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CLIENT
ARCHITECTS
YEAR
PROJECT TYPE
STATUS
District Cooling System and EDEP Expansion at UC Boulder
Project Summary
The University of Colorado Boulder partnered with Trefz to expand chilled water capacity on campus through a 1,500-ton addition to the East District Energy Plant. The project built on a master plan for long-term infrastructure growth, upgrading plant controls and emergency systems along the way.
Client
University of Colorado Boulder
Year
2022
Project Type
Central Chilled Water Plant
Building Use
N/A
As demand for chilled water on campus continues to rise, the University of Colorado Boulder needed to increase its cooling capacity. Trefz Engineering was engaged to provide mechanical engineering design for a 1,500-ton expansion of the East District Energy Plant (EDEP), which had been planned as part of a multi-phase Chilled Water Master Plan. This project expanded the plant’s capacity, upgraded the control system, and laid the groundwork for future scalability.
The Scope
The chilled water infrastructure at CU Boulder had grown substantially since the development of its original 2011 Master Plan completed by Trefz Engineering. The campus system was designed to eventually support over 1 million gallons and 16 miles of underground distribution piping.
The EDEP expansion added 1,500 tons of cooling capacity, along with major upgrades to the plant’s control and emergency systems. Trefz’s scope included hydraulic modeling of both the chilled water (CHW) and condenser water (CDW) systems to validate performance across a range of load and equipment conditions. Plant control system modifications were also part of the expansion, separating the CHW plant controls from the existing Steam Boiler Plant system and equipping the facility with a new PLC-based automation platform designed for future growth.
The Process
The mechanical engineering design team at Trefz built upon the existing Master Plan and hydraulic modeling to refine the design parameters for flow balancing, pump head, and temperature differentials. The CHW and CDW systems were carefully modeled to ensure consistent basin levels, minimal flow variation, and properly sized equalizing pipes. These measures were essential to achieving efficient, flexible operations across various tower, pump, and chiller combinations.
The team also redesigned the Plant Control System using Rockwell PLCs and new Remote I/O panels, allowing the chilled water plant to operate independently of the steam system. This upgrade improved operational resilience and made room for future expansion within the EDEP network.
The Result
The EDEP expansion added critical capacity to support CU Boulder’s growing cooling demand. The updated plant design improved overall system flexibility and reliability while maintaining consistent performance standards established in the Master Plan. The new Plant Control System supports standalone operation and provides a scalable foundation for future infrastructure phases.
These improvements strengthened the university’s ability to serve current facilities while planning for continued campus development—and made a key piece of energy infrastructure more adaptive, efficient, and future-ready.
Let’s Collaborate
Trefz brings deep expertise to campus utility and energy infrastructure projects — from long-range master planning to plant upgrades and phased expansion. Whether you’re building new capacity or improving reliability, our engineering solutions are designed for the future. Ready to talk? Get in touch now.