Published: July 18, 2008 09:08 am      

NEW – Duquesne using ice to cool campus

PITTSBURGH — Duquesne University in Pittsburgh is saving energy by using ice produced at night to produce the cold air it needs to air condition its buildings during the day.

The new system cost the school about $4 million.

It uses 28 storage tanks, each 12 feet high, where the ice is made and stored each night. By making the ice at night, the university is saving money and energy because that is an off-peak time for electrical power.

The ice is then used to chill water that is pumped through pipes and used to cool air that is blown into about 30 campus buildings during the day.

School officials say the system is the first of its kind at a Pittsburgh academic institution.



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Information from: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, http://pghtrib.com