by Shane Henson — October 15, 2012—For a hospital, reducing energy use means more than just being environmentally conscious, it can also mean more capital to fund projects that improve patients’ health and well-being. Keeping this in mind, ComEd , a utility and energy delivery company that also helps businesses finds ways to curb energy consumption, recently completed an energy-efficiency project in partnership with Illinois’ Adventist Hinsdale Hospital. Through the partnership, ComEd will help the hospital save nearly $170,000 a year by reducing energy usage. And, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, every dollar saved is equivalent to $50 in new revenue.
With ComEd’s support, Adventist Hinsdale Hospital updated their lighting system, installed variable speed drives on the chilled and domestic water systems, and added demand-controlled ventilation to the kitchen hood exhaust fans. In addition, the hospital recently added an 116,000-square-foot patient pavilion and installed electric chillers for the new building. These upgrades will help keep the building’s energy use at the same level as before the modernization project, says ComEd.
This project was funded as part of ComEd’s Smart Ideas for Your Business program, which offers cash incentives, technical services and whole-building solutions to help businesses use energy more efficiently.
Since the launch of Smart Ideas for Your Business in 2008, ComEd has helped businesses save an estimated $70 million in annual electricity costs and reduce their energy usage by more than 880 million kWh. This clean energy initiative is equivalent to avoiding the annual greenhouse gas emissions of more than 119,000 cars, the company says.
