HOUSTON - While many students associate the beginning of a school year with the end of summer, outside Texas temperatures suggest otherwise. To combat triple-digit August heat, school districts across the state recently tapped HTS Texas to supply energy-efficient, state-of-the-art cooling systems just in time for students’ arrival.

From Beaumont to Round Rock, HTS Texas supplied magnetic-bearing chillers, air handling units, and other large-scale HVAC systems to provide energy savings as well as cool classrooms for the districts.

“Building on our successful history of catering to schools - from the elementary to university level - we are delighted to meet the critical cooling needs of numerous school districts this summer,” said Mike Donovan, principal of HTS Texas. “Whether accommodating new construction or retrofitting older buildings, our tailored HVAC solutions often qualify schools for substantial tax and utility rebates.”

Among its summer installations, HTS Texas provided a stock McQuay Magnitude magnetic-bearing, water-cooled chiller to Cedar Valley Middle School of the Round Rock Intermediate School District (ISD). Because of the equipment’s reliability and cost, said HTS Texas, the district also was able to purchase a five-year extended warranty for the entire system, without exceeding its budget. The compact size of the chiller provided additional savings by allowing the team to complete the installation without demolition of the space or chiller tear-down. The district turned to HTS Texas to quickly provide the chiller when another HVAC supplier was unable to provide a customized solution in time for a summer installation.

The company also blanketed the eastern part of the state, providing high-tech chillers for 12 schools in the Conroe ISD, a long-standing HTS Texas client. Company technicians placed 12 McQuay air-handling units and a condensing unit at Washington Elementary; a McQuay air-cooled chiller with four rooftop units at Travis Elementary School; and two McQuay air-cooled chillers at The Woodlands Ninth Grade Center. Additionally, HTS Texas provided two oil-less, frictionless McQuay magnetic-bearing chillers at Washington Junior High School.

HTS Texas also provided 12 McQuay Vision air-handling units, seven Semco energy recovery ventilators (ERVs), 55 ETI fan-powered boxes and 18 McQuay Pathfinder air-cooled chillers for nine elementary schools in the Beaumont ISD this summer. The district purchased the systems in bulk to reduce costs and standardize the schools’ HVAC equipment. In addition to ensuring reduced energy consumption and limited maintenance for the system, the ERVs qualified the schools for a rebate from Entergy. The HTS Texas sales team worked closely with Long Architects, Harrison Kornberg Architects, HRE, Owen Taylor Engineering, Allco Engineering and Daniels Engineering in designing these systems.

A branch of HTS Texas in Austin, DXS Engineering, also replaced three older HVAC systems with one new, state-of-the-art Daikin heat pump at Andrews Elementary School in the Austin ISD. Because of the limited space available for the installation, this smaller equipment allowed flexibility for the DXS design team, in addition to lowering energy costs and maintenance needs for the school.

Finally, HTS Texas placed Munters Humidity Control Units (HCUs) at Brill Elementary, Klein Intermediate and Northampton Elementary Schools in the Klein ISD. These highly efficient systems pre-condition and dehumidify 100 percent outside air coming into the buildings, thereby significantly reducing the district’s energy costs. By selecting the Munters HCUs, the district was able to avoid expanding the schools’ central plants.

With four offices across the state, HTS Texas provides custom heating and cooling solutions to the commercial, industrial, institutional and residential markets. For more information, visit www.htseng.com.

Publication date: 08/23/2010