Parkwood Hospital slashes energy bill

London, Ontario — An energy saving project at Parkwood Hospital, part of St. Joseph’s Health Care, London, is guaranteed to slash $170,000 a year from the hospital’s energy costs and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 629,000 kg – the equivalent of removing more than 100 cars from the road. Parkwood recently completed a 12-month energy performance contract with Honeywell in a commitment to responsible use of energy resources, maximizing patient dollars, and environmental protection. The $1.2 million project was designed to upgrade the equipment and system operations across 554,643 square feet of building space. This included retrofitting and redesigning lighting fixtures, new zonal air flow controls to match occupancy and comfort levels, optimizing existing controls of the building automation system, and installation of a thermal blanket on the therapeutic pool to reduce heat and evaporation losses. "The Parkwood Hospital program is an excellent example of how institutions can reduce their electricity consumption, save on expenses, and lighten the load on our energy supply," says Peter Love, Ontario's Chief of Energy Conservation Officer. "The province encourages more public and private sector organizations to follow the hospital's lead." As a newer building, Parkwood ranked well in energy efficiency before the project and is one of the most energy efficient hospitals in Ontario. But it was able to create further efficiencies through the Honeywell initiative. “London Hospitals are committed to doing everything we can to reduce energy consumption, control costs and to foster a healthy environment,” says Dave Crockett, integrated vice president, facilities management and restructuring. “By investing in this project, St. Joseph’s Health Care, London is demonstrating the leadership, partnerships and innovation necessary to accomplish this goal in a meaningful way for patients and for our community." For its efforts, St. Joseph’s will receive $79,000 in financial incentives from Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency, and $3,800 from Union Gas. This money will offset the cost of the project. “It’s rewarding to apply our expertise to provide solutions to hospitals that not only lower energy and operational costs, but also reduce environmental emissions,” says Luis Rodrigues, vice president of Energy Solutions for Honeywell Building Solutions. The Parkwood project is one of several key energy saving initiatives of London’s hospitals that have been completed in the past few years. As of 2005/06, St. Joseph’s and London Health Sciences Centre will save a combined $2.3 million a year in energy costs as a result of these projects. The media is invited to the celebration of the Parkwood project completion and to witness the ‘slashing’ of Parkwood’s utility bill. When: Thursday March 9, 11:30 a.m. Where: Parkwood Hospital auditorium, 801 Commissioners Road East Guests: Peter Love, Chief Conservation Officer, Government of Ontario Luis Rodrigues, Vice President, Energy Solutions, Honeywell Building Solutions For more information contact: Dahlia Reich, Communication & Public Affairs Parkwood Hospital, (519) 685-4292 ext. 44034 St. Joseph’s Health Care, London is an accredited teaching hospital owned by the St. Joseph’s Health Care Society and governed by a volunteer Board of Directors from the community. St. Joseph’s Health Care London includes: St. Joseph’s Hospital, Parkwood Hospital, Regional Mental Health Care London and St. Thomas, Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care and a host of programs and services throughout Southwestern Ontario.