Susquehanna Health Energy Efficiency Project

Susquehanna Health, located in Williamsport, Lycoming County, has created a Master Plan for its three hospital campuses (Project 2012). As part of Project 2012, the Williamsport Hospital & Medical Center has developed a strategic energy plan to be implemented parallel with a hospital expansion project. The development of Williamsport Hospital's strategic energy plan included life cycle studies on a broad range of technologies to find the optimal applications for the generation of power, chilled water, and thermal energy for the campus. Technologies were evaluated through weighing the costs against reliability and sustainability.

Susquehanna Health identified cogeneration, utilizing highly efficient reciprocating natural gas engines to implement part of its strategic energy plan for Williamsport Hospital. This technology would increase energy efficiency and increase the reliability and response of emergency power. This project would also serve as a demonstration project for other hospitals in Pennsylvania. The final total energy plan included two high-efficiency electric, water-cooled chillers; three dual fuel boilers for steam and hot water generation; two diesel emergency power generators; and one natural gas cogeneration unit. The total cost of the project was estimated to be $2.6 million.

In March 2008, Delta assisted Susquehanna Health in requesting public funding through the Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) to help fund the cogeneration unit component of the project. The project would save Susquehanna Health an estimated $534,000 annually in energy costs, would conserve an estimated 5,180,670 gallons of water annually, and would significantly reduce air pollutants.

In March 2009, Susquehanna Health was awarded $1 million from PEDA through federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to support this project, and is one of the first in the state to receive funding through the ARRA program.