Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical School received a $285,934 rebate check Friday from Unitil Corp. for expected energy savings for its new automated temperature-control system.
Earlier this year, Monty Tech hired Trane Commercial Systems of Woburn to assess and update its heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. The school system was based on the individual burners and rooftop air-conditioning units from 1971, when the school was built...
...In May, Trane workers began installing a new energy-efficient HVAC system. There is a central natural-gas fired burner that produces heat for the building, water pipes that carry that heat, and about 200 sensors to detect information such as temperatures and carbon-dioxide levels throughout the building.
The system has about one sensor for each classroom. They look like little white boxes on the walls, each about the size of a light switch.
McNeil said the system saves energy by detecting the right amount of heating, cooling and venting to employ, preventing waste. A computer system changes conditions in the building automatically and can be controlled remotely by Rich Ikonen, Monty Tech's director of facilities, using a smartphone. If something goes wrong, such as a system failure or sudden temperature spike, Ikonen is alerted automatically.
Gary Miller, senior business development executive with Hampton, N.H.-based Unitil, said the new system uses a holistic system-wide approach, instead of having a series of smaller operations that cover separate issues like heating and cooling.
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