 Letter from the Director
Health care organizations in the U.S. spend 6.5 billion dollars a year on energy. Increasing energy efficiency is one of the most obvious ways that health care facilities can reduce their environmental impact, and improve their bottom line. By strategically redesigning facility HVAC and lighting, facilities can reduce their energy consumption significantly, improve working conditions and reduce the global warming gases and toxic emissions related to their power usage.
Many facilities and systems across the country have realized huge savings through energy efficiency retrofits, but others have not yet seriously addressed their energy consumption and its environmental impacts! This month’s H2E teleconferences focus on energy saving opportunities in health care. Join us to learn more and launch your own efforts in this vitally important area!
– Laura Brannen, Director, H2E
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February Teleconferences
This month the focus is on Energy and Water Efficiency – techniques, tools and approaches you can put to use in your facility today!
H2E teleconferences take place Fridays at 1pm eastern time and last 90 minutes.
February 2: Fundamental Strategies for Energy and Water Efficiency in Hospitals
February 9: Introduction to H2E and Data Collection Sponsored by Biosystems
February 16: E2C Program: Energy Efficiency in Health Care
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Energy Efficiency Success Story:
Sacred Heart Medical Center
 Providence Health & Services’ Sacred Heart Medical Center (SHMC) —located in Spokane, Washington—is a 2.08 million sq. ft. facility with 623 licensed beds, and over 4,000 health care professionals and support staff. The main building was constructed in 1971 and major additions were completed in 1984 and 2004.
An energy management team with representatives from facility staff, the local utility provider and Johnson Controls has successfully identified energy efficiency opportunities at Sacred Heart since 1993, and has enabled SHMC to reduce the facility’s energy consumption per square foot by 5% per year since 2000. Most savings have resulted from short-payback projects including lighting upgrades, more efficient fan systems, chiller systems and boiler burner upgrades.
Some highlights:
Lighting: In 1994, $750,000., financed through a combination of budget and utility incentives, was invested in lighting upgrades. Payback period on the investment was 2-3 years. Changes included replacing over 20,000 T-12s and magnetic ballasts with electronic ballasts and T-8 lamps, replacing all incandescent fixtures with CFLs and replacing all exit signs with LED's.
Ventilation: Replacement of multiple competing sensors by a single outdoor air sensor for the building control system eliminated waste and improved comfort. Changing operational schedules for night setback and adding outdoor air reset to many systems also saved energy and costs. By turning off a large fan in the radiology area at night, SHMC saved $15,000 per year in energy costs!
HVAC: 1971-vintage chillers were replaced, gaining significant efficiency in cost per ton, and the facility now uses axial fan cooling towers instead of induction cooling towers. A primary secondary-chilled water pumping system was installed that resets the secondary pump’s VFD through monitoring line pressure differential.
Purchasing: The Medical Center routinely purchases ENERGY STAR qualified products, such as washing machines, refrigerators, computers and printers.
Energy Management: SHMC uses a building management software system (the “Big Thermometer”) to control facility operations—including night setbacks, fan shutdowns, setbacks for unoccupied areas and so forth. They employ energy use-tracking software to analyze consumption and assess the effectiveness of energy efficiency measures.
For more information, contact Philip Kercher, Manager of Facilities.
Excerpted from SHMC’s Energy Star Profile. For more on Energy Star for health care click here.
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H2E Environmental Excellence Awards Application Deadline: February 14!
 Don’t miss out—there’s still time to pull that data together and apply for the most prestigious environmental award in health care!
Go to our awards pages to find the application that’s right for you.
"I was very excited to receive the mercury free award from H2E because it confirmed for us at SJH that we are reducing our environmental footprint. The reduction of Mercury at SJH has empowered various Departments to work towards a goal that affects each of us at work and outside of work. People really want to make our world a better and safer place to work and live."
Rick LaBrecque
St Joseph Hospital
Nashua, NH
"MedAssets Supply Chain Systems was pleased to be the recipient of a 2006 H2E Champion for Change Award. This recognition acknowledges our support of H2E’s goals of environmentally responsible healthcare, and strengthens our commitment to support the needs of our customers through the continued development of our EPP Program initiatives."
Janelle Johnson
MedAssets Supply Chain Systems
This year's awards are generously supported by
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Coming Soon: Greener Operations Now!
H2E is proud to announce the upcoming release of a special quarterly supplement to STATGreen: Greener Operations Now!
This new H2E publication is intended to address one subject in each quarterly issue, and will provide technical tips and in-depth analysis focused on implementing programs. Look for the first issue in your email soon!
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Energy Saving Tips & Resources
For greater energy efficiency, consider implementing some of these great tips:
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Install occupancy sensors or timers in infrequently used spaces—conference rooms, storage areas—to ensure that lights aren’t burning when not needed.
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Replace T12s and other older fluorescents with High Performance T8s (also called Super T8s) or T5s.
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Replace all exit lighting with LED models.
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Contract for energy efficiency consulting services on a shared savings basis to reduce up-front costs.
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Contact your utility provider to access any free energy efficiency consulting assistance.
Consult these resources for more useful information:
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