In the spring of 2024, the church HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system was replaced. This work was done because all of the former equipment was very old and on the verge of failing.  Our HVAC company said the equipment had, at most, one or two years left, but it could fail at any point.  The cooling tower and the boiler were the original equipment installed in the Church in 1957.  We changed out the system now before it failed and we were left without cool air or heat.

The new system has several benefits.  The old air conditioning system was a chilled water system. There was a cooling tower located behind the cafeteria that sent chilled water to the basement where the air handler units were located. We shifted to a different system to cool/heat the Church.  We installed 18 smaller units as opposed to one cooling tower and four large air handler units.  The new system allows us to use a regular A/C repairman instead of a specialist which is needed for the complicated system we currently have.  Additionally, the new system allows more redundancy.  If one unit goes out, we only lose 5.5% of the capacity.  If one of the air handler units goes out now, we lose 25% of our capacity; or if the cooling tower goes out, we lose 100% of our capacity. The new system is also much more energy-efficient.

The new system eliminates the current cooling tower and boiler.  The spaces currently occupied by this equipment will be incorporated in the new Parish Center.   The old location for the cooling tower is now the location for the new transformer being installed to power the new building, the church, and most of the school. The old transformer was not large enough to add the new parish center, and it is located in the footprint of the new parish center.   Entergy covered the cost of the new transformer.

The new system also eliminated the air handler units located in the basement of the Church. In a few years, we plan on converting the basement of the Church to a columbarium with approximately 2,000 niches where cremated remains of loved ones can be buried.  The design of the columbarium is still being finalized, and more details will be announced later.  The cost of the new HVAC system will be paid for by the sale of niches in the basement.  For some basic information about the columbarium, visit:  https://scschurch.com/columbarium