Located 200 km north of Toronto, Haliburton Highlands Health Services serves a seasonal community of up to 80,000 through two hospital sites (182,000 ft2). HHHS engaged Ecosystem to solve rising energy costs – especially for oil, which accounted for 2/3 of its energy consumption – and to renew assets. Through an integrated design-construction deep energy retrofit project, Ecosystem also guaranteed annual energy savings, construction costs, and government incentives.
HHHS and Ecosystem collaborated on the redesign and optimization of the energy infrastructure at both sites. Annual energy savings, construction costs, and government incentives were guaranteed. The design included lake- and ground-source geothermal systems, used for heating and cooling and to reduce HHHS’ reliance on fossil fuels. The lake-source system drew energy by heat pump from a nearby lake and transferred it using the hospital’s existing water network. Both systems involved thousands of feet of installed piping, designed to ensure no damage to the natural ecosystem during construction.
Both hospitals consume significantly less energy than do comparable facilities as a result of a design optimized to unique regional conditions, energy, and resource demands. The production of clean, renewable energy on-site also supports operational reliability and resiliency. HHHS now benefits from renewed equipment, improved patient comfort and energy cost savings directed to patient care and associated priorities.
Geothermal heating and cooling
Solar photovoltaic power generation
Variable frequency drives on chilled water pumps and air handling units
Installation of a building automation system
Efficient lighting retrofit
Cooling network optimization
