Central plants are often overlooked. Why? Occupants rarely even know they have one.
But central plants have many advantages. Invited by the United Nations to explain their benefits, Jim Vallort presented “Primary Heating/Cooling Plant Strategies & How to Maximize the Energy Savings” at a UN-sponsored conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil recently. He talked about the rationale behind central plants, which includes reducing maintenance and increasing efficiency (they consume about half as much HVAC energy as other types of plants). Vallort used the plant ESD helped create at McCormick Place in Chicago to illustrate certain points.