Saving Lives, Saving Energy: Aurora BayCare Medical Center Honored for Energy Efficiency Efforts

Despite the difficult time ALL healthcare providers faced in 2020, Aurora BayCare Medical Center, with its partnership with FOCUS ON ENERGY® and Wisconsin Public Service (WPS), increased their energy savings 62% over 2019 while saving lives under difficult conditions. For those efforts, and many more, the company recently received an Energy Efficiency Excellence Award from Focus on Energy. 

“In keeping with our purpose of helping people live well, we are committed to doing our part to create a healthy environment and this includes identifying ways to increase energy efficiency,” said Brian Rasmussen, Aurora BayCare’s Manager of Facilities Operations. “Our team has a continual focus on energy conservation and is always looking for new ways to make our campus more efficient.” 

The Aurora BayCare energy team meets monthly to go over energy usage and ensure the 167-bed hospital keeps patients comfortable as they receive high quality care in a healing environment while managing energy consumption. From complex HVAC controls in operating rooms to boiler steam piping insulation to sterilizers to simple elevator lighting, Aurora BayCare is always analyzing and implementing energy efficiency projects. 

One energy efficiency project was simple: optimizing the weekend heating schedule. The simple change to conserve energy usage when less people were in the hospital.  In the past 6 years, Aurora BayCare has implemented 8 insulation projects saving 320,720 therms annually – keeping the hospital temperature more regulated while using less electricity.  

“When it comes to energy conservation, Aurora BayCare is the top of the top and the best of the best,” said Julie Green, Account Manager at Wisconsin Public Service. “We know that Aurora Baycare is vital to the community so we would like to acknowledge all the great work that Brian and his team have been doing for many years." 

Now, by joining the Focus on Energy Strategic Energy Management Partners, Aurora BayCare Medical Center could become the first healthcare facility in Wisconsin to achieve an incredibly special and important recognition from the U.S. Department of Energy. By the end of this year, Aurora BayCare intends to implement an ISO 50001-based energy management system. This is an international standard aimed at helping organizations constantly reduce energy usage which will also reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and energy costs.