Located at the University of Alberta’s north campus in Edmonton, Alberta, the Education Centre houses one of the largest faculties of education in the country. The University offers four teaching specialties: elementary education, secondary education, educational policy studies and educational psychology. The University requested a study of the North and South Education Center facilities to develop an understanding of the current condition of the building’s systems and overall efficiency and performance.
Williams Engineering (WE) provided mechanical and electrical services to perform a condition assessment of the existing mechanical and electrical systems at the North and South Education Center facilities. The evaluation identifies conditions that may indicate distress or equipment operations that are present during the visual assessments and site walkthrough. WE’s report included assessments of mechanical components such as central heating and cooling systems, ventilation, plumbing, air condition distribution, building controls and fire suppression systems. The electrical components that were assessed included distribution, lighting, life safety, emergency power, security and communications systems to identify the general condition and any functional deficiencies present.
In addition to the building assessment, WE provided an ASHRAE Level II Energy Audit to provide energy, emissions, and financial analysis of potential energy conservation measures (ECMs). This process includes analyzing of historical utility data, benchmark energy use, and calculations for energy intensity and baseline greenhouse gas emissions. The energy audit report provided by WE included descriptions of the systems and operation information, energy use breakdown, no-cost and low-cost energy management opportunities and all proposed ECMs, with an analysis provided for each measure.
These evaluations empower the University of Alberta to make informed decisions and prioritize upgrades and repairs to serve its students and faculty better. With a deep understanding of potential energy conservation measures and conditions of the existing systems, the University of Alberta can increase the sustainability, comfort and safety of the buildings present on campus.
