Rotary International, Boiler Plant

Evanston, IL

Rotary International headquarters commercial office building exterior

Overview

Rotary International’s headquarters is a 370,000-square-foot building in north suburban Chicago.

The replacement boiler plant consists of five condensing boilers rated at 3,000 MBH each (total plant capacity of 15,000 MBH), with a thermal efficiency rating of up to 99%. The building was an excellent application for high efficiency condensing boiler technology because, as a heat pump system, the original hydronic heating system was designed to operate at low water temperatures.

Awards

ASHRAE Region VI, Technology Award, Second Place (Commercial Buildings, Existing), 2009

ASHRAE Illinois Chapter, Excellence in Engineering Award, 2008

 

Design

At 15,000 MBH (450 boiler horsepower), One Rotary Center is home to one of the largest condensing boiler plants in the United States.

  • A new mechanical equipment penthouse was constructed on top of the building’s parking garage and immediately adjacent to the existing fourth floor main mechanical room. The existing electric boilers were demolished, and the heating and cooling systems were segregated and control schemes revised to operate in a more conventional manner.
  • More than 2,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions were eliminated — a reduction of 80% — by using the condensing boiler plant instead of the old equipment combination of heat pumps and electric boilers.
  • Utility cost savings during the first season of operation were estimated at $127,000, based on an avoided electrical cost of $206,000 and an added natural gas cost of $79,000.

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