Next Generation Energy Efficient Technologies: A Case Study Demonstrating Top Operational Performance

As owners contemplate major capital upgrades and investments into their existing chiller plants, several considerations become apparent and require a thorough appraisal. These primary considerations include: Age of existing equipment, existing load profile, utility rates, building occupancy and tenant use, property repositioning plan, lease type and the property's asset strategy, and others. In Aventine's case, the building was considered by most real estate professionals and owners as a relatively young building at 17 years old. The building and chiller plant still had a good five to seven years of serviceable life. The challenge in this particular case was to propose an upgrade justifying replacement of this still functioning chiller plant while asking for approximately $500k in capital expense funds. In addition to describing the technical features of this next-generation chiller plant system, this case study will attempt to integrate financial decision making attributes that assisted in the decision making process. The focus of this paper is to differentiate this technology and approach with major chiller plant upgrades.