Case Study

Company: Group Health

Business Sector: Health Care

Published: October 2007

Highlights

• Updated sterilizers resulting in a 70% reduction in water bill and saving $160,000 a year!
• Are continuing to look at other ways to conserve water and energy, and are going through a carbon footprinting process to help find target areas!

Background

Founded in 1947, Group Health is a consumer-governed, nonprofit health care system that coordinates care and coverage. Based in Seattle, Group Health and its subsidiary health carriers, Group Health Options, Inc. and KPS Health Plans, serve approximately 568,344 members in Washington and Idaho.

Going Green

Group Health’s conservation efforts have led to significant savings and overall improved performance in the following areas:

Water Conservation/Stormwater Pollution Prevention

Richard Locke, chief engineer for Group Health’s property manager CB Richard Ellis, says that Resource Venture’s encouragement to retrofit Group Health’s autoclaves (steam sterilizers) definitely helped push the initiative along.  Before being retrofitted, the steam sterilizers used a lot of water, and contributed to a heavy sewer bill because water used in cooling then went straight out the drain. 

• A retrofit was found, and by updating 15 steam sterilizers, Group Health cut their water bill by 70%, and saved $160,000 a year in water and sewer bills! 

Energy Efficiency

Group Health and CB Richard Ellis don’t want to stop there.  They are currently looking into better air filters for their air handlers.  Locke estimates that these will save up to $20,000 a year, and reduce Group Health’s carbon footprint by 443,000 lbs of CO₂ each year!  Beyond this project, Locke says that he and Group Health are always looking into more ways to save energy and become more efficient in all 40 of Group Health’s buildings in the Northwest region.

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Contact Resource Venture at 206-343-8505 or help@resourceventure.org.