Fairlington United Methodist Church Chiller Project
Whether your church building is old or new, heating and cooling the facility can be a challenge. When the life of your church’s HVAC expires and it’s time to replace the unit, each church will have different needs and resources to continue to ensure that congregation members feel comfortable.
The first step is to devise a plan to evaluate the current situation, define the needs and consult an expert to help choose the right HVAC system.
Recently, the leaders at Fairlington United Methodist Church experienced the need to replace their HVAC chiller. Lana Hurdle, trustees chair, explains their steps in designing a plan to replace the old chiller system.
“In September 2021, Fairlington United Methodist Church (FUMC) found that one of the major parts of equipment in the aged air conditioning system for the sanctuary and the fellowship hall had broken beyond repair. After many months of research and planning, and contractor bid evaluations, FUMC began a project to replace the old air conditioning water-cooled chiller with a new air-cooled chiller, which is more efficient and does not use water. Working closely with the engineers and general contractor to plan for this upgrade, the team quickly realized that a major electrical upgrade would be needed to support the new equipment and to meet modern building code requirements, as the church building was built in the 1950s and 1960s. This added significant challenges to an already complex project and increased the costs substantially.
FUMC reached out to DevCo to request assistance with a loan that would pay for some of the up-front costs of this project. The loan helped FUMC by spreading the cost of the new chiller over a reasonable amount of time.
After some material delays caused by the pandemic, the new chiller is in place and was fully operational throughout the summer of 2023. The equipment has expanded capabilities beyond the previous system, and FUMC is still learning how to take advantage of all the efficiencies it can provide. Current industry standards predict this new chiller should continue to work well for 15-20 years, supported by the building-wide preventive maintenance contract. Perhaps just as important, the upgraded electrical platform that supports the church building is now up to modern code requirements.”
If your HVAC system needs major repairs or replacement, DevCo’s lending experts are here to help.
Please do not hesitate to contact us with any funding needs and questions regarding HVAC repairs and replacements.
By Randy Shelton
VP of Lending and Capital Development
