In October, Tower Tech exhibited at the 2021 CAPPA Annual Conference held in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A regional chapter of APPA, the Central Association of Physical Plant Administrators in Institutions [that meet eligibility criteria for higher education, technology or grades PK-12] helps to develop and maintain superior standards in administration, maintenance, operation, planning and development of facilities management in educational institutions.
In the past, Tower Tech has exhibited at APPA shows in the Southwest and Rocky Mountain regions. This year, we chose to participate in the October trade show for the first time, which targeted the country’s Central region. The event covers Arkansas, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and parts of Canada and Mexico. Educating facility workers is a key goal of these shows. Education is also something that Tower Tech has a keen interest in. The 2021 show allowed us to re-connect with customers in these locations who already use our technology, and interact with individuals new to our products.
Tower Tech’s energy-efficient modular cooling towers are fabricated in-house and assembled primarily with Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) parts. In the Central region, our units have been adopted by organizations such as the University of Oklahoma, Bucknell, University of Nebraska, Denver Public Schools and MIT to name a few.
In addition to being able to communicate face-to-face and network with people, trade events like CAPPA allow us to “show and tell” with Baby Tech—a smaller, mobile model of our cooling tower product. A Plexiglas window allows visitors to see how our water collection process works and the technology the unit uses to divert water and allow the bottom-mounted direct drive fan to operate. Academic institution cooling tower operators and facilities and maintenance personnel comprise a large customer base for cooling tower applications.
According to American School & University, North Carolina’s Cleveland County district has plans to upgrade the HVAC systems at four high schools. The price tag for the project is an estimated $34.4 million. In Stamford, Connecticut, Toquam Magnet School has been identified as an academic facility with HVAC and mold problems. In Dearborn, Michigan, the school district plans to pay $3 million over the next three years to help design HVAC solutions. In West Virginia, the Kanawha County school district has plans to upgrade HVAC systems at 13 of its schools. The Lewisburg, Pennsylvania school district is launching $9.8 million in HVAC upgrades. In the past, maintenance and operations costs have hovered between 10 and 11 percent of an academic institution’s overall budget. Economic restraints and rising payroll costs continue to squeeze financial accounts, but the pandemic has also accelerated the need for more efficient HVAC operations and better air quality.
Traditional cooling towers generate tremendous transmission efficiency losses and are costly to operate from a maintenance perspective. They also consume large amounts of kilowatts. Tower Tech cooling systems generate cost savings on a number of levels. Unlike other models on the market, our cooling tower has a forced-draft, counter-flow bottom-mounted matrix made up of multiple fans. These fans supply reliable thermal performance in both constant and variable heat load applications. This design also guarantees zero downtime. If one fan fails, the unit’s other fans continue to operate the tower minimizing thermal impact. In as little as an hour, a fan motor can be locked out, tagged out and replaced while the other fans continue to operate.
Tower Tech’s ability to factory assemble its cooling towers with a pre-engineered, certified substructure, lowers infrastructure costs and reduces the unit’s space and weight requirements. The modular design allows multiple towers to be linked to accommodate a customer’s cooling requirements. Tower Tech’s Quick-Install features means installation can be performed in as little as 30 minutes per tower. That means less cost for customers in terms of heavy equipment and labor.
You can read more about how our unique multiple-fan design generates costs savings by checking out the environmental impact evaluation and life-cycle cost analysis conducted by The University of Oklahoma’s School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science.
At the CAPPA show, one facility director from a Division 1 university summed it up when he said, “The best thing I can say about Tower Tech is that we have had your towers for years and we haven’t had to do anything to them. They just run.”
If your school district is planning to upgrade HVAC or looking for a new cooling tower solution contact us today. We’ll be happy to sit and talk with you about your needs.