In addition to the major infrastructure changes referenced in part 1. Trane aimed to further reduce the facility’s energy consumption by changing 2,135 light fixtures with high efficiency options. Energy efficient T-8 ballasts and lamps; and compact fluorescent lamps are now being used at HMC instead of the old incandescent bulbs. Also, exit signs were retrofitted with LED signage. The next change was made to conserve water. More than 350 plumbing fixtures were retrofitted with low-flow systems, which exceeded or met the Energy Act water requirements.

The facility already had an existing Tracer™ Summit system (direct digital control) and this system was expanded to manage the operation of the air handling unit on the labor and delivery wing, hot water systems, 12 variable air volume terminal units, 2 constant volume terminal units, as well as the rooftop HVAC units serving the administration offices, the cafeteria and the conference room. The digital controls enable the staff to have precision management of the facilities environment all the while reducing operational and energy costs.

HMC facilities managers utilize the Tracer™ ES system, a web enabled integration solution that provides an enterprise-wide view of the entire medical centers systems and buildings. By utilizing the easy web based portal from any mobile device or PC on the network, the facilities managers are now able to conveniently handle scheduling, troubleshooting, and alarm management. The facility managers also use the Tracer ES to control and monitor energy usage, HVAC and lighting to improve the efficiency and to maintain humidity, optimal temperature and carbon dioxide levels.

Now the fun part, the results! The Administrators at HMC report that improvements to the facility have reduced the annual operational and energy costs by more than 30%, while also increasing physician, staff, and patient comfort. In addition to cutting costs by 30% at the facility, they also received a rebate for reducing the load on the electrical grid from the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) for $11,500.