ENERGY STAR Success Story: New York-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital (NYPH), a leading academic medical center affiliated with two of the nation’s leading medical colleges: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College, delivers comprehensive medical services to residents of New York City and its surrounding boroughs. NYPH is the first healthcare system to earn the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award three times: twice for Excellence in Energy Management (2005 & 2006) and a third time in the Sustained Excellence category (2007). NYPH established and has successfully met rigorous energy savings targets since embarking on their energy management initiatives in 2003.

Organizational Commitment to Energy Management

NYPH is among the top five percent of energy consumers in New York City. In 2003, NYPH was facing rising energy costs combined with a period of aggressive expansion. In the interest of curtailing these costs, senior management formalized a commitment to energy management by establishing of a full-time Energy Programs Manager position dedicated to maximizing the hospital’s energy savings, a position filled by Jennifer Kearney. In addition to creating this new position, NYPH senior management also adopted an energy policy, and the Office of Energy Management. NYPH also became an ENERGY STAR Partner.

Jennifer Kearney works with an energy team consisting of representatives from a variety of departments such as Real Estate, IT, Facilities Development, Strategic Sourcing, and Human Resources to set aggressive goals to improve performance. Numerous energy efficiency projects implemented under Jennifer Kearney’s direction paid off. In 2004, began participating in the ENERGY STAR Challenge and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR Leader for achieving a 10-point portfolio-wide improvement based on ratings in Portfolio Manager, becoming the first, and only, healthcare system to attain this recognition. Energy savings in 2004 contributed $900,000 to the bottom line, equivalent to generating $18 million in new revenues and preventing the emissions equivalent to 700 cars.

Commitment to Continuous Improvement

NYPH didn’t stop there. By January 2005, NYPH had achieved an 11 percent energy efficiency improvement across its entire building portfolio. Over the course of 2005 and 2006, NYPH completed several energy audits to determine the best opportunities for improving efficiency. In response to the audit recommendations, NYPH performed upgrades of the HVAC and controls system, with estimated paybacks of less than five years, and lighting and central plant upgrades, with paybacks estimated in just over eight years.

A long-term study at Weill Cornell Medical Center determined that an on-site Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant would dramatically lower energy costs, improve power quality, increase reliability, and be economically feasible. In 2005, NYPH received a $1 million grant from New York State to begin construction on the CHP plant. It will provide Weill Cornell Medical Center with 100 percent of its base electric requirements and two-thirds of its peak electric requirements. The plant is expected to be operational in 2008 and is anticipated to lower NYPH’s annual energy bill by approximately $5 million.

NYPH’s success in energy management has led to achievement in other facets of green building. The Heart Hospital is expected to be the first Silver-certified healthcare building in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. Several other buildings on the Cornell campus have also registered with LEED.

Communications

NYPH values communications as a way to promote success and build support. The hospital has run ENERGY STAR public service announcements on their in-house television network, informs staff of energy savings accomplishments on posters, and rewards employees who identify opportunities for energy efficiency improvements. NYPH also participated in the ENERGY STAR Change a Light, Change the World campaign, generating pledges to replace 579 light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs. NYPH partnered with GE Supply who gave away free compact fluorescent light bulbs to employees who took the pledge.

NYPH has publicized its achievements in a variety of venues, including the meetings of the Greater New York Hospital Association, and such publications as Inside ASHE magazine, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment Newsletter, Modern Healthcare, and Building Operating Management magazine.

Results

NYPH’s commitment to energy management has produced enormous energy savings. NYPH estimates that the projects they have implemented will save $1.77 million annually, a value greater than savings they achieved in 2004 and 2005 combined. Because of its exceptional energy efficiency achievements, NYPH was recognized as ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2005 and 2006 for Excellence in Energy Management and in 2007 for Sustained Excellence in Energy Management.

Testimonials

“Every dollar saved on energy costs is a dollar that is devoted to improving medical care for our patients.”
- Dr. Herbert Pardes, President and CEO of New York Presbyterian Hospital

“The benefits of energy efficiency need to be constantly reinforced to motivate staff. Energy awareness helps change attitudes and create new energy-efficient behavior. Budget constraints, always present in the healthcare sector, make it imperative, now more than ever, to build and cultivate an Energy Management Team & Program, to increase energy efficiency and reduce overall energy costs.”
- Jennifer Kearney, Director - Energy Programs at New York Presbyterian Hospital