Athens Regional

Medical Center facility diagnosed by Energy Experts

Athens Regional Medical Center saves lives and energy

Sure, you can’t miss the new Cardiac Intensive Care unit or state-of-the-art labs, but you may never notice some of the advances that make Athens Regional Medical Center one of the most sophisticated medical facilities. Certainly the premier heart center has advanced medical technology and seasoned professionals, but it couldn’t function without efficient cooling systems, electric medical technology and emergency power generators. When patients need open heart surgery they go to Athens Regional—when the medical center needs energy-efficient solutions, they rely on Georgia Power.

Athens Regional saves thousands with array of energy-efficient solutions

Athens Regional Medical Center, a 315-bed hospital serving the northeast Georgia area, offers the community a vast array of specialized medical, surgical and diagnostic procedures. Their specialty? Open-heart surgery. Our specialty? Keeping the lights on during open-heart surgery. But, like Athens Regional, Georgia Power offers much more.

Innovations — There’s little margin for error in surgery. That’s why Athens Regional chose Georgia Power, with its vast resources as a Southern Company, to maintain its three emergency power generators. But we also recommended:

Innovative thermal storage technology. Cooling is created and stored during non-peak hours and used during peak times. For example, the Chiller system at Athens Regional makes 5,700 tons of ice per hour during low-use periods, then the Distribution system uses the ice to cool the hospital during peak hours. The system is more efficient and provides cost savings for years to come.

Real Time Pricing.The rate service gives the Athens Regional advance information on rates so the center can plan energy use during low-rate times.

Bio-hazardous medical waste treatment. On-site treatment of medical waste is often a cost-effective option for many healthcare facilities.

Findings—The medical center has cut immediate energy costs by thousands of dollars, but the real savings will come in the future. Although initial costs for the thermal energy storage system is high, many organizations recoup the cost in five years or less.