Receiving a 2014 BC Hydro Power Smart Excellence Awards and being named a Top Ten Power Smart Partner is no small feat.

With an employee base of nearly 13,293 full-time employees, VCH serves one in four of British Columbia’s four-million population, and serves a geographic area of 58,560 square kilometers, and administers nine core hospitals, 19 residential care facilities, nine acute care facilities.

In hospitals and health care facilities, lights and temperature need to be operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can bet the energy bills are high and that making the switch to energy efficient technology is a delicate operation.

Celebrating the 25th Anniversary

BC Hydro’s Power Smart program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year! An article in the Vancouver Sun states: “At the heart of it all is the premise that it’s cheaper to conserve a kilowatt hour, and redirect it, than to create one anew.”

The Power Smart program’s 25 years of success is based on forging partnerships and installing and encouraging energy manager positions in many of B.C’s top 100 companies, municipalities and industries. These energy managers work to reduce energy consumption today and avoid new electricity production. BC Hydro is working with a target to be saving 7,800 gigawatt hours a year by 2021.

VCH, Energy Manager, John Manougian and Energy Specialist, Alan Lin, work to make VCHs energy use more efficient by installing retrofits, making upgrades to electrical, mechanical, HVAC controls, and high efficiency boilers. As well as insulations, lighting controls and sensors, thermal and water audits.

Vancouver Coastal Health has been working with BC Hydro’s Power Smart Partner program on its energy efficiency projects since 2002, and this year VCH ranks 2nd in the Top 10 Power Smart Partner awards! 

VCH’s Energy Manager, John Manougian is pleased by the award: “This recognition from BC Hydro honours the work we do at VCH toward energy efficiency and conservation. This award recognizes the great team work and our efforts to create sustainable and environmentally-responsible health care practices & systems.”

Being recognized as a leader for using less energy, we are reducing the environmental impacts and reducing costs. A win win!

Support for energy conservation

• The Authority’s highest officers, its CEO and CFO, have given their strong support to energy efficiency. And staff at every level have shown outstanding employee engagement through GreenCare and Green+Leader initiatives and programs.
• Vancouver Coastal Health has a strong and well-balanced energy management program, including behavioural initiatives, energy-efficient technology upgrades and ongoing building re-commissioning through the Continuous Optimization Program.

The Power Smart Partner program
The Power Smart Excellence Awards is a biennial recognition program that recognizes BC Hydro’s business customers and partners who demonstrate best-in-class energy management and conservation. The 2014 Power Smart Excellence Awards honour nominees from a range of categories including: Outstanding Energy Efficiency Project, Energy Manager, New Construction, Conservation Awareness and Engagement as well as National and Regional Retailer.

“Energy conservation is a cost-effective long-term business approach,” said Joanna Sofield, General Manager of Power Smart. “Our winners have made energy management solutions a regular part of their operations because saving energy means saving money. That makes solid business sense.”

Visit bchydro.com/awards to see the 2014 Power Smart Excellence Awards photo gallery. Also, Vancouver Coastal Health will be featured in local and regional media advertising as a 2014 Power Smart Excellence Awards Winner in the Power Smart Leader award category, and a BC Hydro Top 10 Legacy Partner so watch out for that.

How you can help

You can help support GreenCare conservation efforts: Join the GreenCare Community at www.bcgreencare.ca to learn more & support our energy saving and environmental sustainability efforts.

About GreenCare

GreenCare is a Lower Mainland health care focused initiative designed to promote an environmentally conscious culture and create sustainable solutions for healthy lives and a healthy community.