By Russell Garcia, Director, Higher Education, Performance Infrastructure™, Johnson Controls

With higher education becoming increasingly competitive, a small state university in the Midwest was looking for a way to differentiate itself among larger schools in the area. After assessing their campus infrastructure, they set their sights on implementing a premier campus-wide efficiency initiative. Their coal-based energy plant had become antiquated, resulting in skyrocketing maintenance costs and environmentally harmful emissions. The university was ready to modernize their campus with a highly efficient new energy plant to bring them into the future.

Improving Efficiency Through Campus-wide Upgrades

Working with Johnson Controls, the university installed a large geothermal chilled water and heating plant that had the capacity to service over 80 percent of the school’s campus. In addition to providing cleaner and more reliable energy, the geothermal technology also provided the university with a hot water source.

In conjunction with the new plant implementation, the university saw an opportunity to further their sustainability initiative across campus. For instance, the school’s laboratories each have unique requirements for building environmental management, including precise pressurization, fume ventilation, and air controls. Using Johnson Controls Metasys™ Building Automation System, facility managers can intelligently regulate their labs for their distinct needs. In addition to managing their laboratory environments, the university can use the platform to optimize their campus for improved water, energy, emissions, and greenhouse gas performance.

To keep these initiatives scalable, Johnson Controls helped train building management employees on the Metasys™ platform, an intelligent Building Automation System (BAS), to better enable them to maintain the campus and the equipment. And to further the university’s commitment to education, Johnson Controls donated technology to their Solar House Design Team, competing in a national competition to create sustainable homes for the future.

Energy and Cost Savings for a Sustainable University

By partnering with Johnson Controls from the early design process, through implementation and training, the university has realized significant energy savings. Overall campus energy usage was reduced by 57 percent and water usage was lowered by 18 million gallons a year. This small school is saving over $1 million annually on energy and operational costs. Through their partnership with Johnson Controls, the university has modernized their campus to stand out from the crowd.