EPA Recognizes NewYork-Presbyterian With ENERGY STAR Award for Energy and Environmental Leadership

Sustained Excellence Award Is One of EPA's Highest ENERGY STAR Honors<br/><br/>NewYork-Presbyterian Is the Only Hospital to Receive Seven ENERGY STAR Awards

Mar 15, 2012

NEW YORK

EPA Recognizes NewYork-Presbyterian With ENERGY STAR Award for Energy and Environmental Leadership Sustained Excellence Award Is One of EPA's Highest ENERGY STAR Honors

NewYork-Presbyterian Is the Only Hospital to Receive Seven ENERGY STAR Awards

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital received an ENERGY STAR Award for Sustained Excellence in Energy Management, recognizing the Hospital's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. It is the seventh award for NewYork-Presbyterian — more than any other hospital in the country — and the only award of its kind given this year to a hospital in the Northeast.

The award was presented at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., this week.

"I am very proud that NewYork-Presbyterian has once again been recognized for our continuing commitment to improving energy efficiency — an investment in the future that benefits our patients, the environment and our overall financial health," says Dr. Steven J. Corwin, CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. "I commend the leadership of our engineering and facilities management group, who are exceptionally dedicated to achieving this important goal."

NewYork-Presbyterian is active in promoting energy conservation efforts from the national to the grassroots level. On the national level, the Hospital is a member of the EPA's ENERGY STAR and Climate Leaders program and the Department of Energy's EnergySmart Hospitals initiative and Energy Alliance Steering Committee. On the local level, the Hospital is part of PlaNYC, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sustainability initiative, and the New York Energy Consumers Council. The Hospital's Sustainability Council also hosted an energy fair event at its Westchester campus in 2011 where employees and their families learned about energy conservation, in addition to regular web-based energy awareness education and "Energy in Kids" outreach.

The 2012 ENERGY STAR award recognizes efforts by NewYork-Presbyterian to implement energy conservation projects representing a reduction of nearly 23,000 metric tons of CO2 — the equivalent of emissions from 4,493 passenger vehicles — and $3.4 million in energy savings in the previous year.

Other examples of the Hospital's recent energy and environmental initiatives include the following:

  • NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital implemented a web-based energy monitoring system and chiller optimization program in 2011, which increased energy savings through real-time analysis and operational adjustment. The Hospital installed industrial-grade metering to trend data from electric and steam chillers plus auxiliaries, and implemented model operational sequences for maximum efficiency, saving nearly $3 million in costs.
  • A steam system survey identified and repaired or replaced 372 failed condensate traps, and replaced missing thermal insulation, for an estimated annual energy savings of 4,167,490 kilowatt-hours and reduction of 2,874 metric tons of CO2.
  • NewYork-Presbyterian's 7.5-megawatt cogeneration plant is reducing emissions of CO2 by more than 27,000 tons each year — the equivalent to taking 4,600 cars off the road, while adding millions of dollars in annual cost savings.

Since 2005, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has recognized NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital with its ENERGY STAR Award for leadership in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. In 2005 and 2006 the Hospital received Partner of the Year awards for Energy Management. In 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012 the Hospital received awards for Sustained Excellence in Energy Management — the energy program's highest honor.

NewYork-Presbyterian was also honored with five 2011 Environmental Excellence Awards from Practice Greenhealth, a member organization dedicated to sustainability in health care. It was the third consecutive year the Hospital was honored by Practice Greenhealth.

EPA ENERGY STAR Program

ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through increased energy efficiency. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, ENERGY STAR offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. About 20,000 organizations are ENERGY STAR partners committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes, buildings and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit www.energystar.gov or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital

NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, based in New York City, is the nation's largest not-for-profit, non-sectarian hospital, with 2,409 beds. The Hospital has nearly 2 million inpatient and outpatient visits in a year, including 12,797 deliveries and 195,294 visits to its emergency departments. NewYork-Presbyterian's 6,144 affiliated physicians and 19,376 staff provide state-of-the-art inpatient, ambulatory and preventive care in all areas of medicine at five major centers: NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian/The Allen Hospital and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division. One of the most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the Hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report. The Hospital has academic affiliations with two of the nation's leading medical colleges: Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

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