Upstate Medical University decreased its gas and electric consumption by 23 percent for the fiscal year 2023-24, thanks to initiatives enacted by its Energy Management team.

Upstate’s natural gas usage was down 33.8 percent and electricity use decreased by 5.3 percent, not only saving Upstate over $100,000 but earning back $164,000 in rebates from National Grid.  

Energy Manager Howard Lewis said that while a warmer winter made up some of that decrease, Upstate has been actively replacing equipment and repairing buildings to make them more energy efficient. Lewis points out that the decrease came even when adding an additional major building –the Nappi Wellness Institute—to the campus. (The Nappi is a LEED certified building, which recognizes its energy savings and environmentally friendly design.)

“What the group has done, along with Mother Nature’s help, is big,” Lewis said. “I never expected such a large reduction.”

Lewis points to a list of projects, some still ongoing, that are helping make the campus more energy efficient. These include LED lightbulb replacements, a new roof with better insulation at Community Hospital and the medical library, installing variable speed drives for the HVAC system, repairs to the steam system, lowering set-points on heating systems and installing higher efficiency equipment and lights at Silverman Hall, home to many College of Health Professions classes.

Upstate’s Energy Management team was formed a few years ago with representatives from around the campus to work together to come up with ideas on how to reduce energy use and to comply with the New York executive order that state agencies need to become more sustainable. From major renovations to simply dialing back the thermostats a few degrees, the savings last year far exceeded the team’s goal of a five percent reduction.

“We look at different things, what deficiencies we have, what new construction we are doing and different areas of operations to reduce where we can,” Lewis said.

For example, for the LED bulb replacement project, so far up to 2,000 bulbs have been changed in active areas of construction or renovation, which is part of a long-range plan to replace all the bulbs on campus. Lewis said replacing all 60,000 lights would take up to six years and result in an annual savings of $633,000 as well as a $1.5 million rebate.

Another project in the works is the installation of multiple meters throughout all hospital buildings to identify more specific energy usage to concentrate efforts at reduction. The meters would measure hot water, chilled water, electricity and natural gas usage.

As a health care institution, increasing sustainability is one of Upstate’s major goals.

“In an era where the impacts of climate change are increasingly evident, the healthcare sector has a pivotal role to play in fostering sustainability,” said Enderli Frederiksen, Upstate’s director of sustainability. “By adopting green practices, optimizing resource use, and integrating energy-efficient technologies, healthcare organizations can significantly reduce their carbon footprint. Upstate has taken an active role in doing just that.

“Sustainable healthcare not only enhances environmental stewardship but also promotes better health outcomes by addressing the broader determinants of health impacted by climate change,” Frederiksen said.

Upstate’s sustainability work will help it meet the goals of the state’s BuildSmart 2025—the collective effort to achieve 11 trillion BTU of energy savings at state facilities by 2025.

Caption: Upstate Energy Manager Howard Lewis, in front of Silverman Hall, which features many energy upgrades in its recent renovation.