Southland Energy began with a detailed energy audit of the campus. Southland was then selected to assist the school with improving campus sustainability, as well as achieving carbon net neutrality by 2040 and 40 percent energy reduction by 2025.

The performance-based, paid-from-savings project began with addressing the campus’ antiquated cooling infrastructure across 385,000 square feet. The university’s interest in finding rebates and grants to pay for the system replacements pushed Southland to find five times more than the school had originally thought was available.

Southland redesigned and streamlined the central plant in order to fit the size of the campus best. This resulted in a completely different piping and chiller sequence, which ultimately saved the client 25 percent in energy costs. Southland’s scope also featured the replacement of end-of-life central cooling plant equipment, including two centrifugal chillers and cooling towers, variable frequency drives for air handling units, and high-efficiency lighting and controls upgrades, and demand response.