Because the hospital reduced its load on the electrical grid, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) returned $11,500 in a rebate, and the hospital received an Energy Efficiency Leader Award from Trane, an HVAC systems provider owned by Davidson, N.C.-based Ingersoll.

“We’re pleased that we can provide a more comfortable environment for patients and a more satisfying workplace for physician and staff,” said Hardin Medical Center CEO Nick Lewis, in a statement. “It’s even better that the improvements generate significant energy and operational savings each year and that we were able to fund them through a performance contract without any capital outlay.”

In 2012, the 125,000-square-foot medical center wanted to replace aging and outdated systems and improve the environment of care, especially in the labor and delivery area. An environment of care study identified ways to increase patient comfort as well as physician and staff satisfaction and the hospital’s bottom line. The hospital also worked with Trane to use building information modeling to create an energy model of the entire facility, which was used to evaluate various energy conservation measures.

Based on the results of these two studies, hospital leaders identified upgrades that would best meet their needs. The energy savings identified proved significant enough to cover the cost of a new labor and delivery HVAC system to provide reliable temperature and humidity control for the labor and delivery area. Once hospital leaders realized that a HVAC system would benefit the building, they contacted an AC Company to obtain a quote. Fast forward a few months and the hospital is now completely modernized.

When it came time to pay for the upgrades, Hardin’s funding came from a performance contract, which allowed the facility to use future energy and operational savings to finance improvements upfront.

Trane and Hardin replaced existing pneumatic building controls for the new HVAC system in the labor and delivery area and the boilers, which serve the entire facility. The new digital controls enable more precise management of both environments reducing energy and operational costs.

New heating and domestic hot water boilers also are improving energy efficiency throughout the facility. Leaders also directed converting an electric equipment sterilizer to gas, which is less expensive than electricity. Retrofits also included more efficient lighting and low-flow plumbing systems to conserve water.

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Jordan Lerner, regional director of sales and engineering for Schneider Electric, explained that several changes, such as lighting retrofits, occupancy sensors that control when lights are on, and automation systems that optimize power use, all serve the dual purpose of expending less energy and extending the life of equipment the hospital depends on. Lerner compared automatically turning equipment off when not in use to having fewer years on a car’s odometer; the product will simply last longer if it isn’t running when no one is using it. He added that the automation system would not only regulate electrical use to match the facility’s daily and weekly schedules, but would also make seasonal adjustments throughout the year to adjust for the effects of the outdoor environment on the controlled climate inside the building.

Lerner said one of the more unique features was an ultraviolet light system that eliminates many possible biological contaminants that the ventilation system might pull in from the outside air. He explained this was a feature rarely seen outside of the medical world.

Lerner commented that his company went into each project with the most open-minded approach possible. He said Schneider often used products and services that his company used in the past and trusted, but was willing to try something new depending on the client’s needs and wishes. He said the staff at the memorial hospital brought an equal degree of open-mindedness, which benefited the project greatly. Lerner explained the hospital staff wanted to go for efficiency upgrades with the fastest return on cost-savings possible, but signed up for a long-term approach when they learned how much more cash would be preserved with that approach. He felt that many hospitals focused less on green features than other industries because they often faced financial decisions between structural upgrades and medical equipment, but this facility seemed to buck that trend and embraced the long-term view on cost savings.

Lerner felt that one of the least recognized functions of a retrofit company like his was to serve as a mediator between various interests at a hospital, bridging the gap between the boardroom and the boiler room. He said this part of the operation went particularly smoothly in this case, as all sides seemed interested in working together to find the best solution.

Jim Poffinbarger, director of the hospital’s environmental services department, said the feeling was mutual. “Based on our time working together, we feel that Schneider Electric is best equipped to assist us in reducing our energy use and creating a more sustainable hospital that better serves our patients and staff while demonstrating our commitment to energy efficiency and environmental responsibility.”

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