Health Care Energy Conservation Project (Spring 2013)
MetroWest Medical Center (MWMC) in Massachusetts consulted with a cross-disciplinary of students from Olin (engineering), Babson (business), and Wellesley (liberal arts) Colleges to develop strategies to conserve energy at their two campuses.
The GoalHospitals use a lot of energy in order to practice health care and maintain a safe environment for patients and staff. High energy consumption results in high operating costs, economic risk associated with price volatility and carbon emissions, and human and environmental health externalities. Thus, energy conservation is a significant opportunity for MWMC.
The ProcessThe team took a multi-faceted approach to the project: industry background research, hospital energy conservation case study research, user research / behavioral observation, financial modeling and analysis. Ideas for solutions were developed throughout this process. The recommended solution was chosen after synthesizing the conclusions of these various approaches.
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The SolutionUltimately, the team recommended a three-pronged approach to conserve energy at the hospital: (1) strategic investments in hospital energy infrastructure, (2) a funding vehicle for said investments, and (3) a behavioral change mechanism. The team provided MWMC with a full report detailing these approaches. The team also presented to members of the MWMC Administrative team regarding the project and received highly positive feedback.
My Responsibilities
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