Banning Hall residents may notice a change in their air conditioning system this academic year.
“We installed a new heating and air conditioning system in Banning this summer,” said Kevin Culbertson, coordinator of housing operations. “It partially replaces the water pipes.”
The new heating and air system is a major update for Banning Hall, he said.
“There are steam pipes to all the buildings on campus for hot water,” Culbertson said. “Banning had a steam pipe system to heat water for the radiators as well. During the winter, we would have to switch over from chilled water to steam to get heat into the rooms. Then, in the spring, we’d have to switch back to chilled water.
“Residents didn’t have control over whether they had air conditioning or heat because it was a centralized system. You couldn’t just flip on a switch and switch from air to heat. “It was a several day process.”
The new system is much more efficient, and students seem to like it much better, Culbertson said.
“Students used to say they could smell a kind of moisture, but that’s gone now,” he said. “Last year we had about 12 work orders for leaking pipes and non-functional units just during the move-in period in August. This year, zero. It’s because the new system is working so much better.”
The new system in Banning is set to be the first of several dorm updates across campus.
“We assessed the dorm needs to see which one needed an update more than the others,” Culbertson said. “Banning Hall was at the top of the list. We’re hoping to update others, like Walker and Draper, soon.”
The updated system uses an entirely different means of cooling the building than the old water pipes.
“We installed a refrigerant system, like in a residential house,” Culbertson said. “The refrigerant cools the building, and we don’t have to have chilled water pipes.”
The new air conditioning system is also more energy efficient.
“We tested the new air conditioning on the hottest day of the year,” Culbertson said. “It was 105 degrees. We set the thermostats to about 68 degrees, and the system was able to cool all the rooms working at half capacity.”
After testing the air conditioning, facilities removed the chilled water system.
“We’re waiting to get rid of the steam heating pipes and radiators until we can test the heating later this fall,” Culbertson said. “We’re confident it will work.”
Thanks to the new thermostats, students can set the temperature in their rooms. Before they only had the choice of setting the fan on low, medium or high.
Madison Bowes, entertainment business freshman, said this change is convenient for students.
“It’s nice,” she said. “It makes it more comfortable to live there.”
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