CFS Recommissioning Project at Inlow Hall
Campus Facility Services is made up of a very diverse group of people doing diverse tasks across campus every day. Some people you see everyday going about their daily routines of cleaning restrooms, moving snow from the sidewalks, parking cars or repairing toilets. But there is one group of people that you may never see. They are the CFS engineering staff.
The CFS engineering staff is constantly working to improve heating, ventilation and air conditioning (hvac) systems on campus. Recently, CFS completed a "recommissioning" project in Inlow Hall. Recommissioning entails reviewing all pieces and parts of hvac mechanical equipment, such as fans, coils, valves, pumps, damper controls, etc., to ensure they are operating as designed and seeking ways to improve the systems to gain efficiencies in operation.
CFS has three employees, one Energy Systems Project Manager and two Building Automation Technicians, who spent nine months for a total of 350 hours in Inlow Hall to test, repair and improve the systems. This project required that over 600 pieces of equipment be evaluated, calibrated, repaired or modified. Mike Sedam, CFS Energy Systems Project Manager, stated that "these recommissioning projects improve the building systems' operational reliability, makes the systems easier to maintain and provides improved energy efficiency, thus creating a more pleasant climate in which our customers can perform their work."
Ken McKnight, Assistant Director for Engineering and Construction Management, reported that CFS has a goal of recommissioning all buildings on campus. "We plan to address the buildings that use the most energy first, such as Cancer Research Institute, Medical Research & Library, Van Nuys Medical Science building, Dental School, Gatch Clinical and University Library. These projects are detailed and require an amazing amount of time, but the payoff for the campus is substantial."
