Pilot Insulation Project Proves Itself
Contact: Mike Swartz, 581-2624
ORONO — A demonstration project with a new pipe insulation material manufactured by a Maine-based company has proven efficient for the University of Maine and also can be considered a successful field trial for the Auburn company that is patenting it.
The trial, conducted in the past year at a university Facilities Management building on campus, could save an estimated $2,280 in energy costs and reduce carbon emissions by 7.3 tons a year, according to initial testing and a computerized model.
The insulation material is being patented by Auburn Manufacturing Inc. The company approached the university with a request that UMaine participate in a pilot demonstration to test the company’s new EverGreen Cut ‘n Wrap insulation. Evergreen Cut ‘n Wrap is an alternative to custom-made blankets for insulating bare piping components such as valves, flanges, pipe fittings and other hard-to-get-to components.
“Coincidentally, we had a boiler replacement project underway in our service building, so the timing was perfect,” says Mike Swartz, energy and utility manager at UMaine. “The new boilers had exposed hot water pipe that required insulation, so we asked our insulating contractor, Northeastern Insulation Service, to apply the Cut ‘n Wrap to the fittings in conjunction with insulating the straight lengths of pipe.”
Independent testing has shown that heat loss can be reduced by at least 85 percent and emissions by up to 1,000 pounds per square foot per year by using the insulation, according to Auburn Manufacturing Inc.
The demonstration project with Cut ‘n Wrap was a cost-free way to explore the viability of the new way of insulating the components with a new insulation product designed to reduce the cost of wasted energy and reduce carbon emissions, Swartz says.
“We are very pleased with the installation and the performance thus far,” he says.
UMaine has developed a plan to eliminate net greenhouse gas emissions on campus by 2040, according to Swartz, so the university is continually looking for new ways to conserve energy.
“We look for every opportunity for improvement,” he says.