Trane and a brand of Ingersoll Rand helped Mather Hospital reduce energy consumption by 20 percent with thermal storage and other heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) upgrades. Thermal storage is a renewable energy system that makes ice during off-peak hours, stores it in special tanks, then uses the ice to cool the building during the day. As a result, the 248-bed community hospital can save up to $100K per year.
“Mather is the first hospital in Long Island to use thermal storage,” said Kevin Koubek, P.E., director of engineering, design and construction for Mather Hospital. “We’re proud of our energy savings effort, and want the community to know their local hospital is using sustainable practices.
Since 2016, Mather Hospital, implemented multiple energy efficiency and cost-savings project, including solar panels, high efficiency lighting systems, and high efficiency HVAC equipment from Trane.
The thermal storage system includes a 700-ton Trane CenTraVac® chiller with next-generation refrigerants, with lower environmental impact, 24 CALMAC Ice Bank thermal storage tanks and central controls. CALMAC ice storage tanks integrate with Trane HVAC systems to reduce energy use and costs, while taking pressure off of the energy grid. Thermal storage tanks lower the hospital’s peak energy usage by 284kW and overall electrical usage by 74,000 kWh per year.
Mather Hospital’s system includes Trane building automation and a cloud-based energy management system to help facility managers uncover energy waste and savings opportunities, and uses real-time monitoring to discern where and when energy is used, spot anomalies and drive down energy costs.
