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Miller Park
Making Miller Park a fan favorite and revenue producer
At a Glance
- 2.75 million+ — The number of fans who came out to watch the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park in each of the last four seasons. The new stadium offered levels of comfort, safety, and efficiency that were far better than what Brewers fans had experienced at Milwaukee’s old ballpark.
- 350 — The number of pieces of HVAC equipment that Johnson Controls installed and now maintains to keep everyone throughout Miller Park comfortable, regardless of the temperatures or weather conditions outside.
The challenge: Giving baseball fans what they want – efficiently, affordably, and profitably
To make a sports stadium successful, you have to put fans in the seats. But it takes a lot more than a winning team to do that. Fans want their total stadium experience to be first-rate. This means surroundings that are safe, well-lit and comfortable, regardless of the weather conditions outside. Today’s fans also want to be entertained off the field with high-quality food, dazzling audio/video displays, interactive play areas for the kids, and just about every amenity imaginable.
The Milwaukee Brewers commissioned a state-of-the-art stadium – Miller Park – that would provide all this and more. The stadium seats 41,900 people, and has 66 luxury suites, 30 concession stands, 550 TV monitors, and clubs and restaurants of all kinds. Keeping fans comfortable in a place where outdoor temperatures reach near freezing at the beginning of the season is no easy matter. Miller Park’s unique fan-shaped retractable roof, when closed, shields fans from the elements, targeting a 60-degree minimum inside temperature when outside temperatures drop. None of this comes easily or inexpensively. The stadium, which opened in 2001, cost $400 million to build and takes millions of dollars a year to operate. Those costs motivated the occupants to seek every possible building energy efficiency and operational savings opportunity. For that, they partnered with Johnson Controls.
The solution: Sophisticated control systems and facilities management expertise
Johnson Controls worked with the Brewers throughout the design and construction phase of Miller Park. This focus at the early stages of the project has ensured the stadium has the right equipment and control systems to provide the comfort and safety fans expect and to keep costs manageable. This includes the use of Johnson Controls’ Metasys® building management system to control the stadium’s intricate HVAC systems for maximum comfort and efficiency. The system even provides individualized comfort control for each of the stadium’s 66 luxury suites, which are a major revenue source for the team. In addition, Metasys controls the public areas and concourses, operates the smoke purge system, maintains appropriate carbon monoxide levels, and controls all game day startup- and shutdown-related activities.
In 2005, Johnson Controls took over Miller Park’s facilities management and now oversees overall stadium operations.
Johnson Controls technicians are responsible for maintaining the mechanical equipment, control systems, and fire alarm and suppression systems. The technicians are permanently stationed on site to troubleshoot any potential problem or malfunction. That’s critical for a venue which hosts sporting events and live concerts. After all, the show must go on. So must the game.
Johnson Controls works with stadium occupants year-round to develop and implement additional building energy efficiencies to lower energy costs. Technicians from Johnson Controls constantly monitor and adjust building control strategies and operating parameters to maximize comfort and building energy efficiency, and minimize utility costs.
Results and benefits
In 2001, the year Miller Park opened, the Brewers drew 79 percent more fans than they had during the previous season. Their utility costs that first season actually came down at a time when natural gas prices spiked. Moreover, the Brewers drew in more than 2.7 million fans for each of the last four seasons. The comfort and amenities of the stadium have played a major role in boosting attendance and revenue.
Attention to detail, expertise in building management and reliability are all among the best attributes of Johnson Controls. Hosting events in a building as large as Miller Park, we have the highest confidence that Johnson Controls efforts lead to a guest experience that is best-in-class.
– Bob Quinn, Executive Vice President/Finance and Administration, Milwaukee Brewers
Learn more
Johnson Controls can help make all kinds of buildings work more efficiently, sustainably, and profitably. To find out how you can achieve your unique building’s sustainability and energy efficiency goals, contact us, or try our operational and energy savings calculator today.