Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Energy Infrastructure Upgrade to Save Georgia Tech $11.7M

  • By Matt Jones
  • 01/26/22

Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Ga., recently partnered with facility energy solutions provider ABM Industries to upgrade campus STEM labs—and save about $11.7 million across ten years in the process.

The university discovered that about 30 percent of campus energy use came from 5 percent of its square footage. After identifying that campus lab spaces were consuming such a high proportion of energy, it set about looking for ways to cut lab space energy cost, reduce its carbon footprint and provide safe and reliable working environments.

According to a news release, an energy savings performance contract with ABM led to the decision to upgrade fume hood controls for about 140 lab spaces around campus with no upfront cost. During the 2020 fiscal year, the project reduced energy consumption in two campus buildings—the ES&T and UA Whitaker science buildings—by 73.7 percent and 52.7 percent, respectively. It also surpassed the guaranteed utility cost savings with an additional reduction of $173,167.

The fume hoods and snorkels have new safety controls that help improve the cost-effectiveness of proper ventilation and increase reliability. On-site technicians also now receive real-time data that allows them to respond to performance issues that could decrease airflow or result in potentially expensive downtime. The collective set of data also allows for ease of preventative maintenance to optimize performance.

Georgia Tech Energy Infrastructure Upgrade

The installation also meant coordinating with research teams around campus to minimize disruption to millions of dollars’ worth of ongoing research project. ABM coordinated with Georgia Tech leadership, Environmental Health and Safety, lab safety officers and research teams to complete the necessary work in each given lab space in less than a week.

“This project required a high level of coordination among a wide range of stakeholders to balance safety, functionality and efficiency while conforming to a very tight design and construction schedule,” said Greg Spiro, Senior Mechanical Engineer, Design and Construction at the Georgia Institute of Technology. “The ABM team completed construction ahead of schedule and the project has helped reduce energy usage.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Agricultural Sciences Complex has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Rethinking K-12 Schools as a Continuous Learning Experience

    Most students move through three or more separate facilities during their K-12 journey, yet the built environments they encounter at each stage have traditionally been designed in isolation, with little continuity in spatial language, learning philosophy, or physical resources. Each new school is a reset with different layouts, learning models, expectations, and ways of moving through a building. The next generation of school design is making the case that the first day of kindergarten and the last day of high school can and should feel connected through common support systems and infrastructure in the physical environment.

  • school building with glowing circuit board patterns

    AI Is Coming to Schools — But Most School Buildings Still Run on Institutional Memory

    As school districts race to introduce AI into classrooms, administration, and curriculum planning, another conversation is happening behind the scenes: How prepared are school facilities themselves for the operational demands AI will create?

  • R.I. District Holds Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for New Elementary School

    Cranston Public Schools in Cranston, R.I., recently announced the completion of Gladstone Elementary School, according to a news release. The 100,000-square-foot facility serves as a replacement for the 1950s-era former building, and it consolidates the student, faculty, and staff populations of Gladstone and Arlington Elementary Schools.