The Dr. Edwin G. & Dorothy Balbach Davis Global Center already is known for its state-of-the-art technology. But did you know the physical building itself has advanced technology too? There’s so much advanced technology, we can’t fit it into one article — so stay tuned for more.
Today the focus is on heat and humidity, something with which we all are familiar. In this case, it’s about heat inside the building. In your house, you would never run your heating system in the summer. On large campuses like this, buildings don’t have individual furnaces or A/C units — they get heating and cooling from a central utility plant. Generally, steam is sent to the building, and that steam heats the air that heats the building. Steam is produced at about 80% efficiency, meaning that 20% of the energy used to make steam is wasted.
The Davis Global Center uses hot water instead of steam. Most of the wasted heat (the 20% lost) from the boilers in the utility plant is captured by the flue gas economizer. The utility plant also uses condensing boilers, which are 95-98% efficient, to make additional hot water. This hot water is used in the same way as steam to heat the building, but the efficiency has increased from 80% to 95 or 98% — an increase of at least 15%.
This means we use less energy to create the same amount of heat, and that means less emissions as well. The med center has a net zero building emissions goal to reach by 2030, so increasing efficiency and emitting less is a must. It’s our mission to create a healthy future for all, and that means reducing emissions, which are leading contributors to numerous health issues including, but not limited to, lung ailments, cancer and fertility issues, not to mention causing climate change.
We also save money. By using less energy, the facilities department expects to avoid costs of at least $75,000 each year.
Coming up with these creative solutions to reduce emissions and not waste energy is necessary. If you want to find innovative and new ways to save or curtail your energy use at home, refer to this article. How can you save money and reduce your overall carbon footprint?