U.S. State Department Adds Sustainable Technology

Ambassador Paul E. Simons recently announced that the U.S. Embassy in Santiago, Chile will commission two new sustainable technology additions to the embassy’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.

In support of the Santiago embassy’s “Sustainability Initiative for the Embassy” the U.S. Department of State Overseas Buildings Operations (OBO) has installed two new state of the art energy technology systems in the embassy. A third sustainable energy project for the Ambassador’s Residence has been funded and is being designed. It will be installed this summer.

The first of the innovative energy technology systems installed in the building is a dedicated heat recovery chiller. This progressive, environmentally friendly application converts “waste heat” created by the embassy’s lighting, computer and telephone electronic applications into useful energy for hot water needed throughout the building without using any fossil fuels.

The second project is the installation of a modular air cooled chiller for the air conditioning system. These modular chillers have the lowest refrigerant charge per kilowatt available on the world market, reducing potential losses to the atmosphere. The innovative U. S. energy technology chillers were engineered and manufactured by Multistack, LLC, of Sparta, WI.

The third project is engineering design and installation of a solar domestic water heater for the Ambassador’s Residence. This solar water heater will provide the majority of the residence’s domestic hot water needs without the use of gas or electricity for heating the water.