VRF Solutions completes electrification of Manhattan College’s Chrysostom Hall

Bronx, NY In response to the growing social and legislative pressure to decarbonize New York’s aging building stock, Manhattan College has completed the electrification of its oldest dormitory, Chrysostom Hall. Located at 45-25 Manhattan College Pkwy. It is the first building to undergo a comprehensive renovation as part of a campus-wide energy retrofit program. The college, known for its school of engineering and liberal arts program, spent more than a year evaluating and researching available technologies. As part of the process, the school conducted a case study last winter to evaluate cold climate heat pump performance in one of its dorm rooms.

The college engaged VRF Solutions LLC, to lead the project. A design-build high performance, mechanical contracting firm with a business model rooted in building science, VRF worked with the college’s trustees and engineering team to value-engineer and install a cutting-edge Daikin cold climate air source heat pump heating and A/C system for the dormitory. The comprehensive project required the installation of a 44-ton high-performance HVAC system that reduced operating and maintenance costs while improving indoor air quality (IAQ) and occupant comfort.

“We were excited to work with Manhattan College’s engineers and project management team to collaborate on developing the most cost-effective and energy-efficient solutions for the dormitory,” said VRF president Tom Esposito. He and his partner Joe Novella, chief building scientist, sat on the mayor’s electrification board which published the Urban Green Council’s “Going Electric, Retrofitting NYC’s Multifamily Buildings” report in 2020.

As part of Manhattan College’s overall strategy to reduce its carbon footprint and become a more ecologically responsible institution, the school selected VRF Solutions in helping get there. The Chrysostom Hall project was completed in 10 weeks to meet the requirement to open by December 2022.