The Challenge
The Humane Society is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to helping pets in the county for more than 40 years. it serves as home to as many as 1,400 animals annually, with a live release rate of about 94%.
The Humane Society 16,900 sq. ft. building was served by a 45-ton air-to-air HVAC/R system installed in 2010 and was equipped with 3 10-ton units and 2 7.5-ton units. From the start, the system’s performance was inadequate for the comfort of both animals and staff. Even running at full capacity, the system rarely brought temperatures below 80 degrees during hot weather; and during winter, the facility’s staff had to use space heaters to keep their offices warm. In addition, the units would frequently shut off requiring a maintenance worker to manually restart them from the roof.
The system’s inefficiency came at a high cost driving demand power consumption up to 90kW and pushing the power bill as high as $6,000 per month. As a non-profit organization, the Humane Society couldn’t afford the estimated $110,000 required to install a new 45-ton air-to-air system.
The Solution
Demandside Energy Solutions was called in to offer an alternative approach to an expensive full system replacement. The Arctic Gator team transformed the Humane Society’s existing air-to-air system into a hydronic system by integrating the Arctic Gator conversion unit into one of the 10-ton units. This left the additional 10-ton and 2 7.5-ton units offline. Additionally, the number of heat strips were reduced from 5 to just 1. Later, Demandside installed a gas line and converted the Humane Society’s large, power hungry industrial clothes dryer from 3-phase electric power to natural gas for additional savings.
The Result
Since the conversion, comfort levels for animal and staff have been maintained at optimum setting on a continuous basis year-round. “Demandside Energy Solutions continues to provide excellent customer service,” said shelter director. “They’re always available to address any issues we might be experiencing to ensure our animals and staff stay healthy and safe. And thanks to their help, we’ve seen a significant decrease in our monthly energy consumption and on out utility bills!”
Summary
- The system was dramatically streamlined from 10 compressors to 4, reducing the use of refrigerant.
- The problem with units shutting off was rectified.
- All 5 zones now run consistently at desired temperatures: three at 70 degrees, one at 68 degrees and one at 82 degrees.
- The increased efficiency dropped our average monthly demand consumption from as high as 90kW to below 50kW.
- The average monthly electric bill was reduced from as much as $6000 to $3500.
- The Arctic Gator retrofit was less 35% of the cost of a new air-to-air system.
Pre and Post Arctic Gator™ installation KWD and KW usage based on the Humane Society’s monthly energy bills.
“Click on the Graph below to Enlarge”
