UAB FACILITIES
ENERGY
MANAGEMENT
UAB FACILITIES DIVISION
ENERGY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
CONSERVATION INITIATIVES
ENERGY MANAGEMENT DEPARTMENT
FACILITIES SUPPORT BUILDING
822 UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD
BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA 35294
www.fab.uab.edu/energy
975-7140
FACILITIES STANDARDS
The following energy conserving standards have been
established for new construction and renovations of existing
buildings:
Improved insulation
Energy efficient windows
Energy efficient HVAC control systems
Energy efficient lighting
Improved lighting controls
LED exit signs
Compact Fluorescent lamps in blue Help lights
Sustainable Building Design Checklist
Building Setbacks During
Unoccupied Times
Weekends, Nights, &
Holidays
Summer Mode: Setback at 85°F
Winter Mode: Setback at 55°F
Wall Switch
Occupancy Sensor
Estimated Annual Savings of $1.5 Million
Presently 46 UAB buildings are being setback nightly and during
holidays. Occupancy lighting sensors have also been introduced to reduce
air exchanges in labs during unoccupied times (Kaul, BMR2, Shelby, North
Pavilion OR Rooms).
FLUORESCENT LIGHTING UPGRADES
Over the last three years over 70,000 fluorescent lamps were
upgraded from T-12* lamps to a more energy efficient T-8* lamps saving
over 420,000 kWh’s of electricity and $400k annually.
A typical energy efficient 2-lamp, T-8
fluorescent lighting upgrade – 616 Building
Fluorescent light fixture with two T-8 lamps,
reflective panels, and electronic ballast installed
Fact: 25 watt T-8’s are $1 more than 32 watt versions and save $4-7/year at near same lumens
(* Lamp Tube Diameter Size Designation: T-12’s are 12/8”/1.50”, T-8’s are 8/8”/1.00”, and T-5’s are 5/8”/.625” in diameter)
OCCUPANCY SENSORS
These various sensors detect motion and/or heat in order to turn lighting
off when a room is unoccupied. Timers can also be used to control the
operation of lighting fixtures.
LED EXIT SIGNS
LED (Light-Emitting Diode) exit light lamps utilize 2 to 5 watts of power and have an
expected service life of 20 to 25 years, which greatly decreases the maintenance
required. As a result, the labor/time savings for Maintenance is actually greater than
the energy savings. However, the energy savings per fixture can be as much as
$20/sign/year alone.
Incandescent Exit Light
LED Exit Light with battery pack
So far there have been over 450 installations by Hospital Maintenance and over 2,200 by
Campus Maintenance in 84 buildings
Rast Hall – Exterior LED Up-Lighting and Water
Bottle Filling Station
• Exterior LED Up-lighting – Installed 14 exterior LED up-lights. Each fixture saves 100 watts
while providing better quality and brighter light, saving $800/year. Dusk to dawn lamp life
should exceed 10 years.
Rast Hall Exterior LED Up-Lighting
18 Watt LED, 100K Hour Life, 5 Year Warranty
Wallace-Bell Pool – LED Lighting Upgrade
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Upgraded 8 underwater LED pool lights, replacing 500 watt incandescent lamps with 45 watt LED’s,
saving 3,640 watts in energy (approximately $1,650/year at 12 hours/day operation).
Upgraded 10 - 500 watt quartz wall lights (that shine on the surface of the pool) to 78 watt LED tasklighting saving over 4,220 watts in energy (approximately $1,940 per year). All these lights should last
for 10 years or more, have 2-3 year payback, and provide better lighting for the pool.
Wallace-Bell Pool LED Wall Packs
Wallace-Bell Pool Underwater LED’s
UAB Green – LED Acorn Pole Lighting Upgrade
• UAB Green - Upgraded 76 150 watt (with ballast) high-energy mercury-vapor acorn pole-lights to 45
watt LED fixtures saving over 9,880 watts in energy (approximately $3,029 per year, 5 year payback).
UAB Green LED Acorn Pole-Light Upgrade
Eiko 45 Watt LED Acorn Replacement
VACUUM PUMPS
Water-cooled vacuum pumps are being considered for replacement due to the
rising costs of domestic water and the need for water conservation. Campus
maintenance has replaced some water-wasting water cooled vacuum pumps
with a non-water wasting claw type.
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Bevill Biomedical Sciences
Volker Hall
Lyons-Harrison Building
Tinsley Harrison Building
Kaul Genetics Building
Spain Wallace Hospital
Biomedical Research Building II
McCallum Basic Health Sciences
Jefferson Tower Basement
Dental School
Before: Water wasting and inefficient vacuum
pumps and controls
After: Upgraded vacuum pumps and controls are
energy efficient
ENERGY EFFICIENT MOTORS WITH VFD
Variable Frequency Drives (VFD's) are used to vary the speed of an electric motor.
They do this by changing the frequency of the electric power going to the motor.
They work only with three-phase power. Today they are very economical and save
energy by allowing the motor horsepower to be used only as needed.
Variable Frequency Drives (VFD’s) located in the University Business Office Building
Horsepower savings can be as much as $400 per horsepower per year.
FIN WATER RECOVERY
UAB is now the leader in recovering and utilizing condensate water from
air handler coils. The harsh and humid Alabama summer weather
conditions cause huge amounts of condensation to form from the air
hander chilled water coils.
Others have collected this condensate on a small scale before, but were
limited due to the high cost of installing distribution piping to transfer the
water to a remote area for utilization.
Typical Air Handling Unit – Kaul Building
Air Handler Coil and Condensate Collection Pan
FIN WATER RECOVERY
UAB Facilities has solved this problem by creatively utilizing the existing
underground distribution system of the Central Chilled Water Plant System to
transfer the condensate water to the needed area, which is the Chilled Water Plant
Cooling Towers which evaporate a lot of water.
First, as condensate water is gravity drained from air handler chilled water coils, it is
intercepted and collected in small basins positioned locally at each air handler.
Fin Water Collection Basin – Bevill
FIN WATER RECOVERY
Each local basin incorporates a small level-controlled sump pump sized to
transfer collected water to a larger collection tank.
500 gallon collection tank – Bevill
Fin Water Collection System – Bevill
The larger collection tank employs level controls that pump high-pressure, filtered,
55F condensate back into the centralized chilled-water return line before it
leaves the building. This rise in pressure is sensed blocks away at the central plant
and water there is locally relieved from the chilled water return line into the
evaporative cooling towers.
Building B
Building A
AHU1
AHU2
AHU3
110V
Submersible
Sump Pump
w/Internal
Float
Controller
Float
Level
Controller
AHU4
Condensate Recovery
Tank – 100 gallons
each
Large
Data
Collection
Collection
500 gallon tank
FILTER
80 psig
45678
3 phase 480V
55 GPM Rated
Grundfos Pump
C
H
I
L
L
E
D
Chilled
Water
Return
Line to
Central
Plants
65-75 psig
FIN WATER RECOVERY
This process reduces tower makeup water required during the evaporative cooling process.
If the small basin sump pump, high pressure return pump, or Central Plant tower relief valve fails, the water
safely exits as overflow down the local drain found in the building as it has for many years.
While this process may have been accomplished before, we may indeed be the first to incorporate this
manner of utilizing pressure relieved water in our cooling towers from long distances.
Coming online May 2011, these systems this year will save over 10 million gallons of water combined
from McCallum-Kaul, Zeigler-Tinsley Harrison Tower, Bevill, RSB, VH Tower, Shelby, and WTI Research
buildings.
These buildings along with ground water sources have saved over 23 million gallons during 2013.
Zeigler/Tinsley-Harrison Fin Water Collection System
Central Utility Plant 5 – Cooling Tower
North Pavilion Hospital – Basement Ground
Water Recovery
• North Pavilion Hospital has a flood-capable ground-water source in the sub-basement that must be
constantly pumped to the storm drain, wasting electricity and huge amounts of usable water.
• Water was tested and found very favorable for use in Central Plant Cooling Towers.
• Water is pumped into the NP chilled water return line through a well pump, filter, and check-valve.
• Across town, the Central Plant senses this pressure rise and water is relieved into the cooling tower
• Project saved over 5.5M gallons of water last year since May, payback should be less than 1 year .
General Services Building (GSB) Tunnel – Ground
Water Recovery System
• The GSB Tunnel has a flood-capable ground-water source in the sub-basement that must be constantly
pumped to the storm drain, wasting electricity and huge amounts of clean usable water.
• Water was tested and found very favorable for use in Central Plant Cooling Towers.
• Water is pumped above into the local chilled-water return-line through a filter, meter, and check-valve.
• Pressure-relieved across town into the cooling tower, installed by Campus Maintenance, this project
should save over 10M gallons of water per year ($50k) and have less than 6 month payback.
3 Days – 90K Gallons 
GSB Ground Water Recovery System – Recovering water ahead of existing pumps to utilize it in the Central Plant Cooling Tower
170,000
UAB TOTAL ENERGY USAGE BTU/GSF
165,000
160,000
155,000
150,000
12.76% Reduction From FY0607 to FY1213
145,000
FY0607
FY0708
FY0809
FY0910
FY1011
FY1112
FY1213
41.00
UAB TOTAL WATER USAGE: GALLON PER GROSS SQUARE FOOT
40.00
39.00
38.00
37.00
36.00
35.00
34.00
15.50% Reduction From FY0809 to FY1213
33.00
FY0607
FY0708
FY0809
FY0910
FY1011
FY1112
FY1213
15.15% Reduction From FY0809 to FY1011
UAB TOTAL UTILITY COSTS – FY0607 to FY1112
$61,000,000
$59,000,000
$57,000,000
$55,000,000
COSTS
$53,000,000
$7.27 million savings from FY0809 to FY1112
$51,000,000
$49,000,000
FY0607
FY0708
FY0809
FY0910
FY1011
FY1112
Note: For comparison purposes this does not include The Women and Infants Center, Highlands Hospital, or Alumni House
UAB’S ENERGY CONSERVATION INITIATIVES
UAB’s Energy Management’s new slogan is “Think “Green” – Save
“Gold”, while playing off the school colors, the message is that
conserving energy at UAB not only benefits the environment by
reducing the amount of pollution and global warming, any money saved
on energy can be utilized for more research, education and health care.