Saint Mark's Medical Center
One St. Mark's Place
La Grange, TX 78945
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St. Mark's Medical Center is a not-for-profit hospital that meets the needs of the rural communities surrounding it while matching some service offerings of larger metropolitan medical centers. St. Mark's manages energy by focusing on operations and maintenance as well as employee engagement. In close partnership with Ridgecrest Energy Advisors, St. Mark's completed a detailed energy analysis of the entire building and existing HVAC system components (which were of typical quality and efficiency for this type and age facility) to determine which ones needed to be reconfigured and fine-tuned for optimal efficiency. The analysis emphasized optimization of the existing equipment's capabilities without reinvesting in new capital. Working exclusively on a shared savings basis with no up-front cost or obligation, ten energy conservation measures (ECMs) were developed and implemented in phases by Ridgecrest. A major focus of the ECMs was maximizing the HVAC efficiency of the building while at the same time improving comfort and indoor air quality for all patients and employees. Special attention was paid and savings were realized in the areas of minimizing reheat, implementing demand-based temperature and pressure controls at all Air Handling Units (AHUs), zone level scheduling, and Variable Air Volume (VAV) optimization.
Since 2010, St. Mark's ENERGY STAR rating improved by 98 percent, from 46 to 91, overall energy consumption is down by 34 percent, and annual carbon emissions have dropped by nearly 1000 metric tons. No capital improvements or proprietary technologies were used to achieve these savings and the minimal repair and maintenance costs were funded from the existing operations and maintenance budget. As a result of Ridgecrest's monitoring and reporting of monthly energy consumption, St. Mark's was able to more accurately anticipate energy needs for budgeting and procurement, also decreasing the frequency and costs of over-purchasing blocks of gas.
In EPA's 2011 National Building Competition "Battle of the Buildings", St. Mark's finished #1 among hospitals nationwide by reducing energy consumption during the competition by 23 percent. The competition helped generate awareness and excitement about energy efficiency among employees and staff at all levels. Articles have been published about St. Mark's and the competition in various local newspapers, as well as national publications like Healthcare Finance News and Air Conditioning Today.
Communications:
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Testimonial:
"It has been great working with Ridgecrest. Their extensive knowledge of building dynamics has led us to a substantial savings in both electricity and gas consumption. With the help of our Siemens controls contractor, Ridgecrest has vastly improved the graphic controls of our building automation. That makes my job easier, as all building readings are now at my fingertips. We look forward to continuing efforts to lessen our cost, but more importantly to lessen our impact on the environment."
-- Jeffrey Hunt, Senior Energy Consultant, Ridgecrest Energy AdvisorsPlease note: Narrative information in this profile has been provided by St. Mark's 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.
Building Owner:*
St. Mark's Medical Center
Property Manager:*
St. Mark's Medical Center
Year(s) Labeled (Rating):
2012 (91)
2013 (81)
Facility Type: Hospital (General Medical & Surgical)
Total Floorspace: 95127 sf
Year Constructed: 2005
Contract Type: None
Technologies Used:
| Stage 1-Recommissioning |
| Stage 3-Load Reductions |
| Stage 4-Fan Systems |
| Stage 5-Heating and Cooling Plant |