Baxter Medical Center receives incentives from Black Hills Energy, includes reusable insulation project
NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y., Feb. 21, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- When Black Hills Energy launched a project to repair components on Mountain Home, Ark.-based Baxter Regional Medical Center’s steam system, the utility also partnered with Shannon Global Energy Solutions to provide hundreds of thermal reusable insulation blankets for the hospital’s boilers, sterilizers, water heaters, condensate pumps, steam traps, valves and more. Shannon conducted an energy survey on the Baxter Regional steam system. The survey looked at energy consumption before and after installation of the reusable insulation and measured a savings for Baxter Regional of nearly $300,000 over the lifespan of the reusable insulation. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, installing “a one-inch thick blanket on an uninsulated six-inch gate valve in a 250-pound-per-square-inch-gauge (psig) saturated steam line yields a savings of $525 per year.”
“Black Hills sets aside money for energy conservation projects, and its energy-saving repairs and improvements to our steam system helped us get a rebate for reusable insulation to cover bare components losing energy hospital-wide,” says Marshall Campbell, director of Engineering for Baxter Regional. “The difference with reusable insulation was immediate; a mechanical room with a steam header was a sweat box, but the temperature dropped to 72 degrees Fahrenheit with blankets on our components.”
Part of the Black Hills Energy program includes accepting an assignment letter, so the utility can directly pay a contractor like Shannon. This takes the onus off the hospital to accomplish the project.
“Once we’re invited in, hospitals learn we can improve their system at no charge,” says Lisa Pfitzinger, manager of Energy Efficiency for Black Hills Corp. “Small hospitals are doing everything they can to survive, and an initiative like Baxter Regional’s helps small communities keep their hospitals open.”
The initial steam survey at Baxter Regional predicted reusable insulation covering 136 steam system components could save nearly $24,000 per year. Shannon installed its LT450SS thermal blanket (rated for up to 450◦F and tested to ASTM E-84) in the Baxter Regional boiler room, laundry and other steam components. After installation, independent calculations showed the actual cost savings mirrored Shannon’s initial survey.
For more information about the BHE Energy Efficiency Program, please go to: www.Energy-Ready.com
About Shannon Global Energy Solutions Since 1988, Shannon has engineered and manufactured insulation solutions for energy conservation, thermal efficiency, noise reduction and safety. With its CAD-CNC-ERP approach to design and manufacturing, Shannon is the world leader for reusable insulation. Visit www.shannonglobalenergy.com.
