Construction of the East Campus Chilled Water Plant is still underway.

Tentatively scheduled to be completed this winter, the East Campus Chilled Water Plant will cool buildings on the east side of the campus, including Davis, Wirtz and Altgeld Halls.

Jeff Daurer, director of capital budget and planning, sees the plant as a positive step for the university.

“There are a lot of advantages,” Daurer said. “It’s a very efficient way to chill water, which is our cooling system.”

Many buildings currently use older, individual chilling units that have been in service for decades. Once operational, the plant will replace these units, some of which use older refrigerants that have come to be viewed as environmentally irresponsible in the years since the devices were originally installed.

The projected cost of the East Campus Chilled Water Plant was reported to be just over $16 million overall. The project will come in on budget, Daurer said, and is also expected to save the university on electricity costs.

“Taking old chillers offline saves money,” Daurer said. “And it lets us get rid of a lot of unsightly equipment.”

When construction began, it was estimated that the university would save about $300,000 in energy costs. It is unknown if rising energy costs will reduce that number or not.

However, the construction has taken up a number of parking spaces in the lot behind the Campus Life Building, leading to a shortage on campus. This issue has also been the subject of Faculty Senate and University Council meetings.

Although the Chilled Water Plant has only become a reality in the last few years, Daurer points out that it has been in the planning stages for a long time.

“The minds of the past had brilliance enough to think of a centralized plant,” said Daurer. “This was planned back in the 1990s.”

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