THERMAL STORAGE: ICING ENERGY COSTS

摘要

Given the above issues and strategies for implementation of energy conservation opportunities, it has been eye-opening to see just what can be accomplished with a little effort. Not many school systems have an Energy Director who can devote strategic time to just one area, but most do have a person who is responsible for energy related issues. While many have the responsibility, most do not have a continuous plan to aggressively pursue energy strategies and savings. I have been fortunate to have the support, resources, and understanding from the Board of Education and administration of Johnston County Schools. While basically a one-man department, our HVAC, Construction, Plumbing, Electrical, and Custodial departments have all played a huge part in developing an energy plan that is widely accepted and followed by our system employees. Through combined efforts, energy awareness and conservation strategies have risen and been implemented throughout the system. Energy Advisors from each site meet monthly to review energy use and costs and develop strategies for conservation. They are kept informed of issues and plans for the whole county, and they are the "mouthpiece" for energy issues at their respective schools and departments. Energy monitoring and control systems are many and varied. There are positive and negative features for each system, but most are more than just high-priced time clocks. We have tried to get the most out of our two systems with start-stop, duty cycle, staggered start times, and a concise plan for scheduling and deleting additional events at the sites using a web-based scheduling calendar. For our HVAC technicians, the system is a most valuable tool for diagnosis of problems without sending someone to the site - they know the problem before they arrive in most cases. Energy support companies abound throughout the state and nation. They can offer high stake services at competitive prices. With us, they solved several problems and helped save money in the process. We now have access to a vast amount of reliable information and reports unavailable before we contracted their services. Thermal storage or ice storage systems work. They offer the opportunity for additional energy savings with various rate structures. Regulated utility companies are required to give you the standard rate for your enterprise, but it may not be the best rate. In schools, there has been very little opportunity for SGS-TOU rates since we cannot shift our loads to off-peak hours. With ice storage, that opportunity is a reality. This paper and case study shows what can be done with little knowledge and a lot of help and assistance from the experts. While $339,739 is a relatively small or large sum of money depending on your perspective, multiply that by forty years and the potential of $13,895,560 in energy savings sounds like some stock program I would like as an investment. I would like to especially thank Walter Johnston for his unselfish time and patience in working with me over the last four years and the Tarheel Chapter of Energy Engineers for the timely educational programs and fellowship. Special thanks to the Association of Energy Engineers for the many splendid publications, conferences, and kind consideration in allowing this presentation.