CASE STUDY
NAPLES COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
Location: Naples, FL
The Client
Naples Community Hospital (NCH) Healthcare System is a non-profit healthcare provider serving Collier County and Naples, Florida. NCH Baker Hospital Downtown and NCH North Naples Hospital provide personalized care for over 40,500 patients a year in their two-hospital, 716 bed system. Together, the buildings encompass over 840,000 sq. ft.
The Challenge
NCH’s costs for energy were rising, even with lower, negotiated natural gas rates. Because of the increasing costs, the energy consumption of their aging facilities was a growing concern. The hospital wanted to determine the Energy Utilization Index (EUI) for each of their buildings to identify where the most energy was being spent; they knew they were facing endof-life equipment issues for many major mechanical systems. Additionally, the most pressing need was increased control over their humidity levels.
The Solution
NCH hired Plug Smart to initiate a comprehensive investment-grade energy audit for the two campuses, along with a central facility. Plug Smart analytics determined that the EUI for each of the buildings was significantly higher than other area hospitals in NCH’s peer group, so Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs) to address their increased consumption and humidity issues were engineered including utility savings, operations and maintenance savings, rebates and incentives and ROI. Plug Smart also created an Energy Master Plan that prioritized and scheduled improvements alongside the Facilities Master Plan that could be completed throughout a five-year plan. Some of the improvements that were implemented at both campuses include: updating the lighting and boiler plants, replacing the chiller and cooling tower, and retro commissioning at the downtown campus.