St. Johns County (Florida) School District Picolata Crossing Elementary School Cx

Project Summary

St. Johns County School District selected Hanson to provide commissioning services for Picolata Crossing Elementary School. The two-story school in St. Augustine, Florida, is 113,224 square feet and was completed in late 2017.

The school is using many energy-saving measures, including a thermal energy storage system. During off-peak hours, ice is made and stored inside nine thermal energy tanks. The ice is used for cooling during peak energy hours, reducing energy usage during peak energy demand periods. The school also uses a building automation system for monitoring and controlling the building’s heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems.

Additionally, two air-cooled chillers provide the chilled water for cooling and make ice during evening hours. Six chilled-water air handlers distribute the conditioned air throughout the building. Four of those air handlers serve variable air volume (VAV) terminals for independent temperature control of the classroom and administration areas. The VAV boxes are equipped with heat strips to provide heating to those spaces.

During the commissioning process, Hanson identified 205 issues that the owner was able to address in the course of the project.