Community Colleges of Spokane

Project Highlights

  • Updated HVAC for resiliency, control, and comfort

  • Added DOAS with heat recovery for energy-efficient ventilated air

  • Brought main building into full compliance with Clean Buildings Standard

Community Colleges of Spokane is a dynamic community college district serving more than 30,000 students annually in Eastern Washington.

In 2022, the College engaged Millig Design Build to reduce its energy costs, improve indoor air quality, and bring the main building on Colville’s campus into full compliance with Washington’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard.

At the time of engagement, the classrooms at the Colville campus were conditioned by failing hot water unit ventilators and window AC units. 

To help Community Colleges of Spokane meet their energy goals and prepare the Colville campus for full electrification in the future, the Millig team took a holistic approach to engineering design that leveraged the best available technologies of today. These forward-thinking solutions included:

  • Replacing the hot water unit ventilators and window AC units with high-efficiency variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heat pumps

  • Installing condensing boilers with flex-fuel capabilities for heating large spaces and as heating backup

  • Adding dedicated outdoor air units (DOAS) with heat recovery for energy-efficient ventilation

  • Integrating controls strategies to give campus maintenance staff 24/7 access and virtual troubleshooting capabilities

"This project is a great example of demonstrating you can make environmentally sound decisions in a manner that reduces future costs."

Clint Brown, Director of Capital Projects