Commercial Office Retrofit Doubles HVAC Cooling Capacity with 5-month ROI
Aventura, Miami, Florida
Download Case Study PDF- 43.7%
- Airflow increase
- 48.3%
- Pressure drop reduction
- 5 months
- ROI payback
- $70,000+
- Annual energy savings
The Challenge
"All of our air handlers were running flat out trying to keep up with our set points," recalls Minic, chief engineer with Jones Lang LaSalle, which manages the office complex. "Once we measured the static pressure drop across the coil, we knew that the fouled evaporator coil was responsible for our soaring cooling costs and that we could restore HVAC efficiency with the addition of Ultraviolet-C (UV-C) lamps." The existing AHUs were 16 years old and offered limited access to the evaporator coils. Minic had already achieved similar results at a 413,000-square-foot office complex across town five years earlier, using those results to prove he could improve IAQ, restore cooling capacity, and pay for the upgrade within a year.
“The germicidal UV-C energy improved HVAC/R heat transfer efficiency so much so that the same temperature was achieved using just 40% of the previous energy used.”
The Solution
The RLM Xtreme fixtureless UV-C lamp system — which generates up to twice the ultraviolet irradiation levels as fixtured lamp systems — was installed in the AHUs to continuously irradiate the evaporator coils. Its flexible configurations were essential given the limited coil access in the 16-year-old AHUs. This modern UV-C system installs in about half the time of conventional fixtures. The test AHU retrofit proved so successful that UV-C lamps were retrofitted on each of the Centre's 11 other air handlers.
Results
"The overall transformation in efficiency was incredible," remarks Minic, who estimates that the project energy savings yielded a five-month ROI. "Airflow levels increased by 43.7% in one air handler, or roughly 6,000 CFM — nearly doubling CFM capacity. What's even more impressive is that we drastically increased air flow levels and saw a 48% improvement in pressure drop across the coil." The audit confirmed a 48.3% reduction in pressure drop, indicating that cooling capacity was restored to near original-design specifications. The germicidal UV-C energy improved coil heat-transfer efficiency to the point where the same temperature could be achieved using just 40% of the previous energy used. Minic estimates this will save the Harbour Centre more than $70,000 in HVAC energy costs each year. Jones Lang LaSalle is evaluating similar retrofits for three other office buildings it manages in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale.
- 43.7%
- Airflow increase
- 48.3%
- Pressure drop reduction
- 5 months
- ROI payback
- $70,000+
- Annual energy savings
- 40%
- Of prior energy now used
Your facility could be next.