Facilities Management received two awards from General Electric Wednesday for changes to the co-generation plant cooling system that save water and money. Shown from left are: Bryan Earle of General Electric, Danny Kasunic, technical services manager, Rick Palframan, mechanical supervisor, Tom Saint-Ivany, Associate Vice-President of Facilities Management, Dave McArthur, manager of mechanical services, Cassie Kelly, director of maintenance and operations services, and Amir Sepehrdad and Rick Toste of General Electric.

There’s something cool happening at the Central Utilities Building.

Facilities Management has found a way to reduce the amount of water needed to keep the engines cool in the University’s co-generation power plant, cutting water use by 10,500 cubic metres and saving Brock $30,000 in the process.

The savings came after partnering earlier this year with General Electric (GE) on a new system through which cool water cycles five times, up from three times previously.

Water can be reused more often thanks to a more precise process that monitors and controls its quality. The water is also treated to help prevent corrosion and scaling, which will save more money on equipment replacement in the future.

The efforts, spearheaded by GE and Brock’s mechanical services team, earned the University two awards from the company, which were presented Wednesday.

The first is GE’s Proof Not Promises Award, given to organizations that realize at least $25,000 in savings thanks to the installation of new, more eco-friendly equipment.

Brock also won GE’s Return on Environment Award, given for reducing waste, water consumption or improving air quality.

“It shows the due diligence Brock is demonstrating has realized these savings,” said Bryan Earle, an account manager with GE Water who worked with the University on the project. “You’re state of the art in both chemistry and control.”

The recognition is appreciated, said Rick Palframan, mechanical supervisor. “I’m excited. It’s a great milestone for Brock, I am extremely proud of the mechanical team and credit them with this achievement,” Palframan said. “They’re the ones who know the equipment best. It’s a very complex system and because its operation is behind the scenes, its importance is often taken for granted. The team had to carefully consider, then implement many changes resulting in significant process improvements, which ultimately led to the success of this project”

The two awards from GE are the latest in eco-friendly and cost-saving changes implemented by Facilities Management.

Earlier this year, Brock received the Energy Excellence Award from Horizon Utilities for installing 6,000 new energy efficient light fixtures on campus. The award came with a cheque for $100,000 from Horizon toward the project.