Hospital opens bids on money-saving, energy-saving project

Winneshiek Medical Center has opened bids on a project that will save the hospital money at the same time it helps the environment.  The project calls for upgrading the heating, ventilating and air conditions systems at the hospital.  Old and inefficient air handling units and heat recovery chillers will be replaced.

Winneshiek Medical Center has received a State Energy Program Grant, which is administered through the Iowa Office of Energy Independence.  The SEP grant amount is $209,912 out of the total estimated project cost of $817,000.  The balance of the funds will come from a low interest loan from Alliant Energy and from Winneshiek Medical Center capital funds. WMC will repay the loan with the dollars saved through reduced energy usage.

The original project came about when WMC had Michaels Engineering of La Crosse do a study to determine how to reduce future energy use by the medical center.  In addition to many smaller projects, including exhaust fans, ventilation changes and control changes, the biggest portions of the project are replacing existing air handlers with a new energy efficient air handler and installing a new 40-ton heat recovery chiller.  A large number of fluorescent fixtures will be replaced with energy efficient bulbs and ballasts.  The estimated energy savings from all of these changes is approximately $115,000 a year.

Due to some delays in design, the project has a new completion goal of August 1st.  Bids were accepted on Tuesday.  Bids are currently being reviewed to assure that all parts of the project were covered.