Longmont United Hospital is a general medical and surgical hospital serving Boulder County, Colorado, and surrounding communities for over five decades. For the past several years, Longmont United Hospital has relied on Timberline Mechanical to provide expert HVACR repair and maintenance services for their main campus in central Longmont as well as their satellite location in Frederick, Colorado.
A five-story medical office building, consisting of approximately 50,000 square feet, is the largest structure in the complex and includes the surgery and cancer treatment centers. When Longmont United Hospital decided to renovate the office building, it was only natural that Timberline was called in to consult on the HVACR requirements for this large project. Working together with the hospital and the general contractor, Krische Construction of Longmont, Timberline came up with a plan to retrofit the existing HVACR system with modern, high-efficiency equipment and the latest control systems.
Replacing the Rooftop Mounted Air Conditioning Units & Boilers
Work began in the summer of 2016 with the replacement of the old rooftop air conditioning units. Timberline specified AAON, known for their premium, high-efficiency commercial cooling and heating equipment.
Timberline also replaced the original boiler system, which is the building’s heating source. The old system of cast-iron sectional boilers was replaced with high-efficiency commercial condensing boilers from AERCO. Timberline also separated the building heating from the hot water by installing AERO Innovation commercial grade instantaneous tankless water heaters. What was once three large, inefficient boilers providing both the heating and domestic water supply is now separated into a system much appreciated by hospital personnel and patients.
Honeywell BACnet Controls for Building Automation & Control Systems
All of the new equipment comes with state-of-the-art Honeywell BACnet controls to communicate with the existing PLC control system through a BACnet translator. BACnet, a non-proprietary communications protocol, was designed to allow communication of building automation and control systems for applications such as HVAC, lighting control, access control, fire detection systems, and more. The BACnet protocol provides mechanisms for computerized building automation devices to exchange information, regardless of the particular building service they perform. Now the Longmont United Hospital facilities manager and personnel can continuously monitor and track hundreds of points of information to achieve peak operational performance.
Water Pumps, Ventilation, Air Compressor & Lightning Protection Upgrades
In addition to the rooftop AC units and boilers, Timberline also:
- Replaced the constant-speed water pumps that circulate water throughout the building with premium efficiency motors and variable frequency drives; the new motors are now able to match the fluctuating energy load of the building, providing another energy upgrade by using half of the electrical energy as the old pumps.
- Upgraded the elevator shaft ventilation system as well as provided enhanced ventilation for the boiler room so that is more comfortable for workers maintaining the equipment.
- Replaced the air compressor that operates the pneumatic controls that provide climate-controlled air throughout the building.
- Hired and managed a contractor to replace and recertify the rooftop lightning protection equipment.
HVACR Retrofit Results: Improved Comfort, Efficiency & Energy Savings
The primary scope of the project was recently completed. The air conditioning rooftop units have been in service for about six months and the new boilers for three months. Longmont United Hospital is looking forward to the improved comfort, efficiency, and energy savings as it continues delivering the services and high-value care the community has come to know and trust.
Timberline Mechanical’s Comprehensive Mechanical Engineering Expertise
Although the HVACR portion of the Longmont United Hospital medical office building renovation was put out for bid, Timberline was awarded the contract because of what they brought to the table. Along with their commercial retrofit expertise and experience, they knew the building better than anyone else—what would work and not work. Having serviced the account for many years, Timberline understood the client’s needs.
Top photos: New, high-efficiency rooftop air conditioning unit being assembled and in place.
Bottom photos: Original boilers and water heaters were replaced with condensing boilers (left), and tankless water heaters (right).