Speedy post-flood chilling system avoids big fines
- The Challenge
Cooling a massive building after severe flooding
- The Solution
A complete cooling system within the hour
- The Impact
Rapid response saved reputations and thousands of dollars
Client:Property Management Group
Location:Houston, Texas, USA
Sectors:Contracting
The Challenge
Cooling a massive building after severe flooding
After heavy rainfalls, the basement in an office tower in Houston’s prestigious Energy Corridor had flooded, knocking out the central cooling system. This towering office building was occupied to full capacity when disaster hit, which meant tenants would need to stop work and the entire building would need to be evacuated.
The chiller needed replacing, but building management faced high penalties for extended closure and a hit to their reputation if they couldn’t get their tenants back to their offices quickly. They had 48 hours to fix the problem and reopen before penalties hit. They needed temporary cooling and they needed it fast.
The Solution
A complete cooling system within the hour
Just 60 minutes after responding to the call, our experts had put together a plan. The size of the building meant we needed a lot of units and they needed to be configured in a smart and energy efficient way. We installed an 800-ton capacity chiller system that included three air handlers, 30 one-ton spot coolers, a high-pressure hose and 3 MW of power to run the whole system.
Within 48 hours the temporary cooling system was up and running and tenants were moving back into their offices. Our reliable equipment was online for six months while the tower’s chiller was replaced.
The Impact
Rapid response saved reputations and thousands of dollars
Within just hours of installing our equipment onsite, a safety inspection showed that our solution was working beautifully - and office workers could all be let back in. Our rapid response and technical expertise gave the customer confidence that the system would remain operational with no issues during the time it took to replace the permanent chiller.
More importantly, we saved the customer thousands of dollars in penalties and helped restore good working relationships with their busy, high-profile tenants.