Texas HVAC Insider News

University of Texas Arlington Secures Stimulus Funding to Replace Chillers.  Two YORK chillers are projected to provide annual energy savings of $200,000

Thanks to stimulus funding, The University of Texas Arlington has commissioned two new high-efficiency chillers that will serve the main campus cooling loop and provide annual energy savings of nearly $200,000. The YORK chillers were manufactured by Johnson Controls, the global leader in delivering solutions that increase energy efficiency in buildings. The chiller replacement project is one of six major projects on the UT Arlington campus funded by the Texas State Energy Conservation Office (SECO).

“The University is in an exciting period of growth, with a number of major projects underway across the campus,” said Larry Harrison, director of UT Arlington Mechanical Operations and Grounds. The University opened the 234,000-squarefoot Engineering Research Building in January and is developing more than 20 acres at the College Park District, including the 6,500- seat College Park Center and a mixed-use residential and retail center called College Park.

The University opted to replace two 3,000 TR chillers, which were charged with HCFC-22 refrigerant, in order to meet the reliability requirements of the research facilities. The replacements were two new 3,000 TR, high-efficiency, YORK model YK-EP centrifugal chillers charged with HFC-134a refrigerant, which has zero ozone depletion potential and no phase-out date.

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“With the University’s advanced research facilities, it is extremely important that we have highly reliable and dependable chillers,” Harrison said. “We simply cannot afford any downtime, and in those rare cases when there is downtime, we need to get back online as quickly as possible.” The YK-EP chillers feature compressor drivelines with industrial grade open motors, which mean less downtime.

If a motor failure occurs, the chiller can be brought back at a reduced cost, when compared with chillers that utilize hermetic motors. The benefits realized by UTA as a result of installing the YK-EP chiller were summarized by Bill Blair of Texas Air Systems, sales agent for Johnson Controls, “The YK-EP chillers were the best option for UTA because of their high efficiency at both design and off-design conditions, and the reliability provided by their open motors.”

TD Industries, the largest mechanical contractor in north and southwest Texas, helped secure funding for the project from SECO, targeting money that is designated for state projects that meet specific payback criteria. For the balance of the funding, UT Arlington and TD Industries entered into a performance contract, whereby the energy savings would pay for the improvements. The savings for the entire project are projected to be over $1.1 million a year.

Barry Whaley, TD account executive, said: “Our project at UT Arlington addresses not only energy cost reduction through equipment replacement, but also the University’s need to upgrade its infrastructure to provide increased systems reliability. Other elements of the project will help the University save energy by providing our Continuous Commissioning services over the life of the program – insuring the persistence of the projected savings.”

In addition to the two new YK-EP chillers, the main plant at UT Arlington includes two 2,000 TR YORK model YK centrifugal chillers and one 3,400 TR YORK model YD centrifugal chiller, all with proven track records of dependability. “The reason we have loved YORK chillers is simply because they are reliable units,” Harrison said.

The newest addition to the YORK line of centrifugal chillers, the YK-EP chiller features a patent-pending, mechanical-compressor economizer cycle that delivers market-leading efficiency at design conditions, as well as significant energy savings at off-design conditions. The YK-EP chiller uses HFC-134a refrigerant, supporting the university’s goal of obtaining Silver certification for the campus in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The University of Texas Arlington is a comprehensive research institution of 33,800 students in the heart of North Texas. Visit www.uta.edu to learn more.

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