Engineering Services

The Engineering Services Department is responsible for properly operating and maintaining the campus infrastructure. Engineering Services provides the University community with reliable commercial and residential utilities, environmental comfort and use, and retail food service support.

The mission and intent of Engineering Services is to create utility and campus systems that are resilient against the unknown and to enable its mechanics, electricians, plumbers, and technicians to solve acute problems through continuous learning, listening, and teaching. 

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  • Boiler Plant

    The campus is served by an extensive steam distribution system that operates at 75 psig. Over a mile of tunnels house the steam pipes and condensate return system, as well as conduits for high voltage electrical lines and telecommunications cables. Maintenance and operation of this system is provided by the Boiler Plant staff, who man the plant around the clock and also respond to urgent Facilities needs after normal hours. They can be reached by calling (804) 289-8600.

  • Energy Management

    Campus heating and cooling equipment is monitored by the Energy Management and Controls team. The team is made up of three technicians with over 40 years of industry experience.

    Campus buildings are brought into a system that is monitored by the team to track indoor climate conditions as well as equipment performance and status. This system allows the team to diagnose issues and dispatch technicians when needed to fix or repair a piece of equipment. The system also tracks historical data that can be used to troubleshoot issues in buildings as well as individual equipment.

    The Energy Management Team designs and programs the control system for campus buildings and makes changes when needed. They also use the system to schedule the HVAC equipment for buildings for occupied hours and special events. The team uses the scheduling as part of its energy management strategy. They also use complex algorithms to automatically adjust temperature setpoints based on outdoor temperature and humidity conditions, indoor temperature and humidity conditions, indoor CO2 levels, as well as space occupancy levels.

     

    Electricity is purchased from Dominion Energy for all the campus facilities. The main campus is connected to a 34,500-volt substation, and is distributed on University owned circuits at 4,160 volts.


    Learn more about UR’s Climate Action Plan.