'Energy Treasure Hunt' uncovers $200K in savings
OSF HealthCare, an 11-hospital health care system serving Illinois and part of Michigan, has been committed to reducing its energy usage for the past decade. In fact, Ameren Illinois recognized OSF HealthCare with an award and ceremony for its efforts in energy efficiency and sustainability. But even after completing more than 140 projects to save more than 6.1 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity – enough to power 638 homes for one year – OSF HealthCare was on the hunt for more energy-saving opportunities.
OSF HealthCare participates in Ameren Illinois' Strategic Energy Management (SEM) Program, which is administered by Leidos. As part of this program, decision makers from across hospital functions and facilities have formed an energy team. They meet monthly to discuss energy efficiency projects, explore operational enhancements, and encourage energy-saving behaviors with employees.
Recently, the team organized an “Energy Treasure Hunt” at OSF HealthCare St. Joseph Medical Center in Bloomington, Illinois, with the help of Leidos' energy advisors. At the request of OSF HealthCare and as part of its SEM participation, ENERGY STAR® worked in conjunction with the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) to develop the ASHE Chapter Challenge, which led the ENERGY STAR® Treasure Hunt offering. OSF St. Joseph was the first hospital to complete the treasure hunt at its campus.
The OSF HealthCare SEM energy team was divided into two groups who competed to identify the most energy-saving opportunities with less than a one-year payback period. The groups searched more than 500,000 sq. ft. of facility space and identified nearly 30 opportunities, including:
- Replacing all existing lighting with LED bulbs
- Replacing motors with high efficiency motors and adding variable frequency drives
- Shutting off kitchen and exhaust fans
- Setting back supply fan controls at night
- Replacing steam generators with high efficiency boilers
After a two-day treasure hunt at OSF St. Joseph, the energy team identified nine quantifiable, quick-payback projects estimated to save more than $200,000 in annual energy costs. As a result of this discoveries, OSF HealthCare has launched similar Energy Treasure Hunts with Leidos energy advisors at other facilities in the region to identify even more savings opportunities and projects.
For more information on Leidos’ expertise in energy efficiency – including innovative approaches to employee engagement - visit: https://www.leidos.com/markets/energy/utilities/integrated-energy-management/energy-efficiency-program-delivery.
