ENERGY STAR Labeled Building Profile

UCSF at Mt. Zion Medical Center
1600 Divisadero st
San Francisco, CA 94115
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The Mount Zion Hospital at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center was established in 1887 as a voluntary, non-profit hospital to render "medical and surgical aid and service to the needy and distressed sick of the community ... without regard to race or creed." UCSF acquired Mount Zion in 1990 and it now serves as a major teaching facility for the university, along with Moffitt-Long, San Francisco General, and the VA Medical Center of San Francisco. The Mount Zion Hospital consists of three inter-connected multi-story buildings and is part of UCSF's larger Medical Center complex. Since the acquisition, the hospital has undergone several phases of remodeling, equipment upgrades and retrofitting to make it more energy efficient.

Our "Design and Facilities" team monitors the facilitys energy use and we have monthly meetings to ensure that our existing infrastructure is functioning well and also to identify any areas for efficiency improvements. All our operations and maintenance activities are geared towards energy and cost savings. UCSF also occasionally hires an energy consultant to review the facility and identify additional efficiency measures.

As part of our efforts to continually improve operations within our facilities, we have established a maintenance program for periodic monitoring of equipment and services and executed several efficiency projects. They include:

Lighting - We have replaced all T-12 lamps with more efficient T-8 lamps in the hospital. Recently, we also installed LED exit signs for maximum efficiency gains. The initial cost for this was approximately $6,000 and we recovered this over a short period of time.

Fan and Pump Systems - We upgrade to high efficiency motors as needed. We also install VFDs where appropriate and establish start/stop and temperature set points for the fan systems through the central building automation system.

HVAC - The HVAC systems are tied into our building management system for optimal performance and include start/stop and temperature set points. In 1998 we installed a new high efficiency chiller. Select electric chillers were also replaced with a chiller that runs on natural gas which has resulted in significant cost savings. We are currently working towards replacing three compressors with another high efficiency chiller with VFD. The initial cost for this $250,000 and has an expected payback period of three years. We will finance this project with help from the university and we are in the process of selecting a contractor to lead the project.

Operational Controls - Our facility has a central building automation system that controls the start/stop and temperature set points of all equipment. This system helps us track our energy performance and establishes an operational schedule for the equipment.

ENERGY STAR Qualified Products - We use ENERGY STAR qualified computer equipment, televisions, refrigerators, and other electronics as much as we are able and encourage all other departments to do the same.

In addition to continuous upgrades, we find it imperative to run an extensive preventive maintenance program. Our facilities team consists of 29 in-house engineers who actively monitor equipment to ensure that there are no obstructions or setbacks. The university endorses our intensive maintenance program and we encourage regular training of our staff members to maintain the quality of our program. The Design and Construction team holds weekly educational meetings to share lessons learned. All staff undergoes monthly safety trainings and is encouraged to attend additional seminars of interest.

Our hospital began tracking its energy performance through EPAs energy performance rating system within Portfolio Manager in 2006 and earned the ENERGY STAR in 2006. ABM Engineering, the company hired by UCSF to manage the Mount Zion facility, is aware of the advantages of using Portfolio Manager and decided to employ it to track our energy performance. The extensive upgrades and retrofits conducted in our facility over the past decade helped us to earn the ENERGY STAR the same year we started using Portfolio Manager. Our aim for continuous improvement is to make our facility as efficient as possible.

Communications:

We communicate with our team through weekly and monthly meetings. Our facilities department is in the process of setting up a micro site within the UCSF Web site on their operations and practices. We are currently designing the site and hope to publish it in the near future. We hold bi-weekly meetings with upper management to apprise them of current and new initiatives and we also submit a monthly written report to the Director of Facilities.

Testimonial:

"The Mount Zion Hospital has a tradition of excellence and strives to provide the best care to the surrounding community through high-quality care. We lay a strong emphasis on education and training and endeavor to implement the most economical and efficient operations and services under the circumstances."

-- Joseph Rios, Director of Engineering,

Please note: Narrative information in this profile has been provided by UCSF Medical Center or a representative of this facility. Other building information was verified and submitted to EPA at the time of application. Building energy performance, operating characteristics, and ownership/management may be subject to change over time.

Service Provider:
ABM Engineering Services

Building Owner:*
UCSF Medical Center

Property Manager:*
UCSF Medical Center

Year(s) Labeled (Rating):
2006 (79)

Facility Type: Hospital (General Medical & Surgical)

Total Floorspace: 309637 sf

Year Constructed: 1948

Contract Type: None

Technologies Used:

   Stage 1-Recommissioning
   Stage 2-Lighting
   Stage 4-Fan Systems
   Stage 5-Heating and Cooling Plant