# Presentation: 732596

## UCSD Medical Center - Hillcrest CampusCase Study

**Gerry White**
**Facilities Design & Construction**
**University of California, San Diego**

## UCSD Medical Center

**Former county hospital which became part of UCSD in the late 1960s**
**17 buildings of varying age**
**870,000 square feet total**
**490,000 square feet in main hospital**

## UCSD Medical CenterOriginal HVAC Equipment

**Four chillers, 2380 tons capacity**
**Two 760 ton centrifugal chillers, 1975, R-11**
**160 ton air cooled unit, 1982, R-22**
**700 ton 2-stage absorption unit, 1991**
**Three cooling towers**
**Primary chilled water distribution system**
**Four boilers **
**3 can only operate at 60% of rated capacity **
**Unreliable and unsafe**

## UCSD Medical CenterOriginal Electricity Consumption

**UCSD Medical Center****Original Electricity Consumption**

## UCSD Medical Center Original Gas Consumption

## UCSD Medical CenterProject Scenario

**High utility costs**
**Consumed ~31 million kWh/year and 1.5 million therms, $2.8 million per year **
**Lack of sufficient cooling capacity to meet load requirements**
**Unreliable and unsafe boilers working at low capacity**
**Unused thermal storage facility**

## UCSD Medical CenterMajor Project Challenges

**Selling project and finding financing**
**hospital finances very tight**
**project had to pay for itself**
**Keeping hospital operational**
**night and off-hour work**
**use of temporary chillers**
**transition from old to new controls**

## UCSD Medical CenterProject Solutions

**Load reductions**
**Distribution system improvements**
**New central plant equipment**
**New control system**
**Recommissioned systems**

## UCSD Medical CenterLoad Reductions

**Lighting improvements coincident with project**
**High efficiency T-8 lamps with electronic ballasts**
**Changed over 15,000 fixtures**
**Light levels maintained**
**Reactivated an old, unused thermal energy storage system **
**3,500 ton/hr system**
**500 tons cooling capacity**

## UCSD Medical CenterDistribution System Improvements

**Air handling unit replacement**
**replaced several selected supply and exhaust units**
**Replaced AHU components**
**cooling coils & control valves**
**Chilled water system **
**converted to primary/secondary**
**changed to 2-way valves**

##  UCSD Medical CenterCentral Plant Equipment

**Removed two oldest R-11 760 ton chillers **
**installed two new 750 ton R-123 chillers**
**Removed 3 older boilers **
**replaced with 2 new low NOx dual fuel boilers**
**Upgraded all chilled water and steam system plant auxillary systems**

##  UCSD Medical CenterControl Systems & Commissioning

**Upgraded entire control system to direct digital control**
**Energy conservation strategies implemented**
**night-time AHU discharge temperature resets**
**discriminator controls set discharge temperatures to meet worst zone conditions**
**Recommissioned all HVAC systems and steam distribution system**

## UCSD Medical CenterIntegrated Economics

## UCSD Medical CenterFinancing Structure

**University financed for a 10-year term**
**Low interest rate (7.75%) on external financing**
**Tax-exempt financing**
**Positive cash flow of ~ $400,000 annually**
**~ $1,300,000 annual energy and O&M savings**
**~ $900,000 annual loan payment**

## UCSD Medical CenterProject Timeline

- 28 months to complete project

## UCSD Medical CenterProject Results

**10 million kWh/year reduction in electricity usage for the complex (30%)**
**Cooling load reduced 500 tons (17%)**
**Gas consumption down 600,000 therms/yr (40%)**
**Utility savings of $950,000 annually (33%)**
**Maintenance savings of $340,000 annually**
**Improved building comfort from better balancing**
**Better system reliability and controllability**