Opened in 1973, Mystic Aquarium is a nonprofit organization that aims to inspire people to care for and protect our ocean planet through conservation, education, and research. The aquarium, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Connecticut, has a variety of animals and exhibits open for public view. The Aquarium’s campus is approximately 18 acres and operates year-round.

CHALLENGE

The aquarium uses approximately 8.3 million kWh per year in electricity and came to FES looking to make some energy-saving changes to the facility’s mechanical and electrical infrastructure. General improvements were recommended throughout the property, specifically at the main building, visitor services building, and ocean exploration center. All of the work would need to be performed while the building was either occupied by visitors or staff, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

SOLUTION

FES identified a number of energy conservation measures to help the Aquarium save energy and money, including a high-efficiency lighting package with building automation controls. ESC investigated the Aquarium’s water process pumps, which were incredibly inefficient, and suggested installing new Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs) to reduce motor speeds and save energy while maintaining optimal water flow for the process. In addition, ESC expanded and upgraded the building management system to control the HVAC systems in the building that were unrelated to animal life and safety, including demand-controlled ventilation, dual enthalpy control, optimal start-stop control, and static pressure reset.

RESULTS

By providing a full turn-key energy solution, FES maximized the Aquarium’s energy incentives and reduced overall annual electricity usage by about 650,000 kWh per year. FES delivered $541,000 in utility incentives for the Aquarium and saved approximately $85,000 in estimated annual energy costs.

EXECUTED BY

Environmental Systems Co.

CLIENT

Mystic Aquarium

CLIENT REFERENCE

Keith Sorensen
Senior Vice President
Facilities and Capital Projects

SCOPE OF THE PROJECT

LED Lighting, Process Pump VFDs, Expansion and Upgrade of HVAC Building Management System, AHU & AC Unit Replacement

PROJECT TYPE

Building Automation, Energy Solutions, Mechanical Services

PROJECT SIZE

900+ Lighting Fixtures, (1) 50-ton RTU, (2) 50-ton Cpndensing Units, Refrigerant Piping, Mechanical and Controls for HVAC units, (16) VFDs on Marine Pool Pumps

BUILDING TYPE

Private Aquarium

FES TEAM MEMBERS/ROLES

Jack Cunningham, Director Energy Solutions Sales
Brian Mitchell, Project Manager Lead/HVAC Controls
Daniela Iozzo, Lighting Project Manager
Mark Case, Mechanical Project Manager