The Problem

Rivercentre Medical Clinic is housed in a two-story building that includes six different heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Each HVAC system included it’s own independent temperature control system. Regulating the temperature in each room was very difficult. Patients and clinic staff often complained. Frequently, one HVAC system would operate in heating mode while another would operate in cooling mode.

The Solution

REAL Controls designed, programmed and constructed a programmable logic controller (PLC) based system to replace all of the independent controllers. All six HVAC systems and a boiler are integrated with the new PLC system. Variable air volume dampers were installed in the HVAC ducts to better regulate the temperature in each room. Two economizers were installed to use outdoor air to provide supplemental cooling and to reduce energy costs. A graphical PC based operator interface was developed which allows the clinic office manager to monitor, record and adjust temperatures in each room. The operator interface can even be monitored from a remote PC via the internet.

The Result

Temperature regulation is much improved. The new system allows independent temperature settings for each room. Temperatures are maintained to within 1 oF of setting. A day/night schedule allows the temperature settings in each room to be independently adjusted to conserve energy. The system is expandable for future automation enhancements.