To say that the owners of the Capital Plaza Hotel in Kentucky were energy conservation skeptics would be an understatement. “If it worked, everyone would be doing it” was a familiar sentiment. However, they are now true believers. With the help of Aeroseal, the 10-story hotel and convention center, in the heart of the state’s capital, has been Energy Star-certified. Owners estimate that duct sealing and other low-hanging energy saving measures have reduced operating costs by $110,000 a year. Sealing leaks also fixed bathroom exhaust issues, eliminating chronic mold and mildew problems. Cold spots have been replaced with even temperatures throughout the facilities.
The work began with a proof of concept demo for the hotel where one section of its entire ductwork system was sealed. The success of that demo led to the bigger project of sealing its entire system. The sealing process took five days to complete. Payback is estimated in less than two years. Ongoing savings estimated for duct sealing alone is approximately $24,000 per year. Additional savings are expected through reduced maintenance costs and equipment repair. The once skeptical owners are now supporters of aerosol duct sealing and other energy conservation measures for reducing overall operational costs.
“During the demo we got to see how the Aeroseal technology actually worked. The computer-generated graph follows the sealing process in real time, and we watched as the leaks were sealed and the CFM of lost air went down to practically nothing. There was no other way, short of tearing down and rebuilding the hotel, that we could have gotten anything near these results,” states Chad Braden, director of facilities, Capital Plaza.
Jason Delambre, energy consultant, Interdependent Energies LLC, adds, “I was getting quotes for an overhaul of the HVAC system that ran $1 million to $2 million dollars; it would have taken decades to pay back. We opted instead to seal the ductwork with Aeroseal. That dramatically improved the efficiency of the current system, allowed us to reduce energy use related to heating and the use of exhaust fans and it solved a lot of issues related to poor ventilation. We expect pay back on the duct sealing to take less than two years. Then it’s simply ongoing savings right off the top of the hotel’s monthly operating expenses.”
Building: Capital Plaza Hotel, Frankfort, Ky.
Aeroseal Contractors: Service Tech, Vandalia, Ohio
Energy Consultants: Interdependent Energies
Building Specs: 10-story, 160,000-square-feet hotel/convention
center. First opened in 1960.
Goal: Reduce duct leaks, save energy, improve IAQ
Before Aeroseal: Total system leakage: 6,270 CFM
After Aeroseal: Total system leakage: 771 CFM
Results: A nearly 90 percent reduction in leakage.