Completion: Start-up performed in December 2010

Objective: To design and install an energy-efficient central utility plant to meet green health care goals.

Work Completed: St. Elizabeth Hospital, part of Affinity Health System in Appleton, Wis., was seeking ways to meet its green health care initiative goals. According to Mike Sturdivant, executive vice president of Tweet/Garot Mechanical Inc., “Our firm conducted a detailed evaluation for Affinity Health System to find the most efficient and reliable boiler systems commercially available. We selected two 700-hp Hurst scotch marine, four pass, wetback boilers with high performance Riello burners and integrated plant master controls.”

Ron Piotrowski, plant operations for St. Elizabeth, said, “The greatest benefit to the hospital is that the boilers run efficiently with very low excess air and our steam pressure doesn’t deviate from the 60 psi set-point.” The hospital’s old boiler system used to cycle constantly, even in warm weather. “Now, with outside air temperatures nearing 100°F,” Piotrowski said, “our Hurst boilers don’t even cycle. The high turndown Riello burners on our Hurst boilers allow the system to run efficiently down to 10 percent of full firing rate.”

St. Elizabeth is one of the few hospitals in the U.S. to achieve an energy performance rating in the top 25 percent of facilities nationwide, and earned the prestigious Energy Star designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Publication date: 10/03/2011