The University of Waterloo

Efficiency expertsThe University of Waterloo stands as a model of energy efficiency in Ontario, Jenn Monroe reports. Energy efficiency has been part of the University of WaterlooÔÇÖs operations strategy long before it became a trend. According to Rick Zalagenas, director of maintenance and utilities, the university started its efforts more than 20 years ago, even preceding his arrival on campus.  ÔÇ£In the early to mid-1980s it was a high priority,ÔÇØ he says. ÔÇ£Just as back then it made good business sense, today it makes good business sense and good environmental sense.ÔÇØFounded in 1957 as Waterloo College Associate Faculties, most of the universityÔÇÖs original buildings were not ÔÇ£robustÔÇØ in terms of energy efficiency, Zalagenas says. ÔÇ£WeÔÇÖve been faced with mitigating that.ÔÇØ Zalagenas is part of plant operations, the universityÔÇÖs largest support department, with a gross budget of $31 million and a staff of 350 full-time employees. The department is responsible for the repairs and maintenance of 65 buildings with an area of approximately 6.4 million gross square feet located on 1,115 acres of land. Those efforts are managed using 20,000 electronic work orders. In addition, approximately 1,600 renovations and improvements, with a total value in excess of $14 million per year, are undertaken by various sections within the department. What has helped Zalagenas in his nearly two decades at the university was his predecessorÔÇÖs foresight to build efficiencies into the campus master plan. This includes a central heat and cooling system, which has been, he says, ÔÇ£a huge benefitÔÇØ because it is easier to control with automation systems. ÔÇ£The latest generation started to be installed when I came here,ÔÇØ he says. ÔÇ£The base infrastructure was there, but it wasnÔÇÖt being used to its fullest capabilities.ÔÇØToday, the University of Waterloo is using its automation system in innovative ways. During the hottest days of the summer, it controls the chilled water storage and temperature ramping Zalagenas uses to mitigate peak load periods. ÔÇ£We pre-cool the water in the system and the mass of the buildings in the early morning,ÔÇØ he says, ÔÇ£and dry them out at night.ÔÇØ When the heat is at its worst, the system gradually increases the building temperatures and eventually stops dehumidifying in many areas as well. Occupants donÔÇÖt tend to notice the changes because the walls and contents absorb most of the increase in humidity. ÔÇ£I personally find there is a point in the afternoon where I begin to notice the temperature and humidity increase, but itÔÇÖs getting to the point where IÔÇÖm going to be going home,ÔÇØ Zalagenas says. ÔÇ£We try to do it to the point where people might notice, but no so much that it interferes with their productivity.ÔÇØ When not facing extreme days, the university shuts down its systems when few people are in the buildings. Its fans are set to minimize energy usage for heating and cooling, however, and will come on to circulate the air if necessary. ÔÇ£We have situations where we need 12-month air conditioning for equipment cooling,ÔÇØ Zalagenas continues. To help, the university uses free cooling installations in three areas to minimize the need to operate mechanical refrigeration systems in the winter. Additionally, high-efficiency chiller installations (accompanied by higher-efficiency cooling towers) have reduced compressor power requirements by approximately 30 percent. But the heat from the equipment doesnÔÇÖt go to waste. For example, the University of Waterloo uses a reverse-flow ventilation heat recovery unit for a computer lab, which captures the heat from computers, lighting and occupants. Most recently, the university installed a low-temperature heat sink, with the help of university alumnus James Moore. Because the central system is steam based, this project faced some interesting challenges. ÔÇ£If you were building a new central heating system, you would do it with hot water,ÔÇØ he says, ÔÇ£but we donÔÇÖt have the physical space to make that type of change. This is the next-best thing.ÔÇØMoore designed a flue gas condenser system that connects 20 campus buildings and the central plant. Its efficiency comes in its ability to capture nearly 93 percent of all waste heat by condensing the moisture from the flue gas. This translates into great savings, in effect heating two buildings for free. ÔÇ£It turned out really well,ÔÇØ Zalagenas says. Other heating improvements include the installation of electronic boiler controls with oxygen trim systems to optimize combustion efficiency of the universityÔÇÖs major boiler systems, and electronic positioning controls on its smaller boilers. While Zalagenas acknowledges the uniqueness of these projects, he admits that the university is involved in more ÔÇ£mundaneÔÇØ efforts such as changing its lighting to more efficient bulbs, installing occupancy sensors and low-flow appliances, and using CO2 sensors for ventilation control. ÔÇ£The system is controlled by the amount of CO2 the occupants are emitting,ÔÇØ he explains.Additionally, the University of Waterloo pays attention to how much electricity it uses. In fact, it monitors in real time its normal daily demand for each month, and then works to operate at 95 percent of that peak. ÔÇ£We do that on a daily basis to constantly reduce our coincident peak consumption,ÔÇØ Zalagenas says. The combination of its efforts has resulted in the University of Waterloo having one of the lowest energy consumptions per unit area among the Ontario university system for the last several years. Its current energy intensity is roughly 30 percent lower than the Ontario system average and approximately 40 percent lower than the average commercial/institutional energy use as reported by Natural Resources Canada.Sustainability isnÔÇÖt just an operations initiative. The University of Waterloo recently finished first among schools of architecture and schools of planning in the annual ranking by Corporate Knights magazine of how well sustainability issues are integrated into curriculums and the student experience. And despite not having a school or faculty of business, the university finished first among undergraduate business programs. According to Corporate KnightsÔÇÖ news release on the rankings, the university is a model of how to integrate business and the environment.┬á