CHUL
January 12, 2018

ASHRAE Recognizes Ecosystem Project at Quebec Hospital Network

It’s a great start to 2018 for the energy performance project at Quebec University Hospital Center– Laval University (CHU). The project was named top in Region II (Toronto East, Quebec, and the Maritime Provinces) by The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) and was also awarded honorable mention by ASHRAE International in the Healthcare Establishments – Existing Buildings category.

Since 2015, three of the five CHU hospitals (comprising 245,000 sq m) have benefited from energy performance improvements. Greenhouse gas emissions have fallen by 56 percent and energy costs have declined by 29 percent, representing $3 million in annual savings.

For the ASHRAE awards, projects were assessed on the basis of their energy, financial, and environmental benefits. Other criteria included indoor environmental quality and operation and maintenance.

Close collaboration between CHU and Ecosystem allowed us to conceive, implement, and optimize an integrated project including measures aligned with CHU’s asset renewal needs. The entire HVAC system was targeted by the project: measures included steam to hot water conversion, heat recovery, geothermal, solar wall, dynamic ventilation for labs, optimization of the chilled water, hot water, and steam networks, and ventilation optimization. Lighting conversion and optimization of central controls and sequences of operation were also implemented.

This prestigious recognition by ASHRAE adds to the list of awards received by CHU in 2017, including the Wayne McLallen Prize from SCISS and AQME’s Prix Energia in the Integrated Project category.

CHU’s energy performance initiatives so far have been remarkable – and a similar project has just been implemented in a fourth hospital in the group.

Interested in learning more?