Initiatives keep hospital a national leader.

As a national leader in healthcare delivery and medical research--and New York City's largest hospital--the 10 million square foot New York-Presbyterian Hospital constantly seeks to maximize operational efficiencies and control costs.

To redouble its commitment to cost-efficient management, the institution has mounted an aggressive energy management initiative that helps the hospital maximize the level of resources devoted to patient care and research.

New York-Presbyterian includes Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and New York Weill Cornell Medical Center, and is affiliated with the Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons and Weill Medical College of Cornell University. The institution is discovering that its pioneering energy management efforts are helping it maintain its leadership status in medicine.

"Every dollar saved on energy is a dollar that could be devoted to healthcare delivery, medical research, and patient comfort," says Jennifer Kearney, who joined the hospital in October 2003 as Energy Programs Manager. "While most hospitals devote some attention to energy efficiency, New York-Presbyterian is one of the very few in America with a full-time, management-level position dedicated to maximizing energy savings."

Consumption levels reflect the institution's remarkable volume of activity. Each year, the hospital handles some 100,000 discharges, schedules 854,000 outpatient visits, delivers 11,500 babies and accommodates 178,000 emergency visits. The institution consumes roughly 2.2 million decatherms of natural gas and oil, and uses more than 100 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Before Ms. Kearney's arrival, the hospital had joined forces with ConEdison Solutions, the energy services company based in White Plains. Since 2002, the Con Edison subsidiary has worked with the hospital on energy studies, technologies, and upgrades, including HVAC modifications and lighting modernization. The hospital also works with the EPA Energy Star program and is a registered Energy Star Partner Hospital.

"Our involvement with Energy Star provided vital benchmarking tools to perform monthly evaluations of energy performance," says Ms. Kearney, "while ConEdison Solutions has helped us find ways to improve our Energy Star scores and enhance energy performance."

One key element has been New York-Presbyterian's participation in the peak load reduction program managed by the New York Independent System Operator (ISO).

To take part in the program, the hospital agrees to curtail consumption by maximizing its hybrid chiller plant assets, switching from electric-driven to steam-driven chillers. The ISO pays participants for helping reduce demand during peak periods, lowering the risk of outages.

Consumption is monitored using an innovative system developed by hospital personnel. Peak load projections are tracked in real time. Minute-to-minute communications occur among plant operators and hospital management to maximize efficiency while ensuring full patient comfort. The strategies were identified through a study by ConEdison Solutions funded with grants from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.

Said Michael Scorrano, Director of Business Development at ConEdison Solutions. "Our cooperative relationship with New York-Presbyterian's highly qualified, energy specialist serves as a blueprint for institutions seeking substantial energy savings."

ConEdison Solutions has helped the hospital implement energy-saving measures at three of its locations. At the 68th Street/Downtown/Midtown campus, the institution installed occupancy sensors and other lighting upgrades, installed high-efficiency fan systems, and upgraded air-handling units.

At the 168th Street campus, the hospital installed air-handling units, variable frequency drive controls, and meter-monitoring systems linked to ConEdison Solutions' energy management operations center (EMOC) web server. The hospital also implemented campus-wide lighting improvements at its Westchester campus.

The hospital has extended energy management programs into every arena of operations. "We take a systemic approach to energy management by identifying every energy-saving opportunity hospital-wide," says Ms. Kearney.

Next year, New York-Presbyterian expects to institute a hospital-wide energy master plan centering on a "total energy usage" approach and emphasizing investments delivering long-term benefits.

"The hospital initially focused on achieving proven cost savings, which helped people understand that energy investments could deliver noteworthy results," says Kearney. "Now we're looking at more sweeping upgrades that will pay off substantially for many years. And better energy efficiency improves patient care and strengthens our research capabilities."