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Photo by Yu Jiang Tham

Hank Knapp, physical plant manager for on-campus housing maintenance, demonstrates the Hill’s computer-controlled and -monitored heating and cooling system from the boiler room of Hedrick Hall. Knapp and other engineers can oversee the temperature settings for every room of the residence halls from a computer.

Photo

Photo by Yu Jiang Tham

A pressure gauge stands guard over a 5,000-gallon hot water tank outside of Dykstra Hall. The water is heated by solar panels that sit on the roof of Dykstra.

Photo

Photo by Yu Jiang Tham

Jeffrey Hall (right) and Hank Knapp of on-campus housing maintenance explain the solar-powered water heaters on top of Dykstra Hall. The heaters are part of a sustainability effort on the Hill which includes remodeling some of the residential halls, a system of monitoring equipment temperatures in the dorms, and a reclaimed water effort.

Ten stories above ground level, the roof of Dykstra Hall boasts a stunning panoramic view of Los Angeles.

Neatly lined with rows of rectangular solar-powered water heaters, the Dykstra roof is also home to one of on-campus housing’s long-standing energy-saving efforts.

From solar water heating on the roof of the residence halls to energy-efficient boilers in the basement of Hedrick Hall, the Hill is sprinkled with energy-saving innovations.

Projects such as the Dykstra Hall solar panels, formally titled the “roof mounted solar assist domestic hot water system,” have been implemented throughout on-campus housing in an effort to minimize energy usage on the Hill, home to some 9,300 students, said Dan Batliwalla, director of physical plant and project management for UCLA Housing and Hospitality Services.

Some of the panels on top of Dykstra have been in use for approximately 10 years, said Jeffrey Hall, building maintenance and project manager for on-campus housing maintenance.

Sustainability projects are constantly in progress on the Hill, including the recent implementation of an energy-efficient control system in Hedrick Hall.

Hedrick, along with every other building on the Hill, is monitored through a computer system which tracks temperatures on each floor and can remotely control those temperatures, said Hank Knapp, physical plant manager for on-campus housing maintenance.

The residences on the Hill are mapped out on a computer program which allows the UCLA Housing Administration’s engineers to view real-time information about temperature and energy usage within individual rooms and hallways at the click of a button.

The system can control temperatures remotely, and should any system problems occur it automatically alerts managers – including Batliwalla and Knapp – of the situation, even if they are at home.

The Hedrick system allows for even temperature control, which ultimately means the equipment will last longer, Knapp said.

The system pays for itself on several levels, from personnel time to energy, he said.

“The more we can automate, the less we have to have engineers monitoring,” Knapp said, noting the new system