OCTOBER 2004

CONSULTING SPECIFYING

www.csemag.com

HVAC Case Study

In Balance: UCSC Manages Comfort with Long-Term BAS Provider

The University of California Santa Cruz is ranked first in the

nation for its academic research impact in the field of space
sciences, as well as physics. The campus, situated in the
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, has also been
rated most beautiful by multiple publications, partly
attributed to the areas Mediterranean-like climate. Keeping
both of these distinctive qualities in balance is a top priority
for the building operations staff that works to maintain the
right indoor comfort level for both scientists and students.
Dennis Parks, a programmer analyst who has been with
UCSC for 18 years, and the building and utility services staff
manage the 547 buildings that comprise the 2,000-acre
campus. The research and science labs can be challenging to
heat and cool since many experiments demand that materi-
als be kept at a constant temperature. The remainder of the
buildings are heated for comfort, but not cooled.
Researchers can lose six months worth of research if the
temperature suddenly fluctuates, Parks said. Its our job to
make sure the labs temperatures are strictly controlled.
Because the UCSC campus is lush with redwood trees, it
is also important to make sure that all of the outside lights
are functioning properly. Heavily wooded areas become dark
earlier than the open areas, Parks said, so timing the lights is
a complicated issue.
Protecting investments with a single provider
The university has found building integration to be the key
to managing the HVAC and lighting systems effectively, and
has partnered with one building automation system provider
over the past 32 years because of the companys expertise in
BAS. UCSC chose Honeywell because they were the first in
the market to introduce intelligent direct building control, an
improvement from the pneumatic controls used previously.
Dennis Parks has experienced each round of system
upgrades, and has been impressed that the universitys lega-
cy systems are still going strong.
With each new system, we have been able to bring the
legacy system forward, Parks said. We never have to
throw away old equipment because Honeywell helps us
migrate at our pace.
Because Honeywell is continually upgrading and improv-
ing their equipment, UCSC has multiple generations of con-
trol systems running in different buildings throughout the
campus. Providing continuity between the generations is
important to the university and has reduced the need to
purchase new equipment, Parks said.
Our campus staff doesnt know which building is using
which system, and thats a good thing, Parks said. The old
and the new work together flawlessly.
Making BAS look easy
In 2000, Honeywell installed its Enterprise Buildings Inte-
grator (EBI) that will allow all three of UCSCs existing earli-
er-generation front ends (the man-machine interface that
gathers data from the controller sub-networks) to be run
through one central command center.
EBI makes managing our building automation look
easy, Parks said. Its easy for our plant operator to use,
and has greatly improved the productivity and efficiency of
our operations.
In addition to using building automation for HVAC, the
campus is also able to run approximately 90% of its outdoor
lighting controls through the system. This allows system
operators to make sure lights are turning on at the right
time, and sends alarms when maintenance is needed. Ensur-
ing that the campus is well lit at night increases the safety
of UCSCs faculty, staff and students.
Using energy-efficient HVAC systems also helps the uni-
versity conserve energy, which is crucial in California.
Because all systems are integrated through EBI, as opposed
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to operating on their own, the university saves a consider-
able amount of energy and money.
People are very concerned about energy consumption in
California, Parks said. Through the use of Honeywells sys-
tems, were able to do our part in helping the energy crisis
while keeping our costs down.
Quality of service
With a $1.9 million project in the new physical sciences
building expected to be completed this fall and the addition
of a brand new engineering building this summer, Parks is
confident that adding these new buildings into their EBI will
be smooth and seamless.
Eventually, Parks would like to replace all of the legacy
systems. Mapping all controllers and replacing all older sys-
tems, including the migration of the existing front ends into
EBI to achieve ultimate efficiency.
Due to the nature of Parks job, he stays on call 24
hours a day, and on weekends. If something goes wrong
with any of the systems, Parks hears about it via his
cell phone, no matter what time of day. This kind of
schedule may seem unappealing, but Parks doesnt
mind at all.
Knowing our systems are running smoothly allows me to
go home and sleep at night, Parks said. My position can be
pretty high pressure, but working with [these] systems
makes my life easierI really believe that.
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