Vicinity Energy’s CEO Kevin Hagerty took part in an Energy Innovations panel, hosted by The Boston Globe and presented by the Museum of Science. The panel explored the past, present, and future of energy innovations, including what has shaped the current landscape and the groundbreaking advancements that are driving us toward a sustainable future. Climate reporter Sabrina Shankman moderated the dynamic conversation between Kevin and the Executive Director of HEETlabs, Audrey Schulman, and the Chief Technology Officer of Innovation at Schneider Electric, Scott Harden.
Tag: Oklahoma City
Oklahoma State University Partners with Vicinity Energy for Sustainable District Energy
Tulsa, September 5, 2024—Vicinity Energy, a leader in decarbonization with the nation’s largest portfolio of district energy systems, has partnered with Oklahoma State University (OSU) to provide chilled water and steam service to a new medical campus. This project will combine multiple existing buildings into a state-of-the-art hospital. Vicinity will serve the entire 58-bed medical-surgical inpatient hospital for Oklahoma veterans, totaling over 275,000 square feet of building space.
The medical campus will use steam and chilled water for space heating and cooling, domestic hot water, and direct steam humidification. By choosing district energy, the campus will reduce the emissions associated with its onsite operations.
Nearly 100% of the condensate water will be returned and reused at Vicinity’s facility. This sustainable practice conserves water and enhances the system’s overall efficiency, aligning with Vicinity’s commitment to a clean energy future.
By utilizing district energy, the medical campus will experience enhanced reliability, better redundancy, and greater energy efficiency compared to operating onsite equipment. This ensures a stable and efficient energy supply, which is crucial for the continuous and reliable operation of the medical facility.
“This partnership reflects our dedication to operational excellence,” said Dr. Johnny Stephens, president of Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences. “By integrating Vicinity’s district energy solutions, we are not only minimizing our carbon footprint but also enhancing the reliability and efficiency of our medical facilities. This collaboration ensures that we provide our veterans with a safe and environmentally responsible healthcare environment.”
“At Vicinity, our priority is delivering innovative, sustainable energy solutions tailored to the unique needs of our customers,” said Kevin Hagerty, CEO and president of Vicinity. “We’re proud that OSU has chosen district energy for its reliability and environmental benefits, entrusting us with the opportunity to power their state-of-the-art medical campus. This partnership not only significantly reduces OSU’s onsite carbon emissions but also positively impacts the campus and the surrounding community.”
Vicinity is committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions across its entire portfolio while offering sustainable solutions to help decarbonize its customers and communities. In Tulsa, Vicinity plans to implement electric boilers and heat recovery heat pumps, leveraging renewable energy sources to decarbonize its operations. This initiative will allow Vicinity to provide Tulsa customers with its carbon-free thermal energy product, eSteam™.
About Vicinity Energy
Vicinity Energy is the largest owner and operator of district energy systems dedicated to decarbonizing its operations and investing in innovative renewable thermal energy technologies to offer carbon-free eSteam™ to its customers. Operating 19 district energy systems in 12 cities, Vicinity delivers reliable and sustainable steam, hot water, and chilled water to 260 million square feet of building space nationwide. As Vicinity advances its electrification efforts across its locations, the goal to achieve net zero by 2050 is more than a commitment—it’s a mission. Learn more about Vicinity’s vision for a clean energy future at www.vicinityenergy.us.
Media Contact
Sara DeMille
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
media@vicinityenergy.us
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Summer readiness checklist
As temperatures rise, it’s time to ensure HVAC systems are geared up for the summer heat to optimize building systems’ performance, conserve energy, and keep occupants comfortable and safe during heat waves, hurricanes, tornados, tropical cyclones, floods, or other extreme weather events.
Whether buildings use district chilled water or operate onsite chillers and cooling towers, regularly reviewing and implementing this guide ensures proactive building readiness for summer temperatures, helps maximize equipment lifespan, and improves overall energy efficiency.
Print out this summer preparedness checklist and review it every spring to prepare staff and equipment for the coming warm temperatures. Please note that the steps will vary depending on the equipment present onsite.
Contact your account manager to explore partnering with Vicinity’s operations and maintenance experts to assist with summer readiness, equipment upgrades, or preventative maintenance programs.
Vicinity leverages best practices at its central facilities to provide a smooth transition into the summer season. These protocols ensure safe, reliable, and consistent operation to prevent service disruptions for customers who leverage chilled water or steam for cooling purposes. Vicinity’s interconnected energy facilities offer 99.99% uptime energy delivery with resiliency through redundant power and fuel sources.
Vicinity’s summer preparedness includes extensive cooling tower and chiller inspection and cleaning at Vicinity’s central facilities that produce chilled water, including basin cleaning, sterilization to prevent bacteria growth, and oil inspections on gearboxes and fan belts. Vicinity also performs eddy current testing to detect leaks on chiller tubes and inspects refrigerant and oil samples. Mid-season, Vicinity performs additional maintenance to ensure smooth operation of the central facilities before scorching weather conditions, hurricanes, tornadoes, tropical cyclones, floods, or other extreme summer weather events. Each day, Vicinity monitors atmospheric pressure, humidity, and temperature to anticipate and meet customer buildings’ energy demands, and confirms redundancies are in place to minimize any disruptions to steam or chilled water service.
By taking these proactive steps, Vicinity delivers reliable customer service year-round and reduces the maintenance needed onsite at customers’ buildings.
Pumps & Systems podcast: Heat pumps & decarbonization
In this episode of the Pumps & Systems podcast, Bill DiCroce, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vicinity Energy discussed the role heat pumps can play in decarbonization, as well as the efforts cities like Boston are currently making to strive for sustainability and an eventual goal of net zero carbon emissions.
Recommended preventative maintenance
Vicinity’s comprehensive maintenance services are offered year-round—during peak usage or before system turn-ons—to optimize steam efficiency, reliability, and cost savings.
Improve the operating performance of steam systems by taking preventive steps to avoid energy losses. Customers who have leveraged Vicinity’s preventive maintenance program have experienced the following benefits:- Conserved energy and reduced energy costs by improving system performance and eliminating inefficiencies.
- Improved reliability by identifying problem areas that could cause unscheduled system outages.
- Optimized capital expenditure and operating expenses by maximizing system efficiency and strategically planning for infrastructure investments with an identified budget for equipment repair or replacement.
- Improved operating procedures by reviewing, refining, and documenting preventative maintenance best practices.
Steam traps
- Service description: Survey building, locate, identify, tag, and test steam trap performance.
- Maintenance value: Ensure steam traps function correctly and prevent issues that can lead to energy waste, equipment damage, and safety hazards.
Pressure Regulating Valves (PRVs)
- Service description: Identify valves’ make, model, size, and serial number. Test pilot valve for leaks, clean orifices, check diaphragm plates, test the gauging, and set to desired system pressure.
- Maintenance value: Prevent system over-pressurization and relief valves from releasing steam into the atmosphere. Failed PRVs may improperly cycle open and close, both oversupplying and then starving the downstream equipment of steam.
Strainers
- Service description: Inspect screens and clean out debris, evaluate source of debris, and troubleshoot. Ensure blow-down valves are functioning properly to flush trapped material.
- Maintenance value: Reduce rust and pipe scale damage to valves and pumps. Ensure heat transfer surfaces are kept free of efficiency reducing deposits.
Heat exchangers
- Service description: Perform water chemistry testing, determine if leaks exist, measure tube thickness, repair or plug tubes as needed, and perform preventative maintenance, such as hydrolasing or cleaning as needed.
- Maintenance value: Recover efficiency losses, optimize operation of the exchangers, and reduce energy consumption.
Steam pipe
- Service description: Inspect steam piping. Check for leaking joints, watermarks on insulation, and corrosion.
- Maintenance value: Deliver safe and reliable steam into the building while reducing potential for steam emissions into the building.
Condensate return line
- Service description: Inspect for leaks and corrosion. Check condensate pump seals for leaks. Check vent pipes for vapor emissions.
- Maintenance value: Avoid condensate water spills, ensure proper evacuation of condensate from system lines, and identify the presence of leaking steam traps in the system.
Mechanical room hot water loop
- Service description: Inspect all piping, inlet/outlet temperatures, and pressures on heat exchangers and mechanical pumps.
- Maintenance value: Confirm adequate operation of key energy transfer equipment, such as heat exchangers, which supply building heat, hot water, or other process loads.
Seasonal and maintenance shutdowns/turn-ons
- Service description: Manage closure and opening of Vicinity’s main service valve for seasonal system curtailment or start of use. Shutdowns require draining of systems while turn-ons require both draining of systems and operating pressure checks.
- Maintenance value: Ensure safe and confined operation of Vicinity’s main service valve for shutdowns/turn-ons related to seasonal changes and maintenance activities. Reduce radiant energy losses, condensate accumulation in system piping, and mechanical room air space temperature. Prevent pipes from rotting and prepare systems to be dormant for an extended period by draining the systems for shutdowns.
Emergency winter weather preparedness checklist
Melt away the challenges of winter weather. Prevent costly equipment damage and disruptions to daily operations by proactively preparing for winter weather conditions.
To enhance preparedness, we encourage you to utilize our emergency winter weather preparedness checklist. Regularly reviewing and implementing this guide ensures proactive building readiness for winter conditions. It safeguards against potential freeze-ups in steam and sprinkler systems, mitigates the risk of roof collapses due to heavy snowfall, and protects against potential flooding during extremely cold temperatures. These risks present safety concerns and entail substantial financial and time investments in repairs, with the possible consequence of building shutdowns.
Print out this emergency winter weather preparedness checklist and review it every winter to prepare staff and equipment.
Vicinity has rigorous cold weather protocols to ensure safe, reliable, and consistent operation of its facilities to prevent service disruptions. Our interconnected energy facilities offer 99.99% uptime energy delivery through multiple power supplies, backup generation, and several water and fuel sources in case of interruptions to other utilities.
Vicinity’s winter weather protocol includes:
- A comprehensive cold weather plan that entails pre-season preparation, pre-storm planning, weekly winter weather readiness checks, and post-season assessment.
- Identification, monitoring, and prioritization of components, systems, and other areas of vulnerability at our facilities which may experience freezing problems, pose safety risks, prevent the delivery of fuel or water, or result in other cold weather operational issues.
- Validation that critical equipment is operational through function testing.
- Implementing ongoing walk-downs throughout the season to ensure heat tracing is functional, sufficient pipe insulation is in place, and opportunities for continuous improvement are identified.
- Strict compliance with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) – Emergency Operations (EOP).
- Annual training with specific checklists related to freeze protection panel alarms, troubleshooting and repair of freeze protection circuitry, identification of facility areas susceptible to winter conditions, review of special inspections or rounds implemented during severe weather, and fuel switching procedures.
