Vernon State Hospital is a campus of about twenty-seven buildings. Kinsman & Associates was selected to produce an Energy Assessment Report on this campus to qualify this site for the Texas LoanSTAR Program. After qualifying the site, our firm was selected to design, specify, and monitor renovation construction to upgrade mechanical and electrical systems on campus. These upgrades included lighting, heating and cooling systems, and controls.

Although there was a broad range of lighting modifications and upgrades, most of the work consisted of converting to high efficiency fluorescent lamps with electronic ballasts. Heating and cooling upgrades included new chillers, boilers, and rooftop units. Controls included a campus-wide energy management system (EMS) operating over a fiber optics, Ethernet system.

In a subsequent project ,the hospital needed to replace six large multizone rooftop packaged units on two buildings because of their failing condition. Kinsman and Associates designed, specified, and monitored installation of custom-built rooftop units. These units serve thirty-six zones in each building. Rather than use packaged direct-fired gas and DX compressors like the original equipment, the new units are built-up air handling units, coupled to new high efficiency boilers and chillers located at ground level. Hot water and chilled water are thus provided to the new four-pipe rooftop units. Chillers, boilers, pumps, and rooftop units with all their associated zone dampers are under control of the campus-wide energy management system (EMS). Emergency generators with automatic roll-over were also installed.