Wyoming events center benefits from use of hybrid boiler and venting system.
The Casper Events Center is Wyoming’s premier venue for scores of events, including concerts, conventions, culture and sports.
But a city-funded study concluded the facility, built in the early 1980s, was overdue for some major energy-efficiency improvements.
The budget for the boiler system upgrades got a jumpstart from state energy improvement grants and federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds. The city hired Casper-based West Plains Engineering to design a new system that would achieve the required efficiency parameters and still keep the events center in full operation throughout the project.
“To go into an existing building and do these retrofits, they’re messy,” says Scott Isennock, P.E., West Plains’ lead mechanical engineer for the contract. “You have existing 30-year-old piping and a lot of hidden conditions. Plus, Wyoming has a short summer season so we had to complete the project in 3½ months. There were still events going on, including the College National Finals Rodeo, our marquee event. The contractors did a great job getting it done without affecting the schedule. There was no inconvenience to users coming to the center.”