Squeezed between soaring utility costs and a fixed budget, Seminole Community College in Sanford, Fla., made the decision to upgrade its HVAC systems by engaging in a Performance Agreement for Comfort from Trane (PACTâ„¢). The school, with 30,000 students, expects to save between $400,000 and $500,000 annually in utility costs, thanks to reduced energy consumption.

PACT consists of a package of products and services customized to specific building requirements and designed to deliver significant cost reductions in energy, water, and operations. The energy savings achieved will help pay for the facility enhancements and renovations included in the contract with Seminole for its Sanford/Lake Mary and Oviedo campuses.

As part of the planned renovation, Trane will provide the following:

  • Two 400-ton Trane helical rotary (RTHD) chillers for comfort cooling.

  • Twenty-four Calmac® thermal energy storage tanks for reducing on-peak electrical demand.

  • Two Trane cooling towers for efficient open loop system operation.

  • Twenty-two Trane variable frequency drives and upgrading and commissioning the controls for Seminole.

  • Two adaptive frequency drives (AFDs) for added efficiency in existing centrifugal chillers.

    Other upgrades are slated, including plumbing, lighting, waste management, and water treatment.

    "Seminole Community College had some major operational budget concerns," said Marty Hardin, team leader, Trane Services. "Its utility bills were going up, and they weren't getting any more money from the state to pay their bills. Their top line budget wasn't changing.

    "We took a holistic approach to its campus and examined all facets of their system and how they impacted each other. We have a lot of niche technologies that can incrementally save a lot of money. The folks at Seminole work on this stuff everyday and, because of that, don't always see all the opportunities we do to save money."

    Trane has been serving Seminole Community College since its inception more than 30 years ago.

    For more information, go to www.trane.com.

    Publication date: 07/31/2006