Hit by rising costs and increased energy use, Niceville’s Twin Cities Hospital opted to become more energy efficient, earning them the Florida Public Service Commission’s (PSC) May Triple E Award for Energy Efficiency Efforts.
“Hospitals are large energy consumers operating 24 hours a day and patient care often depends on electricity,” said PSC Chairman Julie Brown. “We especially recognize Twin Cities Hospital management who contacted their utility to find ways to reduce energy costs, so they can redirect their energy savings to patient care.”
Gulf Power Company (Gulf Power) advised the hospital’s engineers to install a Heat Recovery Chiller (HRC), which was completed last month. The HRC preheats the water going to the natural gas boiler, reducing or even eliminating the boiler’s work,because it can heat water more efficiently. HRCs are ideal for use in buildings with simultaneous cooling and heating loads such as hospitals, hotels, and higher education buildings.
“Gulf Power worked with us to realize energy and cost savings,” said Hugo Garza, Twin Cities Hospital Director of Engineering. “With the new HRC now operational, the hospital saved 110 therms in just one day. We are pleased with this early energy savings and look forward to continued savings that will help with patient care and customer service.”
“Although hospitals use a lot of energy, they have a great opportunity for energy savings, as do many of our business customers,” said Natalie Smith, Gulf Power spokesperson. “We applaud Twin Cities Hospital’s commitment to save energy and return the cost savings to its core commitment of helping people get well.”
About Twin Cities Hospital
Twin Cities Hospital is a 65-bed facility with a medical staff of over 130 physicians. It offers all private rooms and the areas first Certified Orthopedic Joint Replacement Program and first Certified Spine Surgery Program, in addition to a state-of-the-art surgery center. Twin Cities Hospital also has 24-hour emergency services, a critical care unit, Certified Diabetes Education Program, and a variety of inpatient and outpatient diagnostic imaging and laboratory services. Located at Highway 85 North and College Boulevard in Niceville, Twin Cities Hospital also has the areas only hospital based Wellness Center, offering numerous health related seminars throughout the year. For more information, please visit TCHospital.com or call (850) 678-4131. Extraordinary People—Extraordinary Care
For additional information, visit www.floridapsc.com.
Follow the PSC on Twitter, @floridapsc.
Triple E Award
Pensacola Hair Salon Receives PSC’s Triple E Award
As one of Pensacola’s largest full-service salons, 10th Avenue Hair Designs is accustomed to making its residents feel beautiful. This family and community minded salon, however, recently turned its attention to making itself more beautifully energy efficient, thereby earning the Florida Public Service Commission’s (PSC) Triple E Award—for Energy Efficiency Efforts for the month of January.
“Due to equipment use, such as washing machines, blow dryers, pedicure chairs, and other equipment, salons and spas can consume a lot of energy on a daily basis,” said PSC Chairman Julie Brown. “The PSC is pleased that 10th Avenue Hair Designs has worked on improving its energy use, which not only saves the salon energy but hopefully saves its customers money too.”
“Salons are one of the most energy intensive small businesses, and this energy consumption also brings a financial burden with it,” said Dale Moore, salon owner. “While we can’t completely, eliminate energy and water consumption in our operations, we can reduce our consumption, which is what we’ve done to become a more eco-friendly salon.”
With the help of Gulf Power, 10th Avenue Hair Designs had two Integrated Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heaters (HPWH) installed replacing two existing gas water heaters in the attic. HPWHs use the ambient surrounding air to collect and gather heat and transfer it to heat water. Since HPWHs cannot operate in the conventional attic because of the extreme temperatures, the hair salon also decided to foam seal the attic, making the upgrade ideal. The new heat pump water heaters are 3.4 times more efficient compared to any conventional gas or electric heater.
“We worked with 10th Avenue Hair Designs—with more than 30 years serving the Gulf Coast—to improve energy efficiency and cut costs,” said Jeff Rogers, Gulf Power spokesperson. “Small businesses are the backbone of our communities, and Gulf Power continues to offer Energy Checkups to help local businesses learn about energy efficiency and cut costs.”
Covering the state’s five major geographic areas, each month the PSC presents its Triple E Award to a local business that has accomplished superior energy efficiency. Look for past PSC Triple E Award recipients under Hot Topics on the PSC’s homepage, www.floridapsc.com. The PSC encourages cost-effective conservation and renewable energy to reduce the use of fossil fuels and defer the need for new generating capacity through the Florida Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.
About 10th Avenue Hair Designs
Dale and Sheila Moore, owners of 10th Avenue Hair Designs are committed to making sure your visit is perfect. They’re constantly striving to provide the best products and services to the Pensacola area. For more information, visit the website: http://10thavenuehair.com/, or call 850-433-5207.
For more information about Gulf Power’s Energy Checkup and other energy efficient programs, visit MyGulfPower.com or call 1-877-655-4001.
For additional information, visit www.floridapsc.com.
Follow the PSC on Twitter, @floridapsc.
