Comverge's solutions have helped healthcare facilities across the country improve operating efficiency and better serve their communities.

Aside from the usual concerns of size, age, and construction, healthcare facilities face additional energy conservation challenges based on the different working environments they service. In many cases, a single building houses surgical, clinical, laboratory, and office space in addition to patient care areas.

Comverge understands the unique demands this mosaic of environments presents. Our experience working with healthcare facilities enables us to offer best practices for managing the systems controlling indoor air quality, temperature, ventilation, lighting, and water usage.

Case in point
A strategy was developed allowing the customer to shed three-to-six MW of load for demand response purposes by utilizing an existing building automation system. Seven buildings across one state and one PJM zone participated. Load shed in all seven buildings was achieved through:

• On-site generation
• Building automation that allows temperatures to drift within short time periods
• Evaluation of current interval data and baselines to maximize participation

The customer has participated in the demand response real-time program since the third quarter of 2006, and has received over $550,000 in energy savings by utilizing existing infrastructures and systems with no capital costs.

The partnership between Comverge and GlaxoSmithKline
In an effort to reduce energy costs, GlaxoSmithKline initiated a project to upgrade facility-wide processes using adjustable-speed drives. Unfortunately, the harmonics generated by the drives required filters to eliminate potential detrimental effects. Comverge was asked to provide portable metering to identify the harmonics and specify appropriate filters. Since portable metering was an expensive alternative, we recommended the less costly method of implementing system-wide, permanently-mounted meters.

After the installation was complete, our engineering team observed excessive harmonic activity on the system and determined that it was caused by variable-frequency drives used for key processes. As a result of our analysis, GlaxoSmithKline developed a program to retrofit each offending drive with a harmonic filter.

Comverge became GlaxoSmithKline's predominant supplier of power distribution-related services including power quality monitoring, electrical system design review, emergency generation dispatch, and emergency engineering response to SCADA system alarms. Since partnering with Comverge, GlaxoSmithKine has received the following benefits:

• Reliable operations
• Protection of sensitive laboratory equipment
• Reduced maintenance and energy costs
• Reduced downtime
• Customized engineering reports and records
• Fewer equipment replacements
• Improved facility planning
• System adaptability