Project Highlights

• Ferreira Construction Company had a goal for their new 41,500-square-foot corporate headquarters: zero energy use.
• Greg Jannone of William Jannone & Sons designed an energy-efficient system for the facility that incorporated an Uponor radiant floor heating system and solar panels.
• The unique project garnered first place for hydronic commercial systems in the Radiant Panel Association’s 2007 System Showcase.

Background

In 2006, Nelson Ferreira, president and CEO of Ferreira Construction Company, was looking to build a new corporate headquarters facility which included a 15,500-square-foot, two-story office area and a 26,000-square-foot shop area.

He needed an energy-efficient method for heating the large structure, especially the shop area which included 30-foot ceilings and large bay doors that opened and closed frequently throughout the day.

“We knew the best heating system to meet Ferreira’s zero-energy goals was a radiant system,” says Greg Jannone, owner of William Jannone & Sons, the plumbing and heating company that designed and installed the system. “Coupling the radiant floor heating system with solar power helped us to achieve the energy efficiency they were looking for.”

Jannone was responsible for all the radiant design, including heat loads, tubing layout, equipment selection and sizing, mechanical room layout, piping distribution systems for solar domestic hot water (DHW) and variable air volume (VAV) piping, as well as all plumbing.

The unique design incorporated a 223-kilowatt solar electric system consisting of 1,276 175-watt panels. The entire system was controlled by a LON-based DDC custom control system monitoring everything from photovoltaic (PV) array production to solar hot-water production, radiant slab control, VAV control, vehicle-exhaust extraction systems, demand control ventilation and space temperature sensors.

“The entire system also connects directly to rack servers that contain information in electronic form about the building’s individual systems, including design, operation and maintenance documents,” says Jannone.

In fact, the company is even able to monitor energy consumption through pulse meters supplied by the local utility company. Real-time screens located in various areas of the building allow employees and visitors to see and track all the systems.

“This innovative, high-tech system provides Ferreira with the ultimate energy-efficient facility they were looking for,” says Jannone. “And incorporating all the monitoring systems allows them to keep tabs on their energy consumption on a daily basis.”

Tubing installation in office area

Finished floor in shop area

 Related Documents

• Uponor Commercial Systems Brochure