Bellevue Corporate Plaza Is First in Northwest to Incorporate Ultra-efficient LOOP Chilled Water Distribution Technologies

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Bellevue, Washington, October 2, 2001: Bellevue Corporate Plaza has become the first facility in the Northwest to incorporate the ultra-efficient Hartman LOOP chilled water distribution technologies into the operation of its building. The LOOP demand based control technologies have been incorporated into a chiller replacement project that was completed in time for this past summer's cooling season. The result has been a substantial reduction in building electrical demand and energy use.

[an error occurred while processing this directive]Conventional systems sacrifice efficiency by employing fixed chilled water temperatures and significant distribution pressure requirements. The resulting larger than needed temperature and pressure differentials reduce the system's achievable efficiency.

New network enabled LOOP demand based control technologies have made these chiller plant and distribution efficiency limitations unnecessary. LOOP control achieves stable operation with much higher operating efficiency by coordinating the operation of the equipment such that each piece of equipment operates only at the level needed for overall optimal energy use at all times. In the Bellevue Corporate Plaza chiller plant retrofit, the new LOOP control sequences were installed in the existing building DDC system. The chiller plant is now operated to meet building loads with optimum overall efficiency at all times rather than to maintain a specific chilled water temperature or distribution pressure setpoint. Under normal operations there is no direct control of chilled water temperature or distribution pressure.

Another significant benefit of the upgrade is the reduced peak demand. LOOP operation coordinates chiller, distribution pump and main supply/return fan operation for highest overall cooling and distribution efficiency at all times. Therefore, demand limiting is more effective with less impact on the occupants because the system efficiency increases during the demand limiting so that the cooling effect remains high.

At Bellevue Corporate Plaza, The chiller plant replacement was initiated in part due to the existing system's lack of capacity in light of growing tenant loads. The new system provides additional capacity with a reduced design chilled water temperature so that the same coils can be employed for the increased capacity. Despite these changes, the building's summer peak electrical demand has been reduced by about 20% and the building's daily energy use during cooling system operation has been reduced about 22%. Meanwhile, occupants noticed that the building was more comfortable than in previous summers. Ron Stan of Hallwood Commercial Real Estate, the building owner, notes that the building is now using nearly 50 cents less per square foot in annual energy costs than it would if the program that includes these energy improvements had not been undertaken. The result? New LOOP demand based control technologies have helped a building become more efficient to operate and more comfortable to occupy!

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