Smarter Building Control Improves Comfort
After years of deferred maintenance, WHS Greene reached a point where its aging building control systems needed to be addressed. The hospital needed a way to upgrade these systems in a cost-effective way that would encourage a sustainable path for future maintenance and operations. The hospital tapped Honeywell to complete a facility assessment.
Located in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, Washington Health System (WHS) Greene serves as the county’s only acute care hospital. The 23-bed hospital offers 24-hour emergency services, a range of diagnostic imaging specialties, a fully accredited laboratory, a cardiac care center, outpatient cancer care and a swing bed program. Keeping patients and staff comfortable is a fundamental component of the hospital’s overall operations, but outdated and inefficient control systems, coupled with aging infrastructure, made doing so a challenge. As a result, the hospital sought to make the necessary system upgrades to help maintain adequate indoor environmental conditions while promoting energy and operational savings.
The Challenge
After years of deferred maintenance under previous ownership, Washington Health System (WHS) Greene reached a point where its aging building control systems and infrastructure needed to be addressed. The hospital needed a way to upgrade these systems in a cost-effective way that would not only promote proper functioning but also enable adequate environmental conditions for patients and staff and encourage a sustainable path for future maintenance and operations. The hospital tapped Honeywell to complete a facility assessment to identify areas of potential operational inefficiency. This assessment set the stage for a project with Honeywell that included redesigning hospital control systems to help improve the level of control over indoor temperatures and airflow in patient areas and waiting rooms.
The Solution
Installing Honeywell Enterprise Buildings Integrator (EBI), an integrated platform that ties together building systems for centralized monitoring and control, served as a key component of the project. With the help of EBI, the hospital can now better and more efficiently manage air quality and more quickly identify and respond to potential issues. Honeywell also installed ComfortPoint™ Open (CPO) controllers to replace the non-functioning pneumatic control system previously in place. The controllers integrate with EBI, enabling greater control over air handling units and terminals serving the emergency room and patient areas.
These upgrades helped to drive overall improvements to address the hospitals’ cost concerns stemming from inefficient airflow management in these areas of the hospital. They also helped improve indoor air quality, operations and maintenance by enabling greater monitoring and control. As a result, the hospital’s staff and patients have reported higher satisfaction levels.
The Benefits
The Honeywell project work has helped drive noticeable improvements at Washington Health System – Greene, including:
- Improved operational efficiency.
- Better overall air quality.
- Higher comfort and satisfaction levels among staff and patients.
