ENERGY STAR Success Story: City of Hope National Medical Center

Investments for Long-Term Benefits with ENERGY STAR City of Hope National Medical Center (COHNMC), one of just 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the United States as designated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), is saving $490,000 annually on electric bills from increased energy performance. To achieve this success, COHNMC implemented a tiered energy management program incorporating ENERGY STAR's integrated approach to facility upgrades, investment in energy efficient equipment, and careful management of how and when energy is needed. COHNMC takes pride in its achievements and works to inform and educate their community.

Investments in high performance equipment

For City of Hope, investment in efficient, high-performance equipment is an integral part of providing cutting-edge patient care. The hospital reduced energy costs and subsequently used the savings to improve patient care. Using ENERGY STAR's integrated approach, investments were made in a campus-wide lighting retrofit, a new central plant with high-efficiency centrifugal chillers, variable-speed drives for fan and pump motors, and in a thermal energy storage system. The investments reduced lighting costs by over $200,000 annually, and plant HVAC costs by $170,000 annually. COHNMC also worked closely with Southern California Edison and their “Design for Excellence” program to integrate energy efficient design practices into new construction and renovation projects in eight new buildings constructed since 1995.

Controlling and managing energy use

While City of Hope management recognized the value of employing efficient equipment, they also realized the greatest savings come from properly managing and controlling when and how much energy is used. Monitoring and control are achieved by an energy management system (EMS), operating on a fiber optic network installed throughout the campus. The EMS helps manage and control building equipment by shutting off unnecessary air conditioning units and implementing more sophisticated routines to optimize equipment operating during off-peak hours. COHNMC's investment in on-site generation enables the center to disconnect from the utility grid during voluntary and emergency interruptions.

Communicating achievements

Finally, City of Hope’s energy management team communicates their successes as part of their energy management strategy. They achieve this by running a campuswide education and awareness campaign and by sharing energy saving strategies with members of local medical engineering societies.