A series of energy-related upgrades and replacements at Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville, Ont. is being carried out with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than half.

With the support of Toronto-based Blackstone Energy Services Inc., the hospital will have an energy monitoring system installed, a heat recovery chiller in place, LED lighting retrofits and more efficient boilers to replace ones approaching end-of-life.

Facing provincial regulations and internal targets to reduce climate-warming pollution, coinciding with aging infrastructure, the effort to green the 170,000-square-foot hospital is well-timed, Janet Mininch, the director of facilities at Headwaters, said.

“We are at the point where we have to replace our equipment, that’s one of the reasons why we’re looking to do it with a green initiative along with it. It will also provide savings that will roll into helping with the clinical side of our organization and helping with patient care,” she told Sustainable Biz Canada in an interview.

Headwaters’ environmental targets

Headwaters has goals in place to reduce its electricity consumption by 16 per cent, natural gas use by 65 per cent and greenhouse gas emissions by 55 per cent by 2029 against a 2022 baseline, according to an energy plan covering 2024 to 2029.

Provincial government funding of $3.6 million supports a $6.5-million plan that is projected to save over $500,000 in costs, reduce electricity consumption by over 800,000 kilowatt-hours and cut natural gas demand by around 530,000 cubic metres per year upon implementation in 2026. Payback is expected to take place in just over 12 years.

Greening Headwaters

Going through the upgrades to be carried out by Blackstone, Mininch described how the changes will impact Headwaters.

A heat recovery chiller, which uses the waste heat emanating from the hospital’s equipment such as the boilers, to warm the building, will recirculate energy that would otherwise go to waste. Such technology helps reduce the need for more natural gas to heat the hospital, thus cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

The previous lighting set-up will be replaced with energy efficient LEDs, and low-flow toilets and shower heads will be added.

The two boilers in the hospital that are nearing replacement will be changed to more efficient models.

To gain a clearer picture into how the hospital’s electricity network is operating, Blackstone’s blackPAC software will be installed. blackPAC will give real-time information on how the hospital’s systems are functioning and if operations are running efficiently. If any equipment faults are discovered, blackPAC will inform the hospital’s management to address the problem.

“It’s a very nice dashboard that gives us a first-hand look, an all-encompassing look at how this building is operating.”

Such technology complements Headwaters’ new automated building management system from Johnson Controls, Mininch said, which will support planning for tasks such as turning off lights or reducing temperatures in unoccupied areas to save energy.

Phase 1 of the upgrades will take place this year, which will handle the lighting and installation of blackPAC. Phase 2 will cover the remaining elements, expected to be finished by the fall of 2025.

Prior to the funding, Headwaters had an energy efficient HVAC system integrated and lighting retrofits finished.

Making these changes will help Headwaters reach its environmental goals the hospital says. By 2029, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to be cut by 55 per cent to 870 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent for combined Scope 1 and 2 emissions.

The most drastic fall is expected to take place from 2025 to 2026, with Scope 1 and 2 emissions projected to decline 56 per cent.

Changing how it operates

Headwaters' approach to its decarbonization plan was different than previous proposal requests and renovations.

“It’s really starting backwards” is how Cathy van Leipsig, the hospital’s vice-president and CFO, described the approach to Sustainable Biz Canada. The hospital’s greenhouse gas and energy goals were presented to the market, then companies were asked to provide their suggestions as to how the hospital could reach those ambitions. This marked the first time the hospital’s management acted in such fashion, she added.

Also critical is ensuring patient care is not interrupted during the upgrades, Mininch said, so Headwaters is mindful of timing.

“It’s tricky because we can’t shut down power for any length of time, we can’t . . . be without heat or without lights.”

To minimize disruptions, events will be scheduled so there will be redundancies in place during the upgrades. For example, when the boilers are being exchanged at least one will be left in place so operations are not stopped. Blackstone is familiar with such work, Mininch said.

“Making sure that we build today for what we know is going to be expanding,” is part of the upgrade, van Leipsig explained. Headwaters does not want to put in upgrades that will not support its equipment sterilization, she said.

“It’s not just looking at replacing what we have today but making sure that we can move forward into tomorrow too.”