How Does This Project Benefit EKU Students, Faculty, and Staff?

The equipment that heats, cools, and lights our environment, sometimes referred to as building infrastructure, allows us to productively accomplish the everyday task of learning here at Eastern Kentucky Univesity.  Building infrastructure equipment, such as boilers, chillers, and air handlers, is typically located in isolated areas where it is out of the sight and minds of most building occupants.  For this reason, this equipment is often taken for granted and many people forget  just how much we depend on this equipment until something goes wrong with it.

As the Infrastructure of a building ages and exceeds its expected service lifespan, its performance and effiency degrade and it requires additional maintenance.   This makes it more costly to operate.  Eventually, when the equipment ceases to operate as designed, the indoor environmental conditions can decay, and that makes it difficult for students and faculty to remain productive and focused.

In addition to equipment losing efficiency as it ages, newer, more energy efficient equipment becomes available in the marketplace.  Using Energy Savings Performance Contracting to install new energy efficient equipment frees up financial resources that would have been used just to keep the existing equipment running.

EKU's Energy Savings Performance Contracting project will use savings gained from replacing failing equipment to pay for new energy efficient equipment.  In addition to saving energy, the new equipment will provide additional controls and monitoring to enhance the comfort level of the students, faculty, and staff who occupy these buildings.

Many new technologies will be implemented as part of this project.  For example, an upgraded system will be installed to allow one computer to monitor and control the status of most equipment from a central location on campus.  In addition, the buildings will be programmed to "set-back" during unoccupied times to lower the cost of heating and cooling.  Also, energy efficient lighting will be installed, and the lights in many rooms will turn themselves off when the room is vacant.  Furthermore, vending machine controls will be installed to prevent the machines from wasting energy when the buildings are not occupied. 

Click here for more information on innovative products being implemented on this project.