“To put it in perspective, I’m still running the same exact budget for my electricity that I had eight years ago. I haven’t had to increase it…even though we’ve added over 100,000 additional square feet, and installed new air conditioning in building areas that did not have it before. That’s all thanks to Automatic Controls and their ability to schedule and efficiently run the buildings’ HVAC systems.”
LARRY THOMPSON
Director of Facilities, Special School District
of St. Louis County
The Challenge for Special School District of St. Louis County: REPLACING A SCHOOL’S OLD HVAC SYSTEM WITHOUT DISRUPTING THE STUDENTS.
Special School District of St. Louis County is a nationwide leader in
providing education services and technical education for high school
students and children with special needs.
As the Director of Facilities at Special School District (SSD) of St. Louis
County, Larry Thompson is in charge of over 1,300,000 square feet of school
buildings and offices. Part of his job entails making sure the environments
inside of these buildings are safe, well-maintained, and comfortable for the
students who use them.
Unfortunately, this could sometimes be a challenge.
Back in 2010, SSD facilities were using an HVAC control system that was
outdated, inefficient, and prone to breaking. The controls for this system
were limited, and Larry often found it difficult and frustrating to keep it
running.
That’s why when the government announced a new stimulus program
to help jumpstart the economy back in 2010, Larry knew what needed to
happen. It was finally time to overhaul their HVAC system, starting with the
controls.
