RiverSpring Health

At a Glance

Industry

Health Care

Project Types

Data Analysis, Supply Chain, Sustainability and Energy Management Strategy

Year

2021

Location

New York, NY

Summary

Lizzy Kolar analyzed RiverSpring Living’s utility consumption to determine cost-effective strategies to meet carbon emission reduction mandates by NYC.

Goals

RiverSpring Living is the parent of the Hebrew Home for the Aged in Riverdale, NY, a 32 acre managed care facility consisting of a nursing home, assisted living, independent living and specialty services.  Climate Corps fellow Lizzy Kolar was enlisted to develop a short- and long-term sustainability vision for the campus facilities. The organization wanted to reduce its waste, increase its recycling and composting, and understand the financial situation of operating its onsite cogeneration plant.

Solutions

To set clear and meaningful sustainability goals, Lizzy first had to benchmark RiverSpring Living’s current operations. Due to the complexity of its facility systems including a 1.6 MW cogeneration plant, Lizzy primarily focused her analysis on understanding the flow of electricity, natural gas, and steam throughout the facilities.

This focus was especially important because New York City has implemented Local Law 97, as part of the city’s Energy Master Plan,which limits carbon emissions of buildings larger than 50,000 sq ft. Cost penalties are attached to buildings that emit above their maximum limit by 2024 and again, more stringent penalties will be incurred by buildings by 2030. By creating a model of the cogeneration plant that considers energy demand, energy prices, emission penalties, and operational performance, Lizzy forecasted utility and penalty costs for multiple scenarios of inputs.

Potential Impact

Highlighting the complexity of RiverSpring Living’s operations shed light on the imperative need to reduce and monitor its utility consumption. By hiring an onsite Energy Manager, RiverSpring Living can determine cost-effective strategies to optimize its operations to reduce utility expenses and emissions. This can reduce carbon emissions by over 100,000 tons by 2040, allowing RiverSpring Living to avoid tens of millions of dollars in carbon emission penalty fees.


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