Frigid temperatures in Kansas City put a freeze on utility services throughout the region causing rolling electrical blackouts due to natural gas supplies running low. Protecting the Kansas City National Security Campus’ (KCNSC) assets – our people, community and products – became a critical concern during the unusual weather circumstances.
Since a significant amount of power is generated from natural gas, supplies became maxed out and all of the reserves rapidly dwindled across the region, the Facilities team sought different options to ensure the KCNSC was protected and had minimal to no impact. The team switched some boilers from natural gas to diesel fuel.
The KCNSC’s natural gas boilers provide heat for the main building, which stretches over one million sq. ft. and supports the system for special environments where low humidity is needed.
“While the decision protected the facility during a natural gas shortage, the end result was an 85 percent reduction in natural gas use. Thereby it reduced the demands on the area's natural gas supplies during this extreme cold period,” says Joe Adcock, Facilities Manager.
The Facilities team continues to periodically test the system to ensure it works for situations like the recent frigid temperatures.