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Case Study: Retrofitting Mechanical Systems in a Continuously Occupied Assisted Living Facility
Using wireless saved at least $48,000 in construction costs and enables retrofit while residents continue to live in building.
Retrofitting A Building While It's Occupied 24 Hours A Day
Upgrading a 1960’s vintage building’s mechanical systems is never easy. But when the building is continuously occupied, as is a long-term healthcare facility, the challenge is much greater. Add to this mix state regulations that severely limit the locations of sensing and control devices, and you are facing a multifold problem. Paul and Don Ludwig of FM Controls, in Duncombe, Iowa, faced this situation when engaged in the retrofit of a nursing home.
Plaster Walls Present An Additional Construction Challenge
The nursing home had pneumatic mechanical systems that dated to the 1960s. Upgrading the heating and air conditioning was a must, but was complicated by a state building code that prohibited surface mounted devices in the resident rooms of the healthcare facility. The rooms needed temperature sensors that also allowed climate control in the form of a set point and override. The plaster walls could have been opened up to install conduit for wiring, but the best-case scenario for such an installation came with a cost of $48,000. In addition, this type of construction would have caused more inconvenience to the occupants, who were living in the residence throughout the renovation. With the combination of cost and inconvenience, a wired installation was largely out of the question. A sensing solution was needed that could be installed while not disrupting occupancy, and without needing conduit. Wireless temperature sensors that also enabled occupants to choose a temperature set point for their rooms, made by Spinwave Systems, would make the retrofit possible.
Wireless Sensors Save $48,000 in Installation
Costs
Using wireless sensing meant that the walls would not have to be opened up, saving the $48,000 in installation costs. The installation was able to go forward due to the lower installation costs, and the efficiency of a wireless installation, which allowed residents to continue to live at the facility during the retrofit. “The job wouldn’t have happened without wireless,” says Paul Ludwig.
Web Bonus: View a 3-D Model of This Installation
See precisely where sensors, repeaters, controllers, and interfaces were placed in the building using our interactive 3-D Google Sketchup modeling. To view this model, you'll need either Google Sketchup or Google Sketchup viewer, both available for free at the links below.
Download Google Sketchup Viewer