Secondary systems suffered from “low ΔT syndrome,” reducing chiller capacity and forcing the activation of additional equipment to meet cooling demands.
For the medical research laboratories, maintaining proper environmental conditions was essential for research integrity and experimental validity. The system’s low chilled water temperature differential and high kW/ton ratio resulted in excessive energy consumption, while the existing building automation system lacked optimization sequences, forcing equipment to run at higher-than-necessary capacities regardless of actual cooling needs.
The Solution: Strategic System Transformation
Smart Upgrades Implemented During Regular Operations
The university partnered with tekWorx to implement their Xpress® optimization solution, achieving substantial efficiency benefits while minimizing disruption to critical research activities.
The Xpress® system utilized a supervisory architecture that receives operating data from the existing building automation system and sends optimization-derived setpoints back for execution. These sophisticated algorithms continuously adjust equipment operation based on parameters such as occupancy level and outdoor temperature to maximize system efficiency in real-time while maintaining the precise environmental conditions required for medical research.
Our team was impressed by how smoothly the optimization progressed without interruption to our campus or research operations.”
Physical Plant Manager
the results
Major Energy and Financial Benefits
The optimization project delivered extraordinary results while maintaining uninterrupted operations throughout the academic year:
- Annual energy consumption decreased by over 1,400,000 kWh, representing a significant reduction in the institution’s carbon footprint
- System efficiency improved by 0.20 kW/ton, translating to $84,000 in annual energy savings
- Project achieved an impressive 2.5 year payback period on investment
Beyond the financial impact, the optimization brought meaningful operational improvements:
- Enhanced chilled water flow enabled higher building space temperatures
- Pumps now operate in their most efficient range, reducing wear and maintenance requirements
- Xpress® energy dashboard provides staff with real-time and historical performance data
- Improved visibility allows quick identification of energy waste and equipment problems