TUCSON, AZ — Improvements in energy consumption in the chilled-water plant at the University of Arizona were significant enough in recent years that the electric utility felt it should check its metering equipment. Plant improvements led to an electric demand reduction in the magnitude of 2 MW.
At the same time, the new system is quieter, more reliable, and now pushes chilled water into buildings that previously received inadequate service. The improvements included new chiller plant equipment, an improved campus piping system, and improved central dispatch of equipment. The aggregate result of the system improvements is monthly energy savings up to $100,000.