GVSU approves new Grand Rapids steam project

Grand Valley State University's Board of Trustees approved today the conversion of the existing steam system on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus from the public system to a university owned and operated system.

James Moyer, assistant vice president for Facilities Planning, said the $1.2 million project will allow the university to save money and become more energy efficient.

Grand Valley's downtown DeVos Center and Secchia Hall living center are currently on the public steam system. Currently, the university buys steam and has it piped in from the system currently owned by Veolia Energy North America (and previously owned by Kent County). There is no return loop on the system, a condition that causes much energy loss when the hot water and condensed steam is disposed. The university tries to recover as much of the heat as possible, but sometimes the heated water has to be cooled down — by mixing it with unheated water the university purchases — and disposed of through the Grand Rapids sanitary sewer system.

"That heated water has value to us," Moyer said. "There is still a lot of energy in that hot water, and that energy is valuable."

The new system will create a closed loop that will re-use the heated water, allowing the university to control fuel costs and manage energy needs internally. The system will also result in significant reductions of energy and costs. Moyer said the change should save the university an estimated $130,000 annually in fuel costs alone and said the new system should pay for itself in eight years through cost savings.

The project is expected to create between 15 and 20 jobs. Tower Pinkster Titus Associates, Inc. is the project engineer and Andy J. Egan Company is the construction manager and contractor for the project.