Eight hospitals will share nearly $28 million for six projects designed to cut energy use, lower operating costs and test cleaner heating and cooling systems that other New York medical facilities may be able to copy.
New York awarded the money through the Empire Building Challenge: Hospitals Program, administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The Nov. 9 announcement covers facilities in Geneva, Queens, the Bronx and Westchester County. No Mohawk Valley hospital received an award in this round, but the projects may produce lessons for hospitals across Upstate New York.
The projects are expected to reduce combined annual energy use by more than 213,000 million British thermal units, or MMBtu. State officials compare that amount with the energy needed to power nearly 2,600 homes. They also project annual carbon reductions of more than 11,000 tons, similar to removing about 2,700 cars from the road.
Hospital energy upgrades: the six funded projects
The awards support major mechanical systems that are often difficult for hospitals to replace because medical buildings operate around the clock. The projects include heat pumps, heat-recovery chillers, improved ventilation, modern building controls and lower-temperature hot-water systems.
Geneva General Hospital
Finger Lakes Health will receive more than $3.5 million for Geneva General Hospital. The work includes a high-efficiency cooling plant, an updated central building-management system, two replacement air-handling units and a heat-recovery chiller. NYSERDA estimates annual savings above $230,000 and an annual energy reduction of nearly 40,500 MMBtu, comparable to the energy used by more than 490 homes.
Katz Women’s Hospital in Queens
Long Island Jewish Medical Center will receive nearly $4.3 million for Katz Women’s Hospital. The project will add a heat-recovery chiller and an exhaust-air heat-recovery system, convert steam distribution to lower-temperature hot water and balance the ventilation system. Estimated annual savings are nearly $386,000, with energy use falling by almost 31,000 MMBtu.
Three Montefiore hospitals in the Bronx
Montefiore Medical Center will receive nearly $4.9 million for Wakefield Hospital, Jack D. Weiler Hospital and Westchester Square. Heat-recovery heat pumps will help electrify heating at the three facilities. The state projects more than $14,000 in annual savings and an annual energy reduction of nearly 25,000 MMBtu across the three hospitals.
Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow
Northwell Health will receive more than $5 million for Phelps Memorial Hospital. The project will install a heat-recovery chiller, heat pumps and thermal storage, while converting steam distribution to lower-temperature hot water. Estimated annual savings are nearly $50,000, with energy use falling by almost 30,000 MMBtu.
Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens
NYC Health + Hospitals will receive more than $5 million for Elmhurst Hospital Center. The work includes new heat-pump chillers, modernized pneumatic controls and upgrades to the central building-management system. NYSERDA projects nearly $947,000 in annual savings and an annual energy reduction above 33,700 MMBtu.
St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx
SBH Health System will receive more than $5 million for St. Barnabas Hospital. It plans to replace a steam chiller plant with an electric chiller plant. Estimated annual savings exceed $561,000, and annual energy use is expected to fall by nearly 53,300 MMBtu.
Why hospitals are difficult buildings to modernize
Hospitals cannot simply shut down while a heating, cooling or ventilation system is replaced. Patient rooms, operating areas, laboratories, pharmacies and emergency departments need reliable temperatures, air movement and backup systems at all times. That makes construction sequencing, infection control and emergency planning central parts of any energy project.
Heat-recovery equipment captures energy that would otherwise be wasted and uses it elsewhere in the building. Heat pumps move heat rather than creating it by burning fuel. Building controls can reduce unnecessary energy use by coordinating equipment with actual demand. Thermal storage can shift some heating or cooling work to different times of day.
The state says six of the eight hospitals are in communities identified as disadvantaged under New York’s climate policy. They are Geneva General, Elmhurst, St. Barnabas and the three Montefiore facilities. That designation is intended to direct a larger share of climate and clean-energy benefits toward communities facing higher environmental or economic burdens.
What the projected savings do and do not show
The six project estimates add up to more than $2.18 million in annual operating savings. Elmhurst and St. Barnabas account for most of that total. The figures are projections, not guaranteed savings already achieved. Final results will depend on construction costs, equipment performance, energy prices, maintenance and how each hospital operates the new systems.
The announcement does not provide total project costs, hospital matching funds, construction schedules or expected completion dates. It also does not say how much of the projected savings will be redirected to patient care. Those are useful measures for future public reporting.
Funding comes through the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and New York’s Clean Energy Fund. Those programs use ratepayer-supported or carbon-market resources, which makes public measurement important. Residents should be able to see whether equipment was installed, whether energy use fell as forecast and whether projects stayed within budget.
Why this matters to Mohawk Valley readers
No hospital in Oneida, Herkimer or Madison counties is included in this award group. The direct construction and savings will occur elsewhere. The local value is in the technical models the projects are supposed to produce for other hospitals.
Mohawk Valley hospitals face the same basic pressures: aging mechanical systems, rising utility costs, round-the-clock operations and the need to keep patient areas safe during construction. A successful heat-pump, chiller or building-controls project can give local facility managers evidence about costs, sequencing and performance before they consider similar investments.
Phoenix previously reported when the state made $30 million available for hospital electrification demonstrations. The Nov. 9 awards are the next stage, identifying the first projects selected through that program.
Questions to watch as work moves forward
- When will each project begin and reach completion?
- What is the full cost after hospital and state contributions are combined?
- Will verified energy and cost data be published after equipment begins operating?
- How will hospitals protect patient care during construction?
- Which designs prove practical for smaller Upstate and rural hospitals?
- Will later rounds include Central New York or the Mohawk Valley?
Where residents can learn more
NYSERDA’s hospital program page provides background on the Empire Building Challenge for hospitals. Residents can also review the full state announcement for project-by-project estimates.
Hospital workers, patients and facility professionals can share which building problems most affect care in their communities, including temperature control, air quality, reliability and construction disruptions. Keep comments focused on documented conditions and practical improvements.
