The University is continuing its steam-to-hot water pipe conversion and is currently on the sixth of nine phases scheduled to be completed by 2029. The half-finished project intends to reduce the University’s carbon footprint as part of their commitment to reach carbon neutrality by 2035. This past summer, the University converted the pipes for Nicolson 7; Hewitt 8, 9, 10; High Rise; Low Rise; and Usdan, and next summer WestCo 1, 2, 3, 4; Nics 5, 5.5, 6; Bennet Hall; Fauver Apartments; and Van Vleck Observatory are slated to be renovated.

Currently, the heat-transfer pipes widely used around campus are steam pipes that are over a century old. Due to their age, many of the pipes have leaks and insulation problems which can cause heat to seep into the ground instead of being transported. 

Steam pipes also must run constantly at a temperature of around 320°F. In addition to requiring extremely high temperatures, the pipes waste much of the energy and water used when they leak. The steam that condensates in these pipes must also be sent back to the power plant to be reheated and returned as steam. However, some amount of steam is always lost and must be replaced with cold water. For the current pipes, the amount of steam lost may be as high as 50%. 

The new pipes will be much more efficient. They will be temperature controlled, equipped with modern insulation, and able to reuse water. The hot water pipes are double insulated with protective high density polyethylene jackets, technology that didn’t exist when the steam pipes were installed. Hot water pipes also heat to a much lower temperature to reduce energy waste, around 140°F on average. They are also able to adjust temperatures between 115 and 195°F, depending on the weather. The new pipes also eliminate condensation loss, returning all the water they use back to the power plant.

This conversion will be a key part of the carbon neutrality plan laid out in the Sustainability Strategic Plan, adopted in 2022.

“We project that at the completion of the hot water conversion in 2029, our carbon footprint will have been reduced by ~37% compared to when we started the conversion in 2019,” Project Engineer Andrew Plotkin wrote in an email to The Argus. “That represents roughly 10,000 metric tons of carbon annually.”

There is also an economic benefit to the pipe conversion. Although the conversion costs around $45 million in total, the system will pay for itself in 30 years through its efficiency alone, and other factors will allow the University to save even more money with the new pipe system. 

“A more credible evaluation is to compare a 25-year capital replacement of our existing steam infrastructure to a hot water system,” Plotkin wrote. “In this scenario, the hot water conversion breaks even in 10 years. This is because steam infrastructure is much more costly to install and maintain than hot water-based infrastructure.”

To reduce disruptions, major construction is done between semesters during June, July, and August, when fewer students are on campus. In the next few years, more buildings will adopt the hot water pipes. Foss Hill 1-6, The Freeman Athletic Center, Exley Science Center, Science Library, and the Butterfields are some of the buildings on campus that will be converted by 2029, while College Row, Foss Hill 7-10, Olin Memorial Library, Clark Hall, and the Center for the Arts complex have already been converted to hot water pipes.

While this project will replace the majority of the heat transfer systems, it does not include all buildings on campus. Some of these smaller remaining buildings may also convert their heating systems in the future. 

“In general, none of the small office buildings, residential wood frame houses, program houses, and buildings far from the central core of campus are connected to the new hot water loop,” Plotkin wrote. “Combined, these buildings represent about 20% of the campus heating load. There are several options being considered for conversion of these buildings including connecting them to the hot water system or electrification through either air or ground source heat pumps. As fossil fuel heating devices in these buildings fail, they will be replaced with some form of heat pump-based heating system.”

Spencer Landers can be reached at sklanders@wesleyan.edu.