HAMPSHIRE, Ill., Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When building a new facility for Hampshire High School's 2,500 students, administrators chose an innovative ice storage system in order to: -- Create high performance classrooms that optimize students' learning environment, increase faculty retention and actually improve student test scores -- Reduce energy consumption, benefiting the school, community and environment Trane's ice storage system offered the best option to achieve these goals. The engineering firm for the project, Metro Design Associates, performed a system life-cycle cost analysis that showed the district will save more than $1 million over the life of the system. That number is based on current energy rates. If energy rates rise, so will the savings. At the current rate, the district will receive a full return on its investment in the ice storage system in less than three years. The heart of the ice storage system is a dual-temperature Trane chiller. The chiller operates in standard cooling mode during the day and in ice-making mode at night. The ice is stored in tanks and used to provide cooling to the building the next day during peak hours. This solution actually improves the reliability of the power grid by shifting peak cooling loads to off-peak hours. Off-peak electricity is less expensive and, because the most efficient power plants run during off-peak hours, there are substantial environmental benefits as well. In addition to energy conservation, indoor air quality was a high priority when choosing the school's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. Energy recovery modules (part of Trane's M-series climate changers) will keep energy consumption low, while allowing better indoor air quality with high ventilation rates, improving the school's environment for students, faculty and staff.
