Big savings, better patient care are results of energy saving program
Big savings, better patient care are results of energy saving program
Redesign brings better lighting, temperature controls, patient satisfaction
Many physicians may not know a watt from a therm, but they do know light and temperature affect their patients’ outcomes. That’s why they were included on a team to make St. Charles Medical Center in Bend, OR, a state-of-the art example of energy efficiency.
Their input proved invaluable to patient care. They told the team about the need to have lights that provide an accurate color of human tissue, the desire to maintain temperatures in the operating room catering to the needs of the surgery type, and to keep patient rooms at optimal warmth for recovery.
"[Energy efficiency] is a different approach to improving patient care than other hospitals may take, says Mike Severns, director of technology and facility services of the 181-bed non-profit community hospital in Central Oregon. The focus, though, always stays on the patient. That’s why we brought in the physicians. It’s not always about money. It’s about bringing teams together. It stimulates creativity, innovation."
The energy efficiency program is an offshoot of St. Charles’ hospitalwide patient-focused care redesign project.
"It’s the least known to customers," Severns says. "It’s something they take for granted. But it has measurable outcomes. We see its results on satisfaction surveys. We ask them if the temperature was comfortable, if they smelled any odors . . ."
Patient-focused care leads to energy program
St. Charles launched its patient-focused care program, like most hospitals, as part of an effort to cut costs while improving care. Energy efficiency was a logical area to include because cutting the cost of electricity, oil, and gas frees more money for other patient care areas, Severns explains.
"Energy is a major expense in any hospital," he says. "We wanted a new standard for the future. We wanted to develop the most efficient building around."
Once the hospital decided to pursue an energy management program, it aligned itself with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenlight and Energy Star Building programs, becoming a charter member and the first hospital of 24 facilities chosen to participate.
St. Charles succeeded in meeting its energy efficiency goals by collaborating with other businesses. For example, Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls Inc. conducted an energy audit that prompted the decision to use a computer-controlled system to monitor lighting, temperature, security, and other safety measures such as fire alarms. Bonneville Power Administration, the regional power source, donated $640,000 to expand the renovation program; and the wine industry sparked an innovative use of its system to make nitrogen in-house at the hospital.
"Partnerships are the healthiest approach," Severns says. "Everyone should be doing this more. There are a lot of resources out there that you can use to help solve problems."
Project to pay for itself
Severns says the $2,089,000 eight-year project will pay for itself in several years because Johnson Controls issued a guaranteed performance on its work. St. Charles received a guaranteed savings of $121,394 a year, or $10,116 a month, an amount it has exceeded every month. For example, in March, St. Charles saved $12,703. Since implementation in May 1995, St. Charles has saved $313,890, Severns says.
Also, Severns calculates the new equipment will result in maintenance savings of $354,619 over eight years.
The renovation has saved money in other ways. For example, while the hospital expanded from 181,000 to 330,000 square feet, a 40% increase, and the amount of equipment such as computers has grown 50%, overall utility costs have dropped, and staff has remained the same.
Here, Severns shares with the readers of Patient-Focused Care the key areas of renovation at St. Charles:
• Lighting.
They retrofitted the entire facility, inside and out, with new fixtures. The physicians who were included on the team prompted the decision to use lights with a color spectrum that gives an accurate reading of a patient’s skin and other tissue colors. The effect resembles natural light, Severns explains. Parking lots were fitted with new low-energy lights. A computer controls lighting. When someone enters a room, the lights turn on; when a person leaves the room, the lights turn off.
The program slashed the wattage per square foot from 1.87 to .86, a 56% improvement resulting in a total savings of 3,434,167 kilowatt hours since implementation.
• Temperature.
The computer automates the temperature based on request. For example, in the operating room, some surgeries require cooler temperatures than others. These temperatures can be programmed into the computer according to the surgery timetable. When no surgeries are scheduled, the system goes on stand-by. If a person enters the OR or any other unoccupied room, it will heat up again automatically. The computer checks and adjusts temperatures for accuracy every 10 seconds. The program has saved 173,265 therms of natural gas a year, Severns says.
• Nitrogen.
The hospital makes its own nitrogen which is used for, among other purposes, powering pneumatic tools. Severns came up with this innovation during a flight while reading an article in an airline magazine on wine making in Oregon. The article discussed how wine-makers generate nitrogen essential to the production of wine by extracting it from compressed air.
"I thought if it could be used in the wine industry, why not in health care?" Severns explains.
Severns contacted the company, Air Gas in Pennsylvania and asked its employees the same question. Air Gas jumped at the opportunity to apply its system to health care. St. Charles now pays a monthly flat fee to rent the system, which includes full maintenance.
Severns estimates the hospital saves $18,000 to $22,000 a year, approximately $12,000 in product and $6,800 in labor previously required to change the nitrogen bottles.
• Fuel.
St. Charles uses its leverage as a primary client of the local fuel company that brokers its natural gas. St. Charles receives a reduced rate on its fuel by agreeing to switch to an alternate fuel source, in this case oil, during times of heavy demand. This partnership has resulted in a $60,000 annual savings. Severns says he plans to arrange a similar agreement with a power company. He says some hospitals may form a consortium and bargain for this agreement.
[For more information about the energy efficiency program and innovation, contact: Mike Severns, St. Charles Medical Center, 2500 NE Neff Road, Bend, OR 97701. Telephone: (541) 385-6304.]
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