Millennium-Knickerbocker Hotel

For the past decade, guests at the four-diamond Millennium-Knickerbocker Hotel, just steps from North MichiganAvenue, the famous Magnificent Mile in Chicago's glitteringdowntown, have enjoyed energy-efficient, reliable heatingand cooling at their fingertips. Once the home of the originalPlayboy Club, the Renaissance-style hotel currently featuresa bar offering 44 varieties of martinis and live jazz piano.

Each of the landmark 14-story hotel's 305 guest rooms isequipped with its own thermostat so occupants can summonthe temperatures they prefer, regardless of whether theweather outside is snowy and windy, or blazing with summer's heat. This pleasant indoorclimate is furnished by a pair of 240-ton York direct-fired chiller/heaters running on cleannatural gas. Installed in 1995, the York units have demonstrated a track record of reliabili-ty, according to Javier Velazquez, Chief Engineer for the hotel.

10 years of efficient, reliable operation

"We just pre-set the temperature, or we let the energy management system's computeradjust the set-points of the absorbers to adjust the temperature of the water needed to heator cool the building," Velazquez explains. "They are very efficient."

As the water in the heating/cooling loop reaches its desired temperature, the absorbersbegin unloading.

Reliable Natural Gas-FiredAbsorption Chiller/HeatersAugment Comfort at Landmark Chicago Hotel

Direct-fired natural gaschiller/heaters

Efficient, reliableoperation

Chicago, Illinois

The absorption units

have operated reliably

for nearly 10 years with

no mechanical

breakdowns.

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"To me, it's terrific," he says. And the absorp-tion units have operated reliably for nearly 10years with no mechanical breakdowns.

"I like the Yorks," he adds. "I would recom-mend them to anybody."

Some York absorption chillers have been inoperation for more than four decades, accord-ing to Kenneth Kohr, Product MarketingEngineer with York International Corp.

"We know our quality and service for ourabsorption chillers is outstanding and are con-fident that we exceed the competition," Kohrsays.

Multi-zoned system

The Millennium-Knickerbocker Hotel'sabsorption chiller/heaters were installed duringreplacement of the building's original boilersystem, which dated back to 1926. The newheating and cooling system consists of multi-zone air handling devices, refrigeration equip-ment, and systems providing chilled and hotwater to the ballroom and guest rooms in thehotel.

The York units were selected, because of theirproven reliability and the availability of localservice, according to Tom Lohner, VicePresident of Teng & Associates, the architec-tural, engineering and contracting firm hired todesign and build the hotel's heating and cool-ing system. They also prevented a costly electric-service upgrade, according to MikeRevello, Major Accounts Supervisor atPeoples Energy Corp., the local natural gasutility.

"Because of the York chiller/heater's highdegree of reliability, the cost to maintain theequipment is only slightly more than a con-ventional electric water chiller, and less thanthe combination of a chiller and a hot waterboiler," says Lohner. He points out that usingnatural gas cooling eliminates costly peakelectric demand charges for the hotel duringdaytime hours.

The Millennium-Knickerbocker hotel receiveda $24,000 incentive grant from Peoples Energyto help finance the installation of the gas cool-ing and heating system. The hotel is locatedwithin Peoples Energy's downtown medium-pressure natural gas district, which providesadequate pressure to accommodate the equip-ment specifications without booster pumps.

York International Corp.631 South Richland AvenueYork, PA 17403

Energy Solutions Center Inc.400 N. Capital Street, NW4th FloorWashington, DC 20001

Peoples Energy130 East Randolph DriveChicago, IL 60601

© Energy Solutions Center / November 2005 For more information, visit www.energysolutionscenter.org