Aircuity's customer Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has won Best Research Facility Energy Project in New England, presented by the New England Association of Energy Engineers (AEE). Mark Lukitsch, utilities and energy manager at BIDMC, received the award at a recent chapter meeting. AEE's chapter project awards are given based on the project's innovation and must be substantiated with project installation costs and operating savings.
BIDMC's award winning project consists of six floors of laboratory space within The Center for Life Science. Aircuity's OptiNet system was installed allowing for a variable air change rate, and gives BIDMC the assurance that the ventilation rates can be lowered by real time measurement of the laboratory environment, and increased if contaminants are sensed. Truly having the best of both worlds, the project significantly reduced energy consumption in laboratory and research space while continuing to ensure a safe work environment for researchers.
The project saves BIDMC $640,000 annually, and after its completion in 2011, the hospital reported a payback period of less than twelve months. Substantial energy savings will continue on a yearly basis, while BIDMC's laboratories are provided a safer and more energy efficient operation.
"We are delighted to have had the opportunity to work with Mark Lukitsch and BIDMC on this project," stated Dan Diehl, vice president of global sales at Aircuity.
"There is a huge opportunity to save energy in labs because most laboratory environments deploy the traditional approach of fixed ventilation rates to dilute potential contaminents in the room. Aircuity's unique approach applies multiplexed sensing with centralized sensors to demand control ventilation, allowing for the adjustment of air change rates based on contaminant levels in the room. This allows critical environments such as those at BIDMC to save energy while keeping safety the top priority."
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and is renowned for excellence in patient care, biomedical research, teaching and community service. Located in the heart of Boston's medical community, it hosts nearly three quarters of a million patients annually. The medical center is acclaimed for its excellence in surgery with minimally invasive approaches to many procedures.
About Aircuity
Aircuity is the smart airside efficiency company providing building owners with sustained energy savings through its intelligent measurement solutions. By combining real-time sensing and continuous analysis of indoor environments, the company has helped commercial, institutional and lab building owners lower operating costs, improve safety and become more energy efficient. Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Newton, MA, Aircuity's solutions have benefitted organizations such as the University of Pennsylvania, Eli Lilly, Masdar City, the Bank of America Tower and the University