Steril-Aire Success at the University of New Mexico
“Too warm.” “Too stuffy.” “Not enough air flow.”
These were just a few of the countless complaints facilities managers of the Basic Medical Science Building at the University of New Mexico were receiving on a regular basis. The poor performanceof their 40-year old HVAC system often resulted in lectures being moved outside or cancelled altogether. And the situation in lecture halls and research rooms serviced by Fan 67 had become particularly dire. The coil in that fan was completely clogged. According to Elmo Riggs, facilities supervisor, “You couldn’t see through it, or hear through it at all.“
Where are we going to get $500,000?
That's the amount the Manager of Maintenance and Planning of the building, Fred Best determined it would take to replace the coils in all five fans serving the building. And that was just the cost of installation. When you take into account the amount of downtime and disruption the builind's occupants would suffer, the cost of replacement coils soars even higher. But Kevin Givens and Kelly Lynn of the Johnston Company, specializing in HVAC systems, offered a simple and much less expensive solution. "Install Steril-Aire UV-C light emitters on the downstream of Fan 67's cooling coil. That will clean the coil of its sticky, gunky biofilm buildup."
While many of the facilities managers were skeptical that this could even remotely improve the situation, they gave Kevin and Kelly the go ahead. If the UV-C worked, they would then install them on the remaining four fans.
A third-party, certified test and balance company was hired to perform baseline air-handler tests including measuring air flow, air/water temperature and static pressure drop.
Breathing Rooms
The air quality in every room serviced by Fan 67 improved. Within weeks, complaint calls from professors were down. In fact, facilities managers were getting unsolicited postive feedback regarding the change in air temperature and quality. After 60 days, follow-up tests were preformed. The results were incredible, with an air flow increase of +14%.
After 270 days, another follow up was done and revealed that the airflow was up a whopping 30%. In addition, University Industrial Hygienist, Terry Anderson, performed carbon dioxide measurments in a room served by Fan 67.
Energy Savings of $210,000
Not only did Steril-Aire help make the building livable, it saved the University approximately $500,000 in coil replacements costs, and it's estimated it will save approximately $209,030 in energy costs over the next four years.
First Year Dollars: $23,195
Second Year Dollars: $61,945
Third Year Dollars: $61,945
Fourth Year Dollars: $61,945
Four Year Total: $209,030
Not only will they be saving money in the long term, Fred Best says, "For about 10% of what we thought it would cost, we solved the problem with Steril-Aire."
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