LCMC Health Invests in Energy Efficiencies Projected to Save $8 Million Annually

LCMC Health celebrates Earth Day with its “LCMC Health Green” project. In 2021, the healthcare system partnered with Bernhard to enter into a 15-year agreement to provide Energy-as-a-Service solutions at seven of LCMC Health’s regional facilities.

The EaaS arrangement transfers the risk of utility operations and maintenance of LCMC Health’s chilled water system to Bernhard and allows for infrastructure upgrades at locations including Children’s Hospital of New Orleans, Touro Infirmary, Woldenberg Village, East Jefferson General Hospital, West Jefferson Medical Center, Audubon Retirement Village, and University Medical Center.

Bernhard is delivering $88 million in upfront improvements to the network’s infrastructure, including upgrades to chilled water, tower water, heating water, and steam systems, as well as air handling units, building controls and electrical infrastructure. Bernhard will also install three new heat pump chiller heaters, optimized procedure rooms, installation of LED lighting and facilitation of retro-commissioning of the building automation systems. These upgrades will create efficiencies and improvements in each facility’s operations and provide $8 million in annual utility cost savings once the improvements are completed.

BENEFITS

• $88 million in upfront infrastructure and efficiency improvements that will provide:
  • $145 million of utility cost savings over the term (15 years)
  • 26%reduction in utility carbon emissions
    • 656,741 metric tons of CO₂ reduced over 15 years
  • Equal to:
    • 141,087 cars taken off of the road
    • 8M gallons of gasoline consumed
    • Greenhouse gas emissions from 141,845 passenger vehicles driven for one year, or 1.629B miles driven
    • Carbon sequestered by 9M tree seedlings grown for 10 years
    • Greenhouse gas emissions avoided by142 wind turbines running for 1 year
    • 723M pounds of coal burned
    • Carbon sequestered by 857K acres of U.S. forests in one year

o    21% reduced electricity consumption

• 560M kWh reduction over 15 years

o    34% reduced natural gas consumption

• 5M MMBtu reduction over 15 year