Laughlin Memorial Hospital Energy Project
Wiley|Wilson teamed with Trane to analyze and perform a detailed energy audit of the energy usage and airflows and pressurization of the Laughlin Memorial Hospital to develop recommendations for energy conservation. Several strategies were developed, including converting constant volume systems to variable volume systems, installing high efficiency hot water boilers to replace inefficient steam boilers, and implementing various control tactics to ensure that the hospital’s indoor air quality and pressure relationships were maintained while reducing energy consumption.
The team’s design work included:
- Converting six 60,000 CFM constant volume reheat systems serving the patient rooms with a fan powered variable air volume system
- Replacing oversized steam boilers with dual-fuel hot water condensing boilers
- Installing two small steam boilers to serve the remaining humidification load
- Installing an additional CRAC unit in the Hospital Data Center
- Re-designing the air distribution within the Data Center for proper “hot aisle/cold aisle” air distribution
- Installing new emergency electrical panels to provide power to new fan powered VAV units in the patient rooms
Laughlin Memorial Hospital serves as an excellent example of the efficiency improvements that can be achieved when sustainability and energy reduction goals are the focus during design. The healthcare facility earned the EPA Energy Star Certification in recognition of its energy conservation efforts.
