Niagara Health is improving its electromechanical infrastructure to increase service reliability for employees and patients and to reduce its energy costs and environmental footprint. You can help us by reducing your energy consumption!
Read the 2024 Energy Conservation & Demand Management Plan
Caring for patients and the environment
Niagara Health is doing double duty in its mission to provide the highest standards of care.
Hospitals are designed to help doctors, nurses and other medical professionals help sick or injured patients mend. Niagara Health has added a new element of caring through its commitment to look after the environment at the same time as it tends to patients.
Innovative design features at the St. Catharines Site and recent investments across our other sites aim to lessen the footprint on the environment and lower long-term operating costs
The 980,805-square-foot St. Catharines Site, which opened its doors March 24, 2013 is one of the first hospitals in Ontario designed to achieve certification under the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System.
As an organization dedicated to providing care, it's important to us that we take these steps to care for the environment and reduce our impact as much as possible. Not only is this the responsible way to design and operate the new building environmentally, but also it will decrease operating costs over time.
Niagara Health also invested approximately $10 million across all sites through an energy retrofit project that reduces energy use and operating costs. These improvements will save substantial amounts of natural gas and electricity for years to come.
The work included the replacement of boilers as well as ventilation system improvements, heating plant optimization and energy efficient lighting retrofits. Patients will notice improved comfort and lighting, better-regulated temperature control and improved fresh air flow.
The St. Catharines Site, designed by renowned Silver Thomas Hanley Architects of Australia and Bregman + Hamann Architects of Canada, has set an ambitious target of dramatically reducing energy costs through numerous conservation measures, such as its high-performance building exterior, ventilation air/heat recovery on most of the outdoor air, high-efficiency boilers and chillers, low-flow service water fixtures, efficient lighting design and the extensive use of natural light throughout the building.
By using less energy and water, LEED-certified buildings reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute to a healthier environment for patients, staff and the wider community. This also helps reduce the hospital’s operating costs, which benefits the entire healthcare system.
Green design at St. Catharines Site
- A reduction of potable water use by 20% through the use of water-efficient plumbing fixtures
- A 29% reduction in the building’s energy consumption when compared to a standard hospital design;
- Natural light in every patient room and most treatment areas reduces electricity consumption at the same time as it improves the atmosphere;
- A monitoring system to measure the building’s energy and water consumption over time to ensure the building is operating efficiently;
- The use of materials that emit low amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs can have a negative effect on indoor air quality and can potentially harm occupants. To promote the health of patients, staff and visitors, materials used in interior spaces (e.g. paint, carpets, adhesives, sealants and wood products) will be reviewed to ensure they contain reduced levels or no VOCs; and
- The installation of a Building Automation System (BAS) to control and monitor the building systems such as boilers, chillers and Ventilation Systems. This BAS provides rapid feedback to the building operator for temperature, airflow and humidity levels throughout the facility to provide maximum comfort to the staff, patients and visitors.
Extraordinary Caring. Every Person. Every Time.
