Chiller Optimization Takes Medical Center Savings To New Levels
Since 2009, the Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, PA has been implementing a multiphase energy efficiency program. Six years into the program, Kevin Kanoff, the center’s campus energy engineer, knew the chiller plants were efficient — but he believed they could be improved. The primary contractor, Johnson Controls, brought in partner Optimum Energy to perform an engineering site assessment (ESA), which proved him correct. Optimizing the chiller plants across the campus would deliver significant energy savings.
After Optimum Energy completed the installation of its OptiCx™ platform and OptimumLOOP™ in June 2016, the center’s 12 chillers were running at peak efficiency, saving electricity costs, using less water, and reducing carbon emissions. In fact, annual energy savings were found to be almost 4.2 GWh/year, roughly 1 GWh more than expected, and campus energy intensity dropped 4%.