St. Mary's Medical Center Recognized as Energy Star
St. Mary’s Medical Center has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA. St. Mary’s is the only hospital in the Kansas City metro area earning the certification
The ENERGY STAR Challenge is a national call-to-action to improve the energy efficiency of America's commercial and industrial buildings. Stacy Seibert, Plant Services manager for St. Mary’s took on the challenge five years ago.
“Since we started this challenge, we’ve realized a total costs savings of almost $400,000.” says Seibert. “That is especially significant when you consider The Energy Star project estimates every dollar a non-profit hospital saves on energy has the equivalent impact on the bottom line as increasing revenues by $20.”
“Stacy took on this challenge and has remained determined throughout the years to continue making improvements,” says Annette Small, CEO, St. Mary’s Medical Center. “It would be a great accomplishment for any facility, but considering the age of the hospital it’s especially impressive.”
Commercial buildings that earn EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification use an average of 35 percent less energy than typical buildings and also release 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
We started with a lot of little things that most people wouldn’t even notice.” says Seibert. “We replaced old light bulbs with new, high-efficiency bulbs; we installed motion sensors in offices and storage areas. Over the years, we reduced cooling and heating demands by installing a new HVAC system and replaced some roofs with Energy Star roofs.”