Southwest Energy Efficiency Project

St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center

St. Mary-Corwin Medical Center in Pueblo began implementing energy efficiency upgrades to its facility in the mid-1980s. A performance contract with an energy service company (ESCO) beginning in 1989 became the catalyst for significant upgrades and savings at this 225-bed hospital located in southern Colorado.

Working with the ESCO, hospital administrators designed a package of equipment upgrades aimed at leveraging an approved federal grant into more energy savings. The ESCO agreed to accept 95 percent of the hospital's actual savings over the seven-year life of the contract as payment.

An initial energy audit of St. Mary's showed that modifications to the 525,000 square foot facility's cooling system would increase patient and staff comfort and result in significant energy savings. A flat-plate heat exchanger allows facility management staff to turn off chillers during mild weather, and joining two separate chilled water loops makes it possible for a new, more efficient 700-ton chiller to handle the cooling load for the entire facility, and allowed two smaller, less efficient chillers to be retired from service.

The ESCO also installed a computerized energy management system, which enables hospital staff to monitor and control the chilled water system, air handling systems, and boilers from a central location. In addition, the energy management system automates many of these processes. Lastly, 20 large air-handling units were upgraded with new starters and two-speed motors, allowing the units to operate at lower speed during the night or during moderate weather when space cooling needs are substantially less.

Total cost for the efficiency upgrades was $765,000. Energy cost savings total almost $180,000 per year, ten percent greater than estimated, resulting in a simple payback period of 4.25 years. With the assistance of the ESCO, St. Mary's is investing these savings into additional efficiency upgrades, including a lighting retrofit and boiler plant modifications.

© 2002-2008 Southwest Energy Efficiency Project
2260 Baseline Rd. Suite 212, Boulder, CO 80302
(303) 447-0078 fax: (303) 786-8054 info@swenergy.org

Last Updated: 01/28/2008