Friends Central

Nestled in the western suburbs of Philadelphia is a 160-year-old school founded on Quaker principles that continually strives to “cultivate the intellectual, spiritual, and ethical promise” of its students. In keeping with this mission, Friends’ Central School engaged Ecosave to design and install a comprehensive project to not only upgrade building systems and reduce overall energy consumption across its two campuses but to use its new onsite solar generation as a tool for teaching.

Friends’ Central School looked to the Ecosave engineering team to develop and install a holistic set of solutions that addressed a variety of objectives, such as the replacement of end-of-life equipment, HVAC and lighting upgrades, and a building automation system to allow for better visibility and control over its newly unified building systems. A rooftop solar PV array, equipped with hardware and software enabling operational and education analysis, was also installed.

DETAIL ON THE SOLUTIONS IMPLEMENTED INCLUDE:

• A mix of linear fluorescent, CFL, incandescent and metal halide light fixtures were upgraded to the latest LED technology, reducing both energy consumption and building maintenance costs
• Three 100% outdoor air rooftop units on the school gym were replaced and converted to a more energy-efficient return air system
• Out-of-date thermostat controls in several buildings were replaced with modern controllers and connected to the site building automation system (BAS), allowing remote control and scheduling of the buildings’ boilers and air conditioning systems
• Major retro-commissioning was completed in the school’s two largest buildings to reduce simultaneous heating and cooling and fan and pump power consumption. This solution minimizes energy consumption while maintaining comfort conditions for students and staff
• A solar PV array was installed on one building to provide the majority of that building’s daily electrical load, reducing the school’s dependency on fossil fuels whilst promoting the importance of clean energy and innovative technology in the classroom
• Finally, the EcosaveWatch software platform allows for detailed analytics-based ongoing commissioning services. Trending every point in the BAS enables in-depth analysis of plant operation, providing an increase in energy efficiency as well as predictive maintenance of key equipment, thereby reducing plant downtime