HVAC Breaking News

Aug. 9, 2005: PowerCold Selected For Distributed Energy Application Integration

LARGO, Fla. - PowerCold Corp. announced that it has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for a unique distributed energy systems application integration. The Gas Technology Institute (GTI), Preventive Maintenance Services Inc. (PMSI), Southwest Gas, and Nevada Power will be participating in a program designed to test, verify, and demonstrate integrated energy-efficient technologies with a combined heat and power (CHP) system at a new Wingate Inn and Suites Hotel in Henderson, Nev. The DOE is granting the funding for the CHP project. The facility is expected to be one of the most energy-efficient hotels ever built in the United States.

The Henderson Wingate Inn and Suites is a three-story hospitality center that features a 100-room hotel, meeting rooms, restaurant, indoor swimming pool, and hot tub. The hotel will utilize PowerCold's patented four-pipe HVAC system and a 150 kWh combined heat and power plant to supply space heating, hot water, cooling, and electric power to the facility.

Wingate owner Steve Sparks commented, "The Henderson Wingate Inn and Suites demonstrates a renewed commitment to sustainable design and signals a fundamental shift away from conventional design and construction. Owners who incorporate these integrated energy systems into their new hotel designs will have a competitive advantage and will benefit from higher performance facilities that not only provide superior guest comfort but also conserve energy and reduce operating costs and risks."

PowerCold has provided a pre-engineered system design that includes a low-emission natural gas generator, domestic hot water station, chiller plant, and interconnecting ductwork. The proposed integrated energy system is expected to reduce power consumption by approximately 700,000 kWh per year and reduce peak demand by 240 kWh in comparison to electric packaged terminal air conditioners (PTACs), which are commonly used for a hotel of this size.

Robert Yoho, president of PowerCold ComfortAir Solutions Inc., stated, "The cogeneration system is designed to provide hot water from the generator's rejected waste heat at no additional cost to the hotel. The CHP system will also include a remote monitoring system that provides local and remote monitoring and control from the Internet, instantaneous forwarding of product alarms, storage of product data and alarm history in a central database, and an Internet portal which facilitates connection to a remote Web site and allows database queries and reports."

Yoho added, "PowerCold's unique patented HVAC system will recycle the hotel exhaust air and transfer heating or cooling to the incoming outside air through its BreezeMasterâ„¢ plastic evaporative coolers. The individual guest rooms and common areas are furnished with clean, fresh air. This system can reduce the need for approximately 12 to 15 tons of air conditioning equipment for the hotel."

The combined system is said to provide higher efficiency and lower operating costs than the more traditional separate power generation and HVAC systems. The integrated energy system is also designed with operational flexibility that allows both grid-connect mode and stand-alone capabilities. If the main power grid is down for 30 minutes, the integrated energy system is capable of supplying full power to the hotel for as long as the main grid is down.

One goal of this project is to provide the traditionally risk-adverse building community with confirmation that integrated systems are technically and commercially viable alternatives to traditional power and HVAC products. The benefits proven by the Wingate installation will be publicized to the building community through on-site visits, literature, and presentations to professional societies.

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