Florida Gateway College

Efficient ventilation saves energy and improves classroom comfort at Florida Gateway College

What happens when an energy-conscious college teams up with a local utility?  Big savings.

Florida Gateway College (FGC) – which sits on the 100-acre wooded site of a former forest ranger school in Lake City, Fla. -- has worked closely with Florida Power & Light (FPL) on economic development and efficiency improvements since the 1980s. Over the years, the college has earned $69,400 in FPL rebates for efficiency improvements across its campus.

Thanks to efficiency upgrades to the college’s building ventilation systems, energy use has steadily decreased for FGC’s 375,087 square feet of building space since 2007 -- despite campus expansion.

“Over the past six years, we’ve focused on upgrading climate-control systems for efficiency and comfort of the occupants, including the uniform installation of demand control ventilation (DCV) and energy recovery ventilation (ERV) in our renovated buildings,” says George Scott, director of college facilities, Florida Gateway College.  “In addition, FPL representatives and engineers have been instrumental in assisting the college to select equipment that qualifies for FPL rebates.  Through matching grants from the college foundation, this has been of direct benefit to students. ”

A focus on ventilation and air conditioning efficiency

Together, DCV and ERV help improve the efficiency of the building’s heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems:

• Demand Control Ventilation (DCV) systems adjust building ventilation based on building occupancy, saving energy and money by improving HVAC efficiency. For a college, this is especially important due to fluctuating class sizes throughout the day – with less outside airflow needed during smaller, evening classes. Participating in FPL’s DCV Program, FGC has received more than $7,000 in rebates for its campus since 2007.
• Energy Recovery Ventilation (ERV) systems capture energy from the building’s exhaust to pre-condition outside air before it enters the air conditioner (A/C). As a result, outside air is dryer and cooler when it enters the A/C, reducing the A/C’s workload to achieve the same desired temperature.  Participating in FPL’s ERV Program, FGC has received more than $18,000 in rebates for its campus since 2007.

“The energy use of our buildings is not individually metered so it is difficult to explicitly monitor the energy contributions by each individual building; however, with no other significant changes to scheduling, weather patterns, or usage of the structures, the college has experienced a reduction of our overall energy consumption and a documented savings of $100,000 per year,” Scott adds. “From a management perspective, our overall savings from our energy conservation equates to about two faculty positions.”

New FGC library is the campus model for efficiency and savings

The school’s new 35,000-square foot library, completed in November 2011, was one of the five campus buildings to receive DCV and ERV – among other high-efficiency technologies. Operating on its own electric meter, the library’s energy use is calculated independently from other campus buildings, enabling FGC and FPL to determine:

• The FGC library uses 12 percent less energy per square foot compared to the average library in the area.[1] This level of efficiency is a result of DCV, ERV and other high-efficiency technologies installed in the library.
• The library’s annual electric bill is approximately 8 percent lower because of the efficiencies provided by DCV and ERV.[2]
• DCV and ERV systems save the library approximately $4,500 annually in energy costs.

The sidebar shows typical customer savings for DCV and ERV.

 “We’ve realized these savings with zero compromise to our building climate control or air quality and comfort,” Scott says. “Additionally, ERV systems are maintenance free, aside from filter changes. For a minimal additional investment during renovations, these improvements are well worth the expense.”

To help pay for these efficiency technologies in the library, FGC received more than $7,000 in ERV rebates and more than $5,000 in DCV rebates from FPL.

 Learn more about FPL’s DCV Program, ERV Program, and other FPL efficiency programs and incentives for businesses.

Schedule a BEE today. Get a customized plan from an FPL energy expert to help you save energy and money at your business.

[1] According to ENERGY STAR® calculations and data within a 100-mile radius.

[2] Assumptions: HVAC accounts for 40 percent of the average energy bill. DCV reduces the HVAC’s energy use by 16 percent and ERV reduces the HVAC’s energy use by at least 5 percent. The result of the combined efficiencies from DCV and ERV is an 8 percent reduction in the library’s electric bill.