Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

HVAC Makes Energy Usage Easy to Manage

  • 12/01/15
HVAC system

A quick installation and the ability to control energy usage made Mitsubishi Electric’s HVAC system an easy choice when it came time to replace an inefficient system at Screven Elementary School.

Screven Elementary School in Sylvania, Ga., serves 1,400 Pre-K to fifth-graders. The 143,000-square-foot facility was built in 1989. A renovation of the school in 2002 took care of many issues, but left a dated and inefficient HVAC system sorely needing replacement. A CITY MULTI Variable Refrigerant Flow (VRF) zoning system from Mitsubishi Electric US, Inc. Cooling & Heating Division (Mitsubishi Electric) provided an efficient, cost-saving solution.

The pipes of the building’s original water-source heat pump system eventually deteriorated. William Bland, superintendent, Screven County School System, says, “There was no question about the need for a renovation of the HVAC system at the elementary school.”

Pruett, Ford & Associates, Inc., Augusta, Ga., was called in to specify the system. Bob Pruett, partner, supported the choice of a Mitsubishi Electric system because “we felt it would be less maintenance.” If one part of the previous system needed to be serviced, the whole system had to be shut down. “The Mitsubishi Electric system is compartmentalized, though, so if you lose a compressor you might lose part of a system, but never the whole system,” says Pruett.

The installation, completed in less than 12 weeks, took place over the summer when school was not in session. Dixon says, “It went unbelievably. If there was a problem we made a phone call and someone was there — more times than not — within the same day. It was remarkable.”

The VRF system allows Preston Dees, director of school safety and energy manager, Screven County School System, to monitor and control the cooling and heating in each classroom. Dees says, “Now we’re on a control system and we can manage our energy usage.” Controlling energy usage throughout the school from a centralized controller offers ease and cost savings. The savings in the first two years post-renovation have been substantial.

www.mehvac.com

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

Featured

  • Round Rock ISD Completes New Early College High School

    Round Rock ISD near Austin, Texas, recently announced that construction is complete on a new, 46,500-square-foot campus for Early College High School, according to a news release. The new facility will allow the school’s students and staff to move from portables into a permanent building and increase its enrollment to 500.

  • Houston-Area High School Breaks Ground on 117,000SF Multi-Use Facility

    North Shore Senior High School, part of Galena Park ISD in Houston, Texas, recently broke ground on a new multi-use facility for student extracurriculars, according to a news release. The North Shore Multi-Use Facility will include dedicated practice and training space for the school’s athletics and fine arts programs.

  • Harvard Announces Replacement Facility for Native American Program

    Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., recently announced that construction will begin this spring on a new home for its Native American Program, according to university news. The 6,500-square-foot, all-electric building will stand three stories and serve as the central hub for the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP).

  • California K–12 District Finishes Renovations on Multi-Sport Stadium

    The Alameda Unified School District (AUSD) in Alameda, Calif., recently announced the completion of a renovation project on the Encinal Jr. & Sr. High School stadium, according to a news release. The district partnered with Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (QKA) and Bothman Construction on the facility, and funding came from Bond Measure B.