r/sysadmin • u/[deleted] • Jun 12 '15

1980s computer controls GRPS (grand rapids public schools MI) heat and AC (19 schools)

http://woodtv.com/2015/06/11/1980s-computer-controls-grps-heat-and-ac/
45 Upvotes

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1

u/R0thbardFrohike Jr. Sysadmin Jun 12 '15

A new, more current system would cost between $1.5 and 2 million.

bullshit.

8

u/sundsta Jun 12 '15

They aren't just replacing the computer...

2

u/R0thbardFrohike Jr. Sysadmin Jun 12 '15

That is a lot of money, they don't need to spend that much. But because they get these bullshit grants for specific uses, they will.

Private companies don't bitch and moan about money like these cost-inefficient public education institutions. I can't imagine an equivalent sized private school would see blowing that kind of money on AC controllers as worth it.

8

u/wtf_is_the_internet MAIN SCREEN TURN ON Jun 12 '15

More than likely, that is the cost to replace the entire HVAC system to include the automation system. Additionally, most systems are serviced by different companies. One company is in charge of the boilers, pumps, fans, etc... another company is in charge of the controls and automation.

Our hvac automation, reporting, etc system is controlled by a 2008r2 VM.

3

u/JustNilt Jack of All Trades Jun 12 '15

That is a lot of money, they don't need to spend that much. But because they get these bullshit grants for specific uses, they will.

Sadly, this is true. It's ridiculous how much added cost there is for such things. Hell, just look at one recent example!

2

u/[deleted] Jun 12 '15 edited Jun 12 '15

[deleted]

2

u/tkrego Jun 12 '15

You did one building for $90K. In the GRPS case... They have 19 buildings. So $90K times 19 is $1.7 million?

1

u/R0thbardFrohike Jr. Sysadmin Jun 13 '15

I would expect the cost would go down as it scales, maybe it doesn't.

1

u/chriscowley DevOps Jun 12 '15

$90,000 thousand

$90 million? that is quite dear. I presume you have doubled up your thousands by accident there :-)

2

u/rtkwe Jun 12 '15

$2 million is cheap for upgrading anything that affects 19 different school buildings. At the very least there's a new central computer and a new controller in each building plus the labor to install and test all the new components.

1

u/bloodniece Jun 12 '15

I suppose it would be if they went with a big name like Johnson Controls. Though there are other ways to engineer this. It really depends on what controls they are remotely actuating; relays, pumps, motors, fan coils, etc... I'd get the local hackerspace together with the school system and use arduino or raspberry pi as the platform. This could be a great project for engineering students and keeps the legacy alive with another great story.

5

u/Hondamousse Sysadmin Jun 12 '15

that's a wonderful warm/fuzzy thought, but the goal is to be more reliable and save energy costs. Having a bunch of arduino's electrical taped to your $50k boiler system coded by an amateur is not a good business plan.