District Energy - 2007 Third Quarter

This can include green electricity from your supplier and incorporating renewable energy sources including waste heat, municipal refuse, biomass, etc. Consider partnering with a biofuels supplier that can provide biodiesel or ethanol on a continuing basis. Quantify the cost of providing a portion of your energy to customers from renewable energy sources; and develop tariffs that will allow customers to choose green energy sources.

Third, revisit your promotional/educa-tional materials and be prepared to inform the community, customers, government officials and your energy suppliers about the benefits of district heating and cooling. Emphasize fuel flexibility, centralized emis-

sions control, fuel-use efficiency and reduced customer environmental concerns. Point out the convenience of district heating and cooling energy delivered to a high-efficiency building, and the customer benefit of using district energy year-round without concern for boiler and chiller operation.

Finally, meet with mayors, college presidents, legislators and community policy makers and become part of the zero energy building team. Take a proactive approach in supporting building net zero energy use. Renewed interest in building energy conservation and commitment to renewable energy sources offers the district heating and cooling industry the opportunity to excel as the preferred renewable energy

resource provider for existing and new construction.

David W. Wade, PE, , is
president of RDA Engineering
Inc. in Atlanta and has been
an IDEA member for more
than 20 years. He has served
on IDEA’s board and is a past
chair of ASHRAE’s national
technical committees dealing
with Building Steam and Hot Water Systems
and District Heating and Cooling. Wade may be
reached at dww@rdaeng.com.

Column and previous columns available at
www.districtenergy.org/de_magazine.htm

flagship retail store plus a six-story, 285,000- sq-ft office tower with space for up to 500 company employees and other tenants. The project was built by Schlosser Development Corp. after years of planning and negotiations involving Whole Foods and also Austin Energy.

This site marks the entrance to Austin’s Market District, an area featuring chic urban living, shopping and dining in the heart of downtown. Reflecting a healthy lifestyle of all ages, the new retail site is just a few blocks from the original store location but features a vast array of natural and organic foods as well

Courtesy Schlosser Development.

Whole Foods Market^®is the world’s leading as an esoteric selection of wines and cheeses. retailer of organic and natural foods, with 194 The design of the campus blends the com-stores in North America and the United Kingdom. pany’s and community’s values and culture. In 2005, the company dedicated its new world It includes a venue for live music as well as headquarters campus in Austin, Texas. The pedestrian-friendly access – and, of course, campus, which is served by Austin Energy, is district cooling! The developer and tenant both home to Whole Foods Market’s 85,000-sq-ft wanted to avoid the risks and aesthetic issues associated with a self-provided cooling plant while enjoying the benefits of increased reliability and better space utilization. The building’s air-conditioning and commercial refrigeration systems (walk-in coolers, freezers and meat cases) are connected to Austin Energy’s system. The traditional air-cooled condensing units normally associated with commercial refrigeration were eliminated in favor of Whole Foods Market’s world headquarters campus in Austin, Texas using the chilled-water return

One Cool Market: Whole Foods Market^®World Headquarters Building

from the building’s cooling system. The return water at 55-60 degrees F is quite cold and effective at removing heat and allows for higher efficiencies compared to air-cooled condensers. Adding this extra heat to the chilled-water return loop increases the site’s delta T (i.e., the temperature difference between chilled water supplied to the building and chilled water returned from the building), which is favorable for improving the pumping efficiency of Austin Energy’s district cooling system. (Another Austin Energy customer, the Hilton Hotel, is also using district cooling in lieu of air-cooled condensers as a preferred option to reject heat from its kitchen refrigeration equipment.)

Schlosser Development Corp., Whole Foods and Austin Energy are considering implementing similar district energy solutions at another Whole Foods store planned at the Domain, a retail center in North Austin. Austin Energy has another district cooling system at the Domain, which currently serves a new mall as well as residential, office and industrial customers.

By working collaboratively, the three parties will each make significant contributions toward achieving a more sustainable energy future.

For more on Austin Energy, contact Cliff Braddock, cliff.braddock@austinenergy.com.

For lists of other buildings using district energy service, see the District Energy Space section of IDEA’s Web site at www.districtenergy.org/de_space.htm.