District Energy

RMH provided mechanical and electrical engineering services for the LEED Gold-certified CAB Barracks Complex at Fort Carson, Colorado—a $94.9 million design-build project supporting the 13th Combat Aviation Brigade. From the outset, the team prioritized energy efficiency, livability, and cost-effective delivery to achieve net-zero energy performance.

Spanning 370,156 square feet, the complex includes three H-shaped, four-story buildings with apartment-style units for 994 soldiers. The design integrates advanced sustainable systems to reduce energy consumption and enhance occupant comfort.

Key energy-efficient features include:

  • Radiant heating and cooling with active chilled beams
  • Heat recovery chiller and 5,000-gallon thermal storage tank
  • Dedicated outdoor air systems with heat recovery ventilation
  • Solar thermal panels that meet 30% of domestic hot water demand
  • Gravity thin-film shower drain heat exchangers
  • 400 kW ground-mounted photovoltaic arrays offsetting 25% of annual energy use
  • Vacancy and occupancy sensors for lighting control
  • Automated window sensors and LED lighting throughout

RMH also engineered the adjacent Central Boiler and Chiller Facility (CBCF), which supports the barracks and future development on the Butts Field Plateau. The CBCF includes six condensing boilers, three 400-ton chillers, and over 81,000 feet of hot and chilled water distribution piping.

This project set a new benchmark for sustainable military housing and supports Fort Carson’s transformation into a net-zero energy installation.

Breckenridge Brewery, at the time, Colorado’s fifth-largest craft brewer, unveiled a new $35-million brewery campus in response to growing demand and community engagement. Located in Littleton, the 79,150-square-foot, three-building complex blends rustic farmhouse aesthetics with modern brewing innovation and sustainable design. The campus includes:

  • Brewhouse Building: Featuring brewing and malt handling areas, a hops cooler, boiler plant, offices, conference room, and a tasting room.
  • Production Building: Home to fermentation, bottling, barrel aging, canning, kegging, dry goods storage, and a quality control lab.
  • Restaurant Building: A full-service restaurant with indoor seating, a lounge, a kitchen, and a gift shop.

Designed for scalability, the facility starts with a brewing capacity of 70,000 barrels annually, with potential to reach 300,000 barrels.
Sustainability was central to the design. Energy-efficient evaporative cooling supports process areas and the kitchen. Natural ventilation in the Brewhouse enhances indoor air quality. Destratification fans improve seasonal comfort, while 95%-efficient condensing boilers provide heating. A water reuse system captures and filters wastewater for landscape irrigation.

BYU-Idaho is Idaho’s largest private University, sitting on a 430-acre campus with a district heating loop providing space heating for 40 buildings. RMH served as mechanical, electrical, and controls engineer for this project to add cogeneration capabilities to the Rexburg campus heating plant. The University replaced its coal-fired boiler plant with a new, multi-leveled heating plant containing a combined heat and power (CHP) system using natural gas. The project began with a conceptual study/economic analysis, which investigated the economic viability of adding cogeneration capabilities.

After completing the conceptual study and economic analysis, RMH designed the installation of a nominal 5.7MWe natural gas turbine with a 50,000 pph HRSG, which has a calculated simple payback of eight years. RMH’s design for the gas turbine featured a fully enclosed evaporative cooling system to increase the turbine output, as well as a turbine enclosure heat reuse system.

Originally a World War II munitions plant, Building 48 has been transformed into a LEED Gold-certified and SITES Silver-certified office for the Department of the Interior’s Interior Business Center.

The project involved converting a 1940s-era warehouse into a modern, energy-efficient workspace. RMH designed advanced mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems that facilitated the building’s net-zero energy profile. A key feature was installing a Water Source Heat Pump (WSHP) system, which included perimeter single-zone units and additional units for interior zones and ventilation. This system capitalizes on Colorado’s dry climate through direct evaporative cooling, achieving a 75% reduction in energy consumption in shoulder seasons.

The electrical design focused on complete building electrification, incorporating three 240kW electric boilers that work with the WSHP. RMH kept the switchgear capacity below 4000A, creatively repurposing an old transformer for EV charging stations. A 200kW solar array on the roof and site solar at the Denver Federal Center supplied 100% renewable energy.

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