Leaner Energy - Sustainability Initiatives

UMMC is a large consumer of energy, occupying over 2.2 million square feet of space. Fortunately, that creates an opportunity to conserve and save energy in a number of ways. Below are some of the projects and initiatives happening at the Medical Center to conserve energy.

System Wide Solar Project

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) in partnership with BITHENERGY and Constellation has built a 3.66-megawatt solar generation project in Sommerset County. UMMS has entered a 20 year power purchase agreement with BITHENERGY and will receive Solar renewable energy credits towards it renewable energy portfolio standards. This site, with over 15,540 photovoltaic panels, will produce clean renewable energy for the state of Maryland for many years to come.

Heat Recovery Systems

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) units typically remove heat from the building and exhaust it into the outside air. Installed heat recovery chillers capture that heat and re-use it to heat water. This reduces steam usage.

LED Lighting

Many areas in the hospital that operate 24 hours a day and are perfect candidates for LED lighting upgrades. One of the largest retrofit projects is the Medical Center Garage. Over 150 light fixtures were replaced with efficient LED fixtures, saving over 230,000 kWh annually.

Occupancy Sensors

Lighting unoccupied rooms is a considerable waste of energy. In addition to educating users to turn off the lights, we have retrofitted over 350 switches with occupancy sensors. Occupancy sensors are now standard for all new construction.

Daylight Harvesting

The sun illuminates all of the medical center lobby atriums every day and provides a great opportunity to save energy. Artificial lighting is automatically controlled with light sensors that measure the amount of natural light coming into the atrium and turns on or off the lighting accordingly.