UVM Health Network – CVMC energy ambassadors, from left, Maribella Ibarra, Tim Perrin and Liz Gamache (Efficiency Vermont), Greg Liebert (Liebert Engineering), Richard Morley, Judy Tartaglia and Leo Martineau (UVM Health Network – CVMC) and Mike Dellipriscoli (UVM Health Network – CVMC Board Chair) celebrate the facility’s new Energy Star certification on Wednesday.
Berlin, VT – University of Vermont Health Network - Central Vermont Medical Center has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) coveted ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies the facility performs in the top 25 percent of all hospitals nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.
“We are pleased to accept the ENERGY STAR certification, in recognition of our efficiency efforts,” said CVMC Vice President of Support Services Richard Morley. “Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship, lowered our energy costs and provided a healing environment for our patients, where spaces are lit and conditioned to industry best practices.”
Five years ago, when the CVMC Energy Savings Initiative team began meeting, the facility ranked in the bottom quartile of hospitals nationally for energy performance. Working closely with partners - Efficiency Vermont (the statewide energy efficiency utility), Liebert Engineering and Control Technologies - the team embarked on a multi-faceted initiative to improve efficiency. A hospital-wide energy audit was followed by an energy master plan that addressed interior and exterior lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and information technology systems.
In total the medical center has reduced energy consumption by 28 percent, unprecedented for a Vermont hospital. The project has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 6.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide a year, which is equivalent to taking 604 passenger vehicles off the road for a year. The use of new and innovative technologies has also led to an annual savings of:
- Over 2.2 million kilowatt-hours of electricity
- 110,000 gallons of fuel oil
- $750,000 per year in energy costs, including a 37 percent return on investment (an average 2.7 year payback on all investments)
“Congratulations to CVMC for their receipt of this well-deserved certification,” said Liz Gamache, Director of Efficiency Vermont. “We were proud to support their commitment to reduce hospital energy consumption, which has resulted in dramatic cost savings that free up more operational dollars to further their mission of helping Vermonters. I am thrilled that our work together over the years has helped them reach this impressive achievement.”
Major projects implemented by UVM Health Network - CVMC include:
- Upgrade of hospital lighting to more efficient technologies using a comprehensive lighting design
- Installation of a Templifier (heat recovery from chillers for summer hot water needs)
- Optimized performance for hospital-wide heating, ventilation, and cooling systems
- Conversion of boilers from fuel oil to compressed natural gas
- An employee engagement campaign for staff to identify energy reduction opportunities across their departments and areas of focus
Learn more about CVMC's energy savings initiative.
About EPA’S ENERGY STAR certification
ENERGY STAR was introduced in 1992 as a voluntary, market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. Today, the ENERGY STAR label can be found on more than 65 different kinds of products, 1.4 million new homes and 20,000 commercial buildings and industrial plants. Over the past 20 years, American families and businesses have saved more than $230 billion on utility bills and prevented more than 1.8 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
About the University of Vermont Health Network
The University of Vermont Health Network is a five-hospital system serving the residents of Vermont and northern New York with a shared mission: working together, we improve people’s lives. The partners are: The University of Vermont Medical Center , The University of Vermont Health Network – Central Vermont Medical Center, The University of Vermont Health Network – Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital , The University of Vermont Health Network – Elizabethtown Community Hospital, The University of Vermont - Alice Hyde Medical Center. For more information visit, UVMHealth.org/CVMC.
About Efficiency Vermont
Efficiency Vermont was created by the Vermont Legislature and the Vermont Public Service Board to help all Vermonters reduce energy costs, strengthen the economy, and protect Vermont’s environment. For more information, contact Efficiency Vermont at 888-921-5990 or visit www.efficiencyvermont.com.