Kaiser Permanente Center Upgrade

This retrofit integrated HVAC controls into a national supervisory system across a multi-building medical campus, emphasizing third-party equipment compatibility.

Design and Technologies

The BAS used BACnet for HVAC (chillers, VFDs) and electrical (smart meters, lighting) integration, with hardwired interfaces for vortex and ultrasonic meters.

Controls managed 53,100 tons of cooling via centrifugal chillers, incorporating sequence logic for automatic failover.

Implementation and Challenges

Deployment involved coordinating mechanical and electrical teams, resolving EMI from high-voltage VFDs with shielded cabling. Phased rollout minimized disruptions, with cybersecurity audits per NIST frameworks.

Results and Energy Savings

Centralized oversight reduced energy use by 12%, saving $250,000 annually; comfort complaints dropped 40%. Uptime hit 99.8% through predictive alerts.

Summary

Hardwiring ensured reliability in EMI-heavy environments. Lessons learned stress the importance of early stakeholder alignment to facilitate seamless scaling.