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> MSU Policy and Procedures > Air Conditioning Policy
(NEW March 3, 2005)
Subject:
Physical Plant
Policy:
Air Conditioning Policy
Revised:
TBD
Effective Date:
March 3, 2005
Review Date:
Three (3) years from Effective Date above.
Sponsor:
University Facilities Planning Board
Introduction and
Purpose:
Many of MSU's facilities
were constructed in an era when internal environmental space conditioning was
limited to heating and ventilation systems. Consequently, many of our facilities
do not have internal, built-in air conditioning capabilities. In the past,
relatively small equipment and lighting loads, large operable windows (taking
advantage of generally cooler climatic conditions) and reduced building
occupancies during summer periods, worked in combination to allow the facilities
to adequately serve building occupants. However, recent trends have offset those
once favorable factors and pressure is steadily increasing for the University to
accommodate the installation of retrofit air conditioning systems to meet the
demands of current building users.
Unfortunately, important
factors such as energy use/efficiency, maintenance costs, visual
appearance/aesthetics, noise, ease of installation and life cycle costs
immediately conflict with the lowest desired initial purchase and installation
costs of retrofit systems.
The intent of this policy
is to establish a framework within which the University can address changing
demands as they relate to interior building environments under the direction of
a general set of guiding principles.
Policy:
Requests to install,
expand or upgrade air conditioning systems in existing buildings shall be
submitted to the Office of Facilities Services (OFS) and proposed designs shall
be developed in accordance with the design factors noted herein. This policy
includes the continued prohibition of individual, window-mounted air
conditioning units. Air conditioning systems included in new building designs
shall conform to applicable energy and mechanical codes. Air conditioning
aspects of residence facilities will be governed by pertinent Residence Life
policies.
Procedures:
Designs to install, expand
or upgrade air conditioning systems in existing systems shall consider the
following factors:
a.
Need:
The demand for air conditioning may be driven by increased equipment loads, an
increase in human occupancy, changes in other building systems, specified
tolerances for activities housed in the space, or a desire of the occupants for
a more comfortable work environment. Assessment of air conditioning requirements
shall include compliance with applicable energy conservation codes, standards
and mandates. Regardless of the identified need, the cost for design and
installation of a new or expanded air conditioning system in an existing
facility will generally be the responsibility of the requesting department.
b.
Type of System:
While requests for additional cooling will often center around individual or
several adjacent spaces as opposed to whole facilities, multiple installations
of individual air conditioning units quickly result in significant negative
cumulative impact, on a building and institutional scale, with respect to
energy/resource use, energy demand charges, and building electrical and/or water
capacity. The ability to expand an existing system to accommodate a marginal
increase in load may also be a consideration. At an undefined point, economy of
scale regarding long-term energy consumption generally favors the installation
of a whole-building system retrofit as opposed to continued diverse individual
unit solutions. Type of controls and controls communications or interference
with other building systems may also be a consideration.
c.
Window Units Prohibited:
Individual, window mounted air conditioning units are prohibited, due to their
inherently short useful life; extreme energy inefficiency and high energy use
profile; potential negative impacts on power quality; significant environmental
impacts; refrigerant mitigation and disposal costs; objectionable appearance and
noise levels; potential damage to adjacent building surfaces; interference with
window operation, maintenance and cleaning; abuse of available building
secondary electrical capacity; and their high potential for breach of building
security.
The University Facilities Planning Board (UFPB)
may recommend approval of an individual exception after thorough review of the
individual situation and extenuating circumstances. Exceptions shall be reserved
for specific areas of campus that have been designated for temporary/modular
facilities and for situations for which no other viable solution is possible
(simple initial first cost savings relative to other reasonable cost options,
e.g., interior portable units, is not an acceptable parameter for exception).
Exceptions shall stipulate conditions such as installation details, electrical
circuit/service requirements, attachments, etc. Installation and removal of
individual window air conditioning units shall be performed by Facilities
Services at the user's expense. Such approvals shall expire three (3) years
after initial approval. Installations may be re-authorized upon subsequent
application by the appropriate department and UFPB approval in accordance with
this policy. Exceptions shall not be granted for any windows facing on the
Centennial Mall.
d.
Energy/Resource Use:
Due to steadily increasing utility costs, potential impacts to the institutional
utility budgets must be treated as a primary consideration in the solution
process, in order to ensure sensible outcomes relative to the University's
overall mission and responsibilities. Proposed designs shall conform to
applicable energy and mechanical codes.
e.
Installation Factors:
Installations shall be accomplished in accordance with the University's
Construction Activities Policy (http://www2.montana.edu/policy/construction_activities_policy.htm
- Construction Activities Policy) and applicable provisions of the Campus
Design Guidelines. Other factors or building limitations may influence the
desired choice of system options - e.g., ceiling/under-floor space, availability
of vertical chases, capacity and space available for electric service, noise and
vibration transmission potential, adequate structural capacity, potential for
electromagnetic or radio frequency interference, exterior site availability
(e.g., rooftop, ground, etc.), removal/restoration impacts, and impacts to water
pressure and supply capacity.
f.
Aesthetics:
Since the exterior appearance of the campus is one significant factor
prospective students judge when selecting a university, impacts to the exterior
campus environment must also be treated as a primary consideration in the
solution process. Impacts to landscape elements, pathways, adjacent exterior
spaces, adjacent buildings, the campus historical fabric and specific historic
elements, etc., may appear marginal for any single installation but can quickly
result in significant negative cumulative impact. Insensitive installations can
violate the architectural integrity, balance or continuity of existing
structures and important campus spaces.
g.
Maintainability:
Installations must be reasonably and safely accessible for repair and routine
maintenance. The regulation of refrigerants, and the general illegality of
refrigerant releases, requires that service work be performed by appropriately
licensed and trained personnel. Installations must also be located in a manner
to minimize the risk of damage from weather, snow removal operations, icefall,
etc. Requirements for seasonal shut-down/start-up shall also be considered.
h.
Ownership of A/C Installations:
For state-owned buildings, OFS is generally responsible for operation and
maintenance (O&M) costs and the eventual capital replacement costs (i.e., system
ownership) for central building systems or other air conditioning systems that
are permanently attached to the building structure (systems that normally
include ducting or other features that render them an integral part of the
building, i.e., systems that are not readily removable or relocate-able). OFS
responsibility for capital replacement of these systems is subject to overall
campus maintenance priorities, budgets/funding, and related limitations.
Departments are
typically responsible for O&M costs and the eventual capital replacement costs
for portable cooling units that generally serve individual spaces and systems
that are not ducted nor an integral part of a building. In addition, OFS will
typically perform manufacturer-recommended annual preventive maintenance on such
systems at the expense of the owning department.
For non-state-owned building entities (e.g.,
Auxiliaries, Residence Life, AES, etc.), all cooling system costs (capital and
O&M) are the responsibility of the owning entity, except as may be specified
otherwise in formal, auditable Use/Benefit Agreements.
i.
System Cost:
Analysis of cost shall consider the projected life-cycle costs of purchase,
installation, operations, maintenance, energy use, energy demand,
removal/restoration impacts, final disposal, etc.
Control/Enforcement:
An initial inventory of
existing window units will be made by OFS in April, 2005. Any units found to be
facing on the Centennial Mall will be reviewed by UFPB and remedial action may
be specified. Units allowed to remain shall be grand-fathered for a period of
three (3) years and are thereafter subject to the provisions of Item C above.
After the initial inventory is completed, any illicit window unit that appears
will be subject to review/action by UFPB. If the unit is disallowed, UFPB may
specify that the unit be removed by OFS at dept expense and other solutions be
developed if cooling is desired.
If any building system
modifications or installations are found to be in breach of this policy, after
the effective date, OFS will work with the responsible executive of the entity
that created the situation to develop a solution that responds to the
requirements of this policy. The department involved shall present the proposed
solution to the UFPB for action/approval.
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