Mr. Hartwell and Mr. Erpelding will present a case study on the UTMB Galveston chilled water system optimization project. UTMB Health’s cycle of rebuilding and growth resulted in a mix of old and new equipment and operational challenges. The leadership of UTMB Health knew that a higher level of plant efficiency, resiliency, and reliability was possible. Optimum Energy engineered a plan for a cost-effective optimization project that would provide the best return on investment. As a result of the project, UTMB Health lowered their average kW/ton from .883 to .756, realized a savings of $528,000, cut electrical usage by 7.2 million kWh, and reduced CO₂ by 9.2 million pounds.
Ben Erpelding, CTO, Optimum Energy
Colin Hartwell, Associate Vice President, Utility and Fleet Operations, University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston