INSIDER Magazine: ECIP Awards

F&S Utilities & Energy Services (UES) performs some of the most important work on campus, producing and distributing steam, water, and electricity across 24M gross square feet, more than 600 buildings, and to a ‘town’ of more than 50,000 students and 10,000 employees. So, when building experts and facility managers perform renovations, retrocommmissioning, or other work that reduces energy consumption, recognition is in order! The … Continue reading INSIDER Magazine: ECIP Awards

Signage throughout halls of PPSB

Students at Work with F&S

F&S employs more than 1,000 highly-skilled and dedicated workers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. A small portion of that workforce comes from students working in a field close to what they study academically. The week of April 8-12 was declared National Student Employment Week by the National Student Employment Association (NSEA). See below for tremendous success stories from four 2024 student employees, and how … Continue reading Students at Work with F&S

Abbott Power Plant Welcomes Girl Scouts: 2024 Edition!

Abbott Power Plant generates steam, electricity, and for some local girl scouts, memories from their tour of the one-of-a-kind facility. Associate professor in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) in the Grainger College of Engineering, Ashlynn Stillwell welcomed dozens to Abbott on a Saturday morning, and introduced the basic science behind the functions of Abbott, and the importance of safety on premises. Stillwell has led the … Continue reading Abbott Power Plant Welcomes Girl Scouts: 2024 Edition!

Garage hydraulic oil filter crusher

Crushing It

Used automobile oil filters have no chance now. The F&S Garage services all F&S Car Pool vehicles, as well as F&S shop trucks, electric cars, garbage trucks, Zamboni machines, and almost anything else with an engine. Inherent to servicing is the oil filter, an item that is regularly replaced. Once a filter has fulfilled its life cycle, these metal cylinders, sometimes about 12 inches long, … Continue reading Crushing It

Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: Retrocommissioning

Buildings need tune-ups, and F&S’ cross-disciplinary retrocommissioning (RCx) teams do important work to make sure utilities and systems are doing what they should and working correctly… including at the right times. RCx teams at F&S are made up of eight people: two electricians, two temperature control mechanics, two sheet metal workers, one engineer, and one programmer. Andy Robinson, energy services administration engineer, gave a talk … Continue reading Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: Retrocommissioning

Attendees of the Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference 2024.

Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: Overview

Of the crowd of 60 attendees at the Chief Engineers and Facility Managers Conference, most were from either the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign or another Illinois university or community college. And despite the size and location of the institution, all who came to Champaign for the conference were looking for advice and ready to share a success, particularly with the general concept: how do we … Continue reading Chief Engineers & Facility Managers Conference: Overview

Shop Spotlight: Insulators

When it’s cold out, we all need a blanket to stay warm. Mechanical systems are just as receptive to that extra layer, and in fact, insulation accomplishes many things that make campus more sustainable. The F&S Building Heat & Frost Insulators, called shop 52 at F&S, provide insulation fabrication for systems in buildings all across campus – often in tight spaces, basements, and attics alike. … Continue reading Shop Spotlight: Insulators

Morgan White Electrical and Computer Engineering Building ECE net zero energy

“All in” on Zero Energy at ECE: Now 1 Year

A celebration for the 1-year anniversary of the Electrical & Computer Engineering Building’s (ECE) ‘net zero energy’ mark was held there in the atrium, a huge study and hang out location for students. It made sense, given recognition of the building’s ability to impact academic research. Basically, students can plug in at a computer and be able to study how energy is collected, stored, and … Continue reading “All in” on Zero Energy at ECE: Now 1 Year

Illini Football Tailgate Recycling Event

In the world of college football, where fans gather to cheer on their teams, the University of Illinois took on a special mission to make these celebrations more eco-friendly. As cars rolled into the tailgating lots near Memorial Stadium for the afternoon’s game against Florida Atlantic University, an organized effort was underway to ensure that the fan experience also left a positive impact on the … Continue reading Illini Football Tailgate Recycling Event

Forbes Natural History Building

Prizing Performance (with 🍕pizza🍕)

Good behavior nets pizza, especially for administrators and building liaisons at six Grainger College of Engineering buildings. So when this multi-year energy avoidance project, completed through Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) team at F&S, came to an end, already showing $2.9M in cost avoidance, a few folks celebrated, alongside Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director Ehab Kamarah, and Utilities & Energy Services Director Rob Roman. Sylvia … Continue reading Prizing Performance (with 🍕pizza🍕)