EPA's Energy Star Battle of the Buildings Ends: St. Mark's Med Center Tops Hospitals

Nov. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- St. Marks Medical Center Wins Top Honor for Energy Savings Among Hospitals in EPA’s ENERGY STAR 2011 National Building Competition – Without Spending Any Money on Improvements

HOUSTON, TX November 2, 2011: St. Marks Medical Center has been named a Top Hospital Finisher in EPA’s 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition: Battle of the Buildings, which concluded November 2, 2011.

Hospitals are among the highest consumers of energy among commercial buildings. According to EnergyStar measurements, St. Mark’s reduced its source energy consumption by 22.7% during the competition period. Total site energy use was reduced by 35% in the first full year after implementation.

Overall, the 245 buildings in the competition achieved cost savings totaling $5.2 million annually, and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions from the electricity used annually by more than 3,600 homes.

What Happened at St. Marks?

Unlike most of the other buildings in the competition, what was undertaken at St. Mark’s Medical Center was unique for what it was not. Savings were achieved by working with Ridgecrest Energy Advisors, who specialize in reducing energy consumption, with approaches that do not involve capital improvements. Energy use reductions came entirely from changing how existing systems were configured and operated. Engineers specializing in no-capital-cost energy use reduction performed a thorough analysis of existing systems and their use. Then, it was a matter of fine-tuning these systems to implement what the analysis determined would be necessary.

Because hospitals are notoriously high energy consumers, Ridgecrest Energy Advisors approached St. Mark’s about helping them reduce their consumption – and thus their costs – on a shared savings basis. St. Mark’s believed that their facility was operating efficiently, and although they didn’t expect much, saw no harm in having third-party experts perform a detailed energy analysis to see if there were ways to be even more efficient. The result was that Ridgecrest identified ten energy conservation measures (ECMs) and with the approval of St. Marks’ CEO Nathan Staggs and the assistance of Mel Burgess, Director of Facilities Management, the ECMs were implemented and the actual savings exceeded those predicted. WhenRidgecrest told St. Mark’s about the 2011 Energy Star competition last year, naturally Nathan and Mel agreed to participate, and ultimately St. Mark’s beat out the other nine hospital competitors.

The Long-Term Benefits

Overall, the competition has helped the hospital staff focus on energy efficiency in a more detailed and measurement-driven way. Operations staff is now able to better understand how their facility uses energy and how their actions impact that. Another benefit is a greatly improved ability to forecast energy consumption for budgeting and procurement. The competition has also generated a renewed excitement about energy conservation at all levels of the organization.

EPA praised St. Mark’s 'efforts in the competition. “All of the ENERGY STAR National Building Competition participants are seizing the opportunities energy efficiency presents to cut pollution and save money,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Increasing energy efficiency is a key strategy for securing our nation's energy future.”

Want to Learn More?

For more information about the 2011 ENERGY STAR National Building Competition, please visit: www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=buildingcontest.index.

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Ridgecrest Energy Advisors (www.ridgecrestenergy.com) provides clients with unique solutions for achieving significant energy reductions with little or no capital expenditure. Providing expert insight and thorough understanding of building performance, Ridgecrest brings its clients average savings of 10-30% annually and implements processes to sustain those reductions long-term.

For questions or interviews, please contact Ben Whitsett at 281.484.8600 or bwhitsett@ridgecrestenergy.com.

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