Heat Recovery Chiller System to Save Military Hospital 27% on Energy

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belvoirA military hospital in Fort Belvoir, Va., will use a heat recovery chiller system along the way to 27 percent in energy savings.

The hospital, scheduled to open in early 2011, also will be the first U.S. hospital built to LEED Silver status, reports ContractorMag.

Hospitals are noted for their energy consumption.

This one will use a Multistack heat recovery chiller to help reheat the building. It also is using high-efficiency variable speed drive chillers and variable speed air fans to ensure that less energy is wasted.

The choice of chillers with variable speed drives came as the result of a life-cycle cost analysis.

"To maximize efficiency at a partial or minimum load, variable speed drives are used to reduce impeller speed. This results in a system that consumes much less energy during the year than any other capacity control method," Theodore E. Zsirai, senior vice president of HDR told ContractorMag.

HDR is handling architecture, engineering and consulting on the hospital's construction.

Waste heat from fan coil units will help provide energy for cooling, while additional energy will be captured from cooling coils in air handling units.

The building also will rely on lighting and thermal controls, occupancy sensors and optimizing available daylight to help trim energy bills.

As for water consumption, the hospital aims to save about 1.6 million gallons a year through use of low-flow plumbing, sensor-activated faucets and dual-flush toilets.

The building also will use an innovative integrated rainwater and condensate water collection system to capture and store up to 160,000 gallons of reusable water.

Another hospital, University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro, N.J., will be among the few hospitals in the nation to use a combined heat and power (CHP) system to power itself. The CHP system, which features a thermal energy storage system, will produce electricity as well as steam for heating and chilled water for air conditioning.

Environment + Energy Leader