Baylor University Chiller Plant Optimization
Optimizing a typical, well-running chiller plant saves money and boosts efficiencies
A Typical Plant. Extraordinary Results.
Baylor University had a typical chiller plant—it ran well, but it was managed manually. Kenneth Haltom, who manages Baylor’s energy services through a partnership with Aramark Energy Services, suspected that chiller plant optimization would be the best way to increase efficiency and reduce costs.
The energy team brought in Optimum Energy to assess the opportunity—and found their hypothesis was right. Within the first year of installing OptimumLOOP® and the OptiCx® platform, Baylor saved more than $460,000 in electricity costs. Demand for chilled water decreased across campus and air-conditioned spaces became more comfortable.
The solution proved to be even more flexible than Haltom had expected—and since variable-speed drives were already installed on all pumps and cooling towers, no mechanical changes were required.
Automating a Heterogeneous Plant
The plant equipment varies widely—some of the eight chillers are 18 years old, while others are only a year old. Three have variable-speed drives, two have dual compressors, and each has a different pressure drop and design flow.
Manual Operations
Plant operators acted on critical decisions only once per shift. Human error made the plant even more inefficient—operators could interpret criteria differently, resulting in inconsistent adjustments across shifts.
Complex Hydraulics
Getting machines without variable-speed drives to work correctly with those that do—making sure machines wouldn’t overflow while still getting efficient flow—was a major engineering challenge. A fixed-valve solution was out of the question.
256 Possible Run Combinations
A valve table approach would require determining the ideal sequence out of 256 possible run combinations. OptimumLOOP® dynamically adjusts control valves on all running chillers in real time instead.
Mixed Equipment Ages
Equipment ranging from 1 to 18 years old, with different compressor configurations and design flows, required Optimum engineers to find individual balance points for each chiller in every operating scenario.
Finding the Ideal Balance Points
Optimum Energy’s OptimumLOOP® is a closed-loop solution that reads data every 30 seconds and dynamically adjusts the chiller plant equipment in real time in response to changing conditions. The engineers found the balance point for each chiller, whether running concurrently with others or individually.
Now the software automatically determines the best operating conditions across the plant and makes on-the-fly changes to all chillers as well as the nine primary chilled water pumps, 11 condenser water pumps, and 13 cooling towers.
Optimum’s OptiCx® platform allows the facilities team to dive into plant operations down to the equipment level—easily seeing what chillers are operating, when the next chiller will be added or shed, and comparing differential chilled water pressure in buildings throughout campus.
Almost Twice the Energy for the Same Cost
Year 1 Utility Savings
More than $460,000 saved in electricity costs in the first year alone — roughly 24% of total electricity costs
Annual Energy Savings
Average annual electrical energy savings across the course of the partnership
Annual CO₂ Reduction
Average annual CO₂ savings, reducing Baylor’s carbon footprint year over year
ROI
One of the fastest payback periods in higher education optimization
Post-Optimization Efficiency
Down from 0.897 kW/ton pre-optimization — a 24% plant efficiency improvement
Mechanical Changes Required
Variable-speed drives already installed on all pumps and cooling towers — no capital equipment needed
Operational Gains Beyond Energy
Chiller optimization offered us the biggest bang for the buck when Baylor explored ways to reduce its energy spend. Optimum Energy is top notch—their engineers really understand the chiller equipment, and OptimumLOOP® works very well, is flexible, and integrates seamlessly with our Siemens building automation system.
Real-Time Load. Real Savings.
“The product from the chiller plant is better, more consistent, and it’s now based on real-time load rather than operator guesses,” said Haltom. “Dynamically adjusting the chillers in real time has made a big difference in energy consumption.”
Baylor’s story proves that even a well-running plant has significant untapped efficiency. With no mechanical changes and a 1.3-year payback, OptimumLOOP® delivered one of higher education’s most compelling energy optimization ROIs.
