Allina Health’s Elk River Clinic offers personalized care services for physical and mental wellness, including OB/GYN, pediatrics, audiology, and surgery. The 30,000 sqft, three-story building recently received some tender loving care of it’s own with major upgrades for energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and occupant comfort.
We interviewed Matt Steding, Building Automation Manager with Allina Health, to learn more about the measures taken at the Elk River Clinic and how they relate to efforts across Allina facilities. Read on to learn more!
Dan Thiede: What motivated you to take on such extensive energy efficiency improvements?
Matt Steding: The Elk River Clinic is a leased building which our Allina Health Facilities Support Services department had recently taken on a more active maintenance and building management role. Allina Design and Construction was also in the middle of an interior refresh at this building. Gilbert Mechanical, our vendor and engineering partner for this refresh project, brought to our attention the potential for significant operational savings based on what they knew of the existing building mechanicals and controls. Once we captured the previous building utility information into our Energy Cap benchmarking program it was evident this building was consuming higher energy per square foot than other Allina-owned buildings of similar mechanical design and size. With this information we were able to secure a rebate commitment of $18,000 from Great Rivers Energy as well as receive approval for funding from Allina Health leadership based on a 4 year return on investment. This project had high potential for long term savings by improving the mechanical control approach through installing an updated control system with new control strategies and schedules to operate the building smarter.
Dan Thiede: How did the implementation go?
Matt Steding: The automation controls upgrade to Alerton on our Allina central server went very smooth with little to no interruptions to staff or patients.
Dan Thiede: Have the results been positive, and are savings on track?
Matt Steding: Yes we have implemented many new mechanical controls strategies, optimum start schedules, and variable frequency drives. We have improved overall comfort and air quality of the building. We are on track to save $40,000 this year as compared to last.
Dan Thiede: Have you done anything to talk to staff about the energy-saving measures?
Matt Steding: The site manager and Allina Facilities Support leadership have been kept informed of this project’s performance.
Dan Thiede: Does Allina have any plans to save energy across your facilities?
Matt Steding: Yes, Allina currently has 35 clinics and 6 hospitals operating on Alerton controls supported by a dedicated network. We are growing this control platform wherever possible as funding allows. We are implementing energy and occupancy control strategies as we upgrade building automation systems. Allina has made a commitment to implement energy efficient lighting such as LED fixtures wherever practical for parking lots, building exterior, interior, and sign lighting as a standard moving forward. Motion controls are also installed for all bathroom, storage, and meeting rooms in new and refreshed facilities. As energy costs continue to rise and technology costs continue to fall, Allina Health has made an effort to invest in technology to improve our buildings and save energy. We are making a conscious effort to improve our energy footprint while providing the best air quality and comfort for our patients and staff.
Dan Thiede: Would you recommend similar efficiency improvements to other businesses?
Matt Steding: Yes, significant cost avoidance can be achieved by implementing similar improvements. It really starts with energy benchmarking data. You need to know where you are today in order to understand your needs to improve and set goals on where you want to be in the future. Achieving your energy saving goals without sacrifice to comfort and indoor air quality is the challenge.
This project was supported in part by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Commerce, Division of Energy Resources through the Conservation Applied Research and Development (CARD) program. A final report on the project, which also includes other medical clinics, is forthcoming.
PROJECT SNAPSHOT:
- Location: Allina Health Elk River Clinic
- Facility: 30,000 SF – total 3 floors
- Implemented Energy Conservation Measures:
- Lighting – Indoor and Parking Lot Lighting Retrofit – some LED lighting
- Equipment scheduling based on occupancy
- Outside – Ventilation Air optimization
- CO2 Based Ventilation Control
- Humidification Controls
- Temperature Setbacks
- Allerton EMS – replacement of obsolete EMS & Controls
- Annual Energy Savings: $40,000
- Annual Utility Savings: 30%
- Total Project Cost: $93,175
- Rebate: Elk River Utility / Great River Energy Grant – $18,000
- Partners:
To learn more: Contact Matt Steding, Building Automation Manager with Allina Health, at 651-241-0469 or matthew.steding@allina.com.
 |
The Get Answers series on the Energy Stories Blog offers useful tips from CERTs and our partners to help you get to the bottom of your energy efficiency and renewable energy questions. Click here to see more stories in the series >> |
