The plan is to upgrade both the 1st and 4th floor 38 variable air volume (VAV) boxes which will have cost $209,000. This team is going to upgrade the 1st and 4th floor's 38 (VAV) boxes to Direct Digital Controls and room level occupancy sensors. These measures will allow for scheduling and programming the air flow to the areas served on these floors, which will reduce the energy consumption for heating, cooling, and electricity in these spaces. Currently the space is utilizing pnuematically controlled devices which are not able to be adjusted on a schedule, so they run constantly at one specific set point. This results in a lack of ability to adjust to changing environmental conditions and results in less than optimal operating conditions. Putting them on a schedule for different settings would be a very easy way to lower the unnecessary energy consumption in a building that gets a lot of use.

This project will improve environmental sustainability on campus by reducing the building's total energy use by an estimated 1125.7MBTU which equates to 541,289 lbs of CO2 (same as emissions from 53 cars driven a year). It also reduces approximately $20,300 of annual utility costs, meaning a payback of ~10 years. This project fits in the Energy Conservation goal of the Illinois Climate Action Plan. The 2010 iCAP called for a reduction in total energy use of existing buildings of 20% by FY15, 30% by FY20, and 40% by FY25.