The 18-month project which began in May includes a multitude of facility infrastructure improvements including the steam system infrastructure renovation, an advanced solar-thermal heating system for the swimming pool, central chilled water and steam plant improvements, building automation improvements, and ventilation and dehumidification improvements for the library.

Because plans call for partial decentralization of the steam heating plant and the implementation of other facility improvement measures to campus buildings, energy savings are projected to be significant. For example, natural gas consumption will be reduced 42.6 percent, which represents an annual equivalent savings of $706,204. Electricity consumption will be reduced 12.1 percent, creating some $563,909 in equivalent cost savings on top of reductions and savings that came from implementing Phase 1.

Siemens experience in delivering performance contracts to higher education institutions served to boost the confidence of school officials anxious about the ambitions of the project. “On many levels Siemens worked with the FAMU facilities personnel to help them understand that other universities with similar campus profiles in the southern United States have successfully decentralized their steam systems,” said Dave Hopping, vice president and building automation business unit lead for Siemens Building Technologies. “We worked closely with these schools so FAMU officials could see for themselves how well these improvements can work to increase efficiency.”

For more information, visit www.usa.siemens.com/buildingtechnologies.

Publication date: 9/3/2012