Sarasota County Central Cooling Plant
Overview
Retained by Tampa Bay Trane Energy Services and Contracting to support their efforts as an energy services contractor (ESCO), TLC completed ASHRAE level III audits on two million square feet of county buildings to identify energy conservation measures (ECMs). Reviewed facilities include the existing Central Energy Plant, Criminal Justice Center, Terraces Building, Historic Courthouse, multiple correctional campuses, Selby Library and the Judicial Building. ECMs are currently being evaluated for implementation.
Features
TLC’s effort included site analysis, budget estimates and development of ownership options for new County Central Energy Plant to service major county facilities to replace existing, aged CEP. The result is a new CEP that will serve the existing and additional buildings as it is sized for further expansion. As part of the effort, TLC designed temporary connections, as well as a plan for cutover from the existing plant to the new plant and a redundancy plan. The precast concrete building has acoustic metal panels to minimize noise levels and was designed to survive wind speeds to 158 MPH. The CEP is financed and constructed by Trane who is reimbursed by the County for chilled water on a 25- year lease, with a buy-out option after five years of operation. Analysis supports savings of approximately 40% to the County with this innovative arrangement.