NES, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Hobbs and Associates have helped Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) save nearly $250,000 through the TVA EnergyRight® for Business & Industry program.
To reduce energy usage and operating costs, VUMC Facilities Management recently implemented new control strategies at the VUH Chilled Water Plant. This new strategy is referred to as Chiller Plant Optimization.
Prior to this upgrade, the infill chiller plant – which provides heating and cooling for nearly one million square feet of space – required several adjustments to account for changes in capacity and weather conditions. Because VUMC opted for an upgrade to this system, the project qualified for a substantial TVA EnergyRight custom incentive.
The total cost of implementing their project would have cost nearly $594,000 and, their reduced energy costs would have yielded a 2.3-year payback on their investment. With VUMC’s energy savings and their custom incentive rebate of $243,854, their project will pay for itself in under 1.4 years.
Since 2019, VUMC Facilities Management has pursued energy savings for its main campus by implementing strategies such as chiller plant optimization, implementation of fault detection software, occupancy setback controls, LED lighting, HVAC equipment upgrades, and rebate opportunities like the TVA EnergyRight® program.
These changes over the past five years have resulted in a savings of $7.5 million in electrical costs, with a $2.8 million reduction over the past 12 months, along with the avoidance of over 52 million pounds of CO2 emissions. Congrats to VUMC on this phenomenal achievement!
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