Project Name: Madison and McKinley Elementary Schools Location: Fargo, ND Type: School Case Study PDF Background Madison and McKinley are two elementary schools in Fargo, North Dakota. The schools were built in the 1960s with similar construction, floor plans, and identical east-west exposures. Both schools were remodeled in 2014 with the same HVAC systems and brands of HVAC equipment to ensure that all buildings in the district have optimal heating and cooling capabilities. The chiller located at Madison Elementary has a nominal 75-ton capacity, and the chiller at McKinley Elementary has a nominal 70-ton capacity. This size difference favors the ethylene glycol system in this side-by-side energy consumption test of their two air-cooled scroll compressor chillers. Madison Elementary School in Fargo, North Dakota, adopted Hydromx heat transfer fluid for their 75-ton capacity chiller. Challenge Fargo Public School Facility Managers are always looking for innovative ways to save energy, reduce carbon emissions, and save on utility bills. Hydromx was the best option on the market to achieve the desired results. The chiller at McKinley Elementary, also in Fargo, remained unchanged at 35% ethylene glycol as a test control. Solution In August 2017, Madison and McKinley Elementary agreed to measure the energy savings of the Hydromx nano-technology heat transfer fluid side-by-side with ethylene glycol. The heat transfer fluid in the chilled water system in Madison Elementary School was changed from 35% ethylene to 50% Hydromx. Meanwhile, the chilled water system in McKinley Elementary School remained unchanged at 35% ethylene. The graph below indicates the difference in energy consumption between the slightly smaller McKinley chiller (using 35% ethylene glycol) and the larger Madison chiller (running on 50% Hydromx.) This comparison shows 23% energy savings in September and 54% energy savings in October using Hydromx. This comparison shows significant energy savings for the chiller using Hydromx, despite its larger capacity. In conclusion, both Madison and McKinley Schools are excited to see the results with Hydromx and the efficiencies it could have on the other properties located in the Fargo Public School System.
