In The News

She stands ever vigilant at our country’s doorstep, not as a sentry but as a gracious hostess to the tens of millions who pass her way each year. With silent lips she calls:

“Give me your tired, Your poor, Your huddled masses yearning To breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, Tempest-tost to me. I lift up my lamp Beside the golden door!” —Emma Lazarus

In spite of the ideals and lofty purpose, the Statue of Liberty and neighboring Ellis Island National Monument have mundane concerns too. Utility bills and maintenance budgets must be controlled to insure continued funding for daily operations. A recent automation and lighting upgrade by Computrols, Inc. (New Orleans, La.) made significant inroads toward preserving these national treasures for future generations. Funding the project through an Energy Saving Performance Contract (ESPC) allowed facility managers with the National Park Service to bypass the stiff competition for scarce capital dollars. As well, they were able to avoid the lengthy delays inherent in the federal capital allocation process.

New variable speed drives for air handling units and system pumps, economizer upgrades, and a host of lighting changes will save a significant amount of the facilities’ annual $1 million utility bill. Many Kele products help the new automation system sense the environment and control the HVAC equipment. RH Series Relays, RH-3 and 24-014 differential pressure switches for air and water, E105E control transformers and RET Series enclosures all started their journey to the innards of the “Mother of Exiles” from the shelves of the Kele warehouse.

While energy conservation was the primary goal of the project, preservation of the structures and their artifacts could not be overlooked. Proper space temperature and relative humidity, as in any museum setting, is of utmost importance. The RE Technologies HW20K wall-mount 2% humidity transmitter and the PreCon ST-S3E thermistor temperature sensor were entrusted with guarding this all-important atmosphere.

Thanks for helping preserve our national heritage, Computrols! It’s a job well done. Keep sending us your favorite control stories – whether about an important place, an unusual application, or a problem that couldn’t be solved (until you showed up with your experience and your trusty Kele catalog). We enjoy hearing from you, and we enjoy sharing it with the rest of or customers. Call, write, fax, or e-mail – we’re interested in you!

Reprinted from:

Insights by Kele & Associates, Vol. 8, No. 1, Spring 1998