Case Study

The Valley Hospital Takes a Collaborative Approach To Building a New Hospital

How a leading hospital engages all stakeholders to create a high standard of care while implementing energy efficiency measures from Day 1
headshot of Jessica Noel
Jessica Noel, Copywriter, utiliVisor
Jul 26, 2021 (4 min read)
Joseph Lorino at the Valley Hospital construction site

About The Valley Hospital

The Valley Hospital is a community hospital currently located in Ridgewood, New Jersey. The hospital has been recognized as one of the top hospitals in Bergen County.

In addition to receiving numerous awards and recognitions for its commitment to high-quality care, The Valley Hospital has made a "do no harm" promise to the community and environment.

One of the hospital's green initiatives is Sustainability by Design. The hospital received a grant from PSE&G's Hospital Efficiency Program, which helps them consistently reduce their carbon footprint.

A few of the ways the hospital continues to reduce energy consumption and cost:

  • Replacing indoor and outdoor lighting with LED lights 

  • Optimizing chiller plants

  • Upgrading building management systems 

  • Replacing pneumatic HVAC controls with DDC (direct digital controls)

  • Switching HVAC systems to variable air volume (VAV)

A new, state-of-the-art hospital located in Paramus

In 2019, The Valley Hospital broke ground on a replacement hospital in Paramus, New Jersey - about 2.5 miles away from the Ridgewood campus.

The New Valley Hospital will be 875,000 square feet - almost doubling the existing hospital's size, and plans to have its first patient by the end of 2023. The project is Valley's most extensive project ever undertaken.

What's different about the new hospital?

The hospital has taken a collaborative approach to create its new building. 

Before construction, employees participated in sessions that impacted the design - from equipment use to traffic flow.  

Additionally, the design team, construction team, end-users, and the people who manage what happens on the hospital floor, have continued to work together to build a hospital that satisfies all stakeholders without adding a penny to the cost.

Moreover, the hospital's design prioritizes flexibility; allowing for more intensive care rooms and operating rooms. The new hospital will also have 372 private rooms offering greater privacy and infection control. 

In addition to its innovative building design, the hospital's green infrastructure will help minimize energy use and water runoff.

The challenges of finding the right system, people, and service contracts

To ensure the project's success, Joseph Lorino, PE, LEED AP, Vice President, Facilities Management, Valley Health System, focused on having the right system in place, the right people in place, and the right maintenance service contracts post-occupancy. 

When he bid out for a building management system (BMS), he noticed a broad spectrum of proposals as bids came in. 

Lorino and his team struggled to level and evaluate the bids. The team was also concerned about the specifications of the requests for proposals sent out.

Expertise in the Maritime College Network

Lorino reached out to utiliVisor's CEO, Richard Angerame. The two were both members of Maritime College's Alumni Network. Lorino also worked with Angerame's team at utiliVisor on a previous project, where utiliVisor monitored chiller plant efficiency and was part of submetering utilities.

utiliVisor helps evaluate bids

utiliVisor worked with Lorino and The New Valley Hospital team to evaluate four major bidders.

During their extensive research, utiliVisor's team found many issues and discrepancies.

utiliVisor helped level the bids, obtained more information about startup service and service contracts after construction, and made sure everything was included in the bid.

"Because of utiliVisor's knowledge and great negotiating skill, we received - and awarded - a bid that was below what we had budgeted for. And we received more from that bid than we originally had asked for.

It's been a very successful process and saved over $1.025M. And I couldn't have done it without utiliVisor's involvement."

Energy efficiency from Day 1. Ongoing support from Day 2

utiliVisor continues to support Joseph Lorino and The New Valley Hospital team in establishing sustainable energy practices at the new hospital. 

Even after the hospital opens, utiliVisor will provide ongoing monitoring and metering to maintain long-term solutions that save energy.

When The New Valley Hospital needed to purchase chillers, utiliVisor assisted in a buyout and connected The New Valley Hospital team with chiller experts to make sure the hospital purchased chillers that would best suit their needs. The savings was $397,000.

Based on the results and the approval from Joseph Lorino’s operating staff, The New Valley Hospital will move forward with utiliVisor’s proposal to connect to the Schneider Automation System, the chiller and boiler plant, and in the future, the new cogen system. 

utiliVisor’s Operations Center will work with the team to validate the chiller and boiler plant performance and analyze if they can enhance the automation system with an improved strategy to reduce operating costs.

"utiliVisor's continued involvement will help us in making decisions, whether it's their own expertise or bringing us experts. They make sure we’re consistently achieving peak efficiency. That's why we value utiliVisor and what they do."

Ready to discuss how we can help your organization achieve peak efficiency and cost recovery?

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About utiliVisor

Your tenant submetering and energy plant optimization services are an essential part of your operation. You deserve personalized energy insights from a team that knows buildings from the inside out, applies IoT technology and is energized by providing you with accurate data and energy optimization insights. When you need experience, expertise, and service, you need utiliVisor on your side, delivering consistent energy and cost-saving strategies to you. What more can our 40 years of experience and historical data do for you? Call utiliVisor at 212-260-4800 or visit utilivisor.com