KINGSTON, Ontario - Here is a situation most hospital plant engineering staff can understand: At Kingston General Hospital in Kingston, Ontario, director of plant engineering and maintenance Joel Carr-Braint knew that far too many energy dollars were being used to operate an aging chiller plant. Most of the chillers dated to the 1968-1975 time period, with typical operating efficiencies around 1.0 kW/ton. Yet plant improvement dollars were immediately available for only part of the necessary improvements. So Carr-Braint had to establish improvement priorities within a context that would allow continuous improvements in future years.
Kingston General Hospital is the major tertiary care referral facility complementing community hospitals and other health care providers serving southeastern Ontario. Integrally linked with Queen's University in Kingston, the 452-bed hospital supports a comprehensive array of acute and ambulatory clinical services in a vibrant and dynamic academic and medical environment. The hospital has a long history, reaching back to the 1830s, and today is one of Ontario's most important healthcare resources.