The term “going green” has become a well used phrase in our everyday lives. This morning you probably drank your coffee from a cup made of recycled materials, and either drove to work in, or at the least drove past, a hybrid vehicle on the road. Many environmentally friendly technologies have made their way into our daily routine, even if we don’t realize it. Several years ago, environmentally friendly products and services were viewed as complicated, expensive, and bringing in return nothing more than a “warm and fuzzy” feeling that you were being kind to the Earth! Today, energy conservation initiatives by State and Federal agencies have made actual tangible benefits available as a return on the investment of taking on green projects in corporations and health care facilities.

New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA), is a major force in promoting energy consumption and environmentally friendly projects and equipment. NYSERDA offers rebate programs, through the state, to encourage adoption of these technologies. The NYSERDA program of most benefit to health care facilities is the Existing Facilities Program, which offers incentives to facilities that undertake large scale energy efficient programs that affect various aspects of the facility including, but not limited to:
 
  • Lighting
  • HVAC
  • Chillers
  • Motors
  • Variable Speed Drives
To take advantage of this program, existing health care facilities located in New York State, can apply for “Demand Response Incentives”, which can offset some of the costs that go along with installing ‘green” technology into your facility. An example of a clear cost savings would be installing a new medical vacuum pump with a variable speed drive. Not only will your hospital save money because the motor speed matches the demand, but you will also be able to claim a Demand Incentive, saving you even more money! Also, since the vacuum pump isn’t running as much, it will preserve its life and probably require less maintenance.
 
Since programs are now offered by NYSERDA, and other similar agencies in the region and country, facilities managers and engineers are, and should be, taking a closer look at environmentally friendly projects. Instead of imagining a wild eyed long haired hippy driving an electric mini-bus with a “save the whales sticker”, facilities are seeing green initiatives as a smart way to cut costs during challenging times. All it takes is the awareness of the latest energy saving medical systems- as well as researching your local government sponsored utility rebate offers to make “going green” save your facility some green!

-Brian Benson
NITC/ASSE 6005 Medical Gas System Specialist

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