The aged HVAC system in three major buildings was tracked in the periodic facility audits.  The timing of a major campus expansion became an issue in determining the ideal schedule for replacing this major HVAC system. An efficient central plant, chilled water-type system was under consideration, but important decisions regarding the plant would be influenced by the campus expansion and the relative costs/benefits of chilled water and direct expansion-type systems. 

The Building Solutions analysis determined that the school could recover the cost premium for air cooled chillers over a period of 4 years, rather than replacing their aged system with identical rooftop units, including the costs of routine maintenance and future replacements.