Kentucky HVAC manufacturing campus
Developing a phased decarbonization pathway aligned with equipment replacement and capital cycles across a three-building manufacturing campus.
The challenge
The approximately 200,000-square-foot campus comprises two manufacturing facilities and a headquarters constructed between 1996 and 2018. Each building had different systems, operating requirements and near-term investment needs. The original factory relied on gas-fired HVAC and production heating, with continuous ventilation operating without heat recovery. Much of this equipment was approaching the end of its useful life. The newer factory had more efficient systems with fewer immediate replacement needs, while the headquarters already used geothermal heat pumps but continued to experience comfort and control issues. Because utility data was shared across the facilities, URBS first needed to establish building-level energy estimates before comparing opportunities. The plan then needed to distinguish where immediate intervention would create value and where investment should align with later replacement cycles.
The system approach
URBS assessed the energy infrastructure and operational requirements across all three facilities, disaggregated the available utility data and developed a differentiated pathway for each building. The original factory was identified as the priority. Its roadmap combines ventilation heat recovery, electrification of production heating, heat-pump systems for occupied spaces and rooftop solar, coordinated with equipment approaching replacement. At the headquarters, the strategy integrates the existing geothermal system with the manufacturer’s advanced air-treatment technology to create a demonstration of high-performance HVAC. The newer factory prioritizes near-term solar generation while deferring major HVAC upgrades until the appropriate capital cycle. URBS also outlined the next-stage technical work and potential financing pathways needed to move the priority measures toward implementation.