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Case Study
ECOAZUR® System at Washington University School of Medicine, McDonnell Science

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At a Glance
Washington University School of Medicine, McDonnell Science
  • Case Study
  • Schools & Universities
  • October 2021
The Objective
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri, called upon Kitchen Energy Solutions to increase energy savings at the McDonnell Science building as part of a retro-commissioning project.

The McDonnell Science building features five total commercial kitchen exhaust hoods that are connected to a single large exhaust fan. Anytime cooking activity was started under any of the five hoods, the fan would be commanded to 100% speed to ensure proper smoke capture. Washington University was looking for a solution that could tailor the exact amount of airflow needed to each individual hood based on the hood that is in use and the level of cooking activity.

Our team was left to determine how energy savings could be achieved with this multiple hood-single fan layout.

Estimated Preliminary Analysis

Average New Fan Speed 50%
Electrical Savings (Kilowatt-Hour/Year)69,263 kWhper Year
Electrical Savings ($/Year)$5,541.00per Year
Heating Savings ($/Year) $2,459.00per Year
Cooling Savings ($/Year)$391.00per Year

Values below are based on 10 hours of Runtime per Day with a Total Controlled CFM of 10,000.

The Solution
ECOAZUR® was the perfect control solution for the McDonnell Science building, overachieving on energy savings by reducing the average fan speed considerably more than the initial estimates.

This ECOAZUR® DCKV solution features an optic sensor, temperature sensor, and modulating damper system to ensure that each hood is getting the proper amount of airflow for the individual hood’s cooking operations. The system features cloud-based connectivity as well as building automation BACnet integration.

From an estimated 50% new average fan speed, the University exceeded energy savings expectations with a new average fan speed of 44%! The exhaust will now rarely need 100% fan speed for cooking operations.

The Results

Post Installation Analysis

(Actual Results)(Difference from Estimated Analysis)
Average New Fan Speed44%- 6%
Electrical Savings (Kilowatt-Hour/Year)76,541 kWh+ 7,278 kWhper Year
Electrical Savings ($/Year)$6,123.00+ $582.00per Year
Heating Savings ($/Year)$2,772.00+ $313.00per Year
Cooling Savings ($/Year)$441.00+ $50.00per Year

Values below are based on 10 hours of Runtime per Day with a Total Controlled CFM of 10,000.

Total Dollars Saved per Year
$0
Combined electrical, heating + cooling savings of $9,336 per year
Average New Fan Speed
0%
Average fan speed decreased from 100% to 44% with ECOAZUR®
CO2 Reduction per Year
0k
Yearly carbon dioxide reduction of 457,878 lbs

Data Analysis
Discover WUSM’s kitchen fan speed percentage trend within one week’s time.

Notice how KEF-1 never reaches 100% speed!