New York-Presbyterian Hospital, The Allen Pavilion

New York-Presbyterian Hospital, The Allen Pavilion
5141 Broadway
New York, NY 10034

New York-Presbyterian Hospitals Allen Pavilion is a three story, full service acute care hospital located on Broadway and 220th Street in upper Manhattan. Our 345,000 square foot hospital was built in 1988 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week with 800 employees and 225 beds.

Recently we completed internal renovations to the Allen Pavilions ambulatory care and emergency room areas which affected nearly 30,000 feet of the facility. We also added a 7,000 square foot wing and installed an Apogee building management system (BMS) by Siemens to the facility.

The deregulation of the New York State energy markets in the late 1990s forced us to prioritize energy management issues. Initially, our energy management plan centered on the competitive procurement that the newly deregulated marketplace was offering. Upon the hiring of an Energy Programs Manager for New York-Presbyterian Hospital in 2003, our Energy Management Plan grew more cohesive and structured.

Our Energy Management Plan includes:

• Specifying equipment retrofits and space renovations;
• Working closely with the New York State Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA) for technical and financial assistance;
• Joining the EPA's ENERGY STAR program and utilizing the EPA's energy performance rating system within Portfolio Manager;
• Exploring innovation in combined heat & power & renewable technologies; and
• Working toward energy conservation through behavioral transformation.

EPA, through ENERGY STAR, provides Guidelines for Energy Management that serve as the foundation for our plan and is tailored to our particular facility. We evaluate energy savings projects through identification of opportunities, study of necessary funding and cost/benefit analysis, implementation of energy management practices through thorough review of our studies, measurement and verification, and recognition of success.

In 2005, we completed an energy audit and report which recommended $756,000 in energy-efficient technologies upgrades throughout our facility. We plan to implement all of the study's recommendations and expect to save $180,000 annually from these efforts.

Below are some of our energy-efficient technologies:

Lighting - The lighting at the Allen Pavilion has been kept up to date, energy efficient and modern from its original design through several renovations and expansions.  Some remaining older T-12 technology with magnetic ballasts and incandescent spot lamps were replaced with higher efficiency

T-8 and T-5 lighting. Any future replacement of existing lighting for upcoming renovations will utilize our recently completed "NYPH Lighting Specification Handbook" to help our consultants, architects, and engineering/maintenance personnel identify the most energy efficient bulb, ballast, and fixture for a given type of hospital environment.  The handbook includes illustrations, cut sheets, and ordering information as well as energy efficiency criteria to make ordering new lighting products as easy as possible.

Fan Systems/HVAC - Interior heating and air conditioning is provided to the space by 11 primary roof top HVAC units with gas heating. The HVAC units have Variable Frequency Drives and the HVAC system was recently tied into a comprehensive Automated Building Management System that allows for slow down or shut down of strategic fans to optimize energy efficiency.

Energy-Efficient Products - In 2004, our purchasing policies were modified to specify that ENERGY STAR-qualified equipment must be purchased where available.  This specification supersedes any differential in first cost.

Planned Upgrades - We are considering microturbine technology or a small combined-heat & power application. In addition, we plan to add more Variable Frequency Drives and premium efficiency motors to the existing HVAC system where applicable.

In addition to energy-efficient technologies, our operations and maintenance practices contribute significantly to our improved energy performance. For example, we turn off computers and copy machines every night and, when possible, slow down fans throughout the day. We constantly look for areas of waste and ways to improve.  

In 2002, we established a Portfolio Manager account to track our energy performance. Our baseline rating in 2002 was 71. We completed a comprehensive energy audit right away and made it our goal to reach a rating of 75 and become eligible for the ENERGY STAR. By committing to energy efficient technologies and practices, we improved our rating to a 76 in 2005 and earned the ENERGY STAR.

Communications:
Employee recognition is an important part of our conservation program. Employees who submit excellent conservation ideas are acknowledged in newsletter features and are eligible to receive "Service Star" awards. We also value senior management outreach in our communication process. We provide monthly reports to the Senior Vice President and present bi-annually at the Hospital President's staff meeting. We have also initiated Energy Awareness and Earth Day events in our public areas where the public is invited to speak with our energy experts and offer their own ideas on energy conservation at Allen Pavilion.

Testimonial:
"The ENERGY STAR for our buildings is and continues to be a goal of New York-Presbyterian Hospital as we strive to have every facility reaching a 75 or greater. To be in the top 25% of healthcare institutions in the national EPA database of energy efficiency is a great achievement and prestigious honor."

--Jennifer Kearney, Energy Programs Manager, New York-Presbyterian Hospital