UTILITIES
The University of Florida is served by a variety of utilities that are essential to campus operations. These utilities usually go unnoticed but are an important part of everyday operations. The following identify the various utility systems and their current status on campus.
Heating : Most of the main campus buildings
are heated via the central steam loop. Steam is drawn from this loop into the buildings, where it is
siphoned off into the AHU (Air Handling Units) of that building. This in turn allows the heating coils
within the AHU to provide ample heating for the buildings during winter. The co-generation plant located
on the campus provides all of the steam for heating needs, around 200,000 lbs/hr. Progress Energy
operates this facility. Should the co-generation plant be out of service for repair or maintenance,
steam can be supplied by two boilers owned by the University, located at Heat Plant #2.
www.progress-energy.com
Electricity: Sixty-nine thousand volts of
electrical energy are delivered by Florida Power through grids to three different locations (substations)
on or near the University of Florida. Also, 42MW of electricity generated by co-generation plant are
distributed to the grids. From these substations, the power is reduced through transformers to 23,000
or 12,000 volts. University of Florida PPD senior electricians distribute this by way of 12 high-voltage
breakers through 13 substations located throughout the campus. Approximately 600 miles of high-voltage
cable and 0ver 1000 switches are used to ensure our University of Florida customers have reliable power.
We are able to perform over 99% of our switching without any customer experiencing a power outage.
Progress Energy provides most of the electricity used by the University of Florida. GRU, Gainesville
Regional Utilities, provides for a small amount of the University's electrical needs outside main
campus.
www.progress-energy.com
Natural Gas: Gainesville Regional
Utilities (GRU) supplies the University of Florida with the natural gas that is used mostly for
labs, and operation of the co-generation plant on campus. The co-generation plant uses 36.5 billion
BTUs per year of natural gas.
www.gru.com
Cooling: The University of Florida has
nine (9) chilled-water plants on campus. All plants are on a
central-chiller-plant-management system- a Tracer Summit system by Trane. Detailed reports on
all of the chiller plants can be viewed from the station at each plant, as well as at Heat Plant
II. These facilities have the ability to provide over 41,000 Tons of chilled water at maximum output.
Most of these facilities provide chilled water to a central looping system that distributes the water
throughout campus. This water finds its way to the cooling coils of the AHU's on campus. These AHU's
then provide sufficient cooling for campus buildings during the hotter months.
Water Supply: This would include the
domestic water, also known as potable water. GRU supplies potable water to the University of Florida
through sixteen different locations around campus. The University consumes an average of 73,895 Kgal
of water per month. This includes water for drinking fountains, labs, and restrooms.
www.gru.com
Irrigation: The University of Florida's grounds is irrigated by sprinkler systems. 98% of the 2,000 acres are irrigated with reclaimed water that is processed by the University of Florida's Water Reclamation Facility located on North South Drive.
Sanitary Sewers: University of Florida has had its own sanitary collection system and wastewater treatment plant since 1948. The collection system covers three square miles of the main campus and is composed of 25 miles of gravity flow and forced main sewer lines ranging from four inches to 24 inches in diameter, 26 lift stations and 894 manholes.
Storm Sewers: Storm water is collected by an intricate system of storm sewer lines. Most of the storm run-off is then routed to Lake Alice. Some of the water is fed into the Hogtown Creek, mainly from the western side of campus. Water collected from PK Yonge, Veterinary College and other areas south of Archer Road drain into Bivin's Arm.