Presence Holy Family Medical Center of Des Plaines has bested 9 other hospitals in a competition to see which could recruit the biggest energy-saving team and help Chicago-area homes use a cutting-edge online tool to cut costs, Presence Health and the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) have announced.
As part of the Presence Energy Saver Competition, a member of the Presence Holy Family Medical Center team, Maria Cossiocazares, who works at the hospital, won six months of free electricity.
To win the team contest, Presence Holy Family Medical Center recruited 146 staff and community members to join CUBenergysaver.com. CUB’s free online energy efficiency service has shown people how to cut their home electric and natural gas bills by an average of more than $100 a year.
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David Self, director of facilities and leader of Presence Holy Family’s Energy Saver Team, said getting the surrounding Des Plaines community involved in the competition "put us over the top." He added that the competition was a fun way to show "that everyday actions have an impact on the environment and that with small changes we can help change the future."
“I'd like to thank CUB for its part in offering this opportunity and taking the lead in making energy conservation awareness something for everyone to think about,” Self said.
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In second place was Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Chicago, with 129 members, followed by Presence Saint Francis Hospital, Evanston, with 99 members.
The other seven hospitals involved in the Presence Health Energy Saver Competition include Presence Mercy Medical Center, Aurora; Presence Our Lady of the Resurrection Medical Center, Chicago; Presence Resurrection Medical Center, Chicago; Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, Chicago; Presence Saint Joseph Hospital, Elgin; Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center, Joliet; and Presence St. Mary’s Hospital, Kankakee.
The 10 hospitals in the competition recruited 700 people to join energy-saving teams, and saved a total of 93,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity for estimated savings of more than $10,000. That is roughly a decade’s worth of power usage for the average Illinois home.
“Only one team could win this competition, but everybody who participated is a champion, because they’ve all learned how to help the environment and make their homes more energy efficient,” CUB Executive Director David Kolata said. “Energy efficiency is the most reliable way to be green and to save green.”
Maria Cossiocazares agreed. A member of the winning Presence Holy Family Medical Center team, she was randomly selected to win six months of free electricity, up to $900.
“It made me very happy to find out I was the winner, it was so exciting to me and my family,” the Holy Family Medical Center employee said. “CUB Energy Saver made me learn to appreciate every single time I used my electricity.”
This year’s competition—a collaboration of Presence Health, The Inspired Workplace, and CUB—is just one part of an ongoing Presence Health green campaign. Last year the hospital system saved $8 million through efficiency improvements.
Managed by CUB and the software firm C3, based in Redwood City, Calif., CUBenergysaver.com allows ComEd customers to sign up and choose from hundreds of actions to build a customized plan to cut their home’s utility bills. Since 2010, the tool has shown people how to save $2.3 million on natural gas and electric bills, for an average of about $108 a year.
CUB is Illinois’ leading nonprofit, nonpartisan utility watchdog organization. Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in 1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business utility customers. Since then, CUB has saved consumers more than $10 billion by helping to block rate hikes and secure refunds. For more information, call CUB’s Consumer Hotline at 1-800-669-5556 or visit CUB’s website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.
The Inspired Workplace’s Inspirement Program is helping Presence Health reduce its energy and waste expenses. This helps Presence Health to be a Greener and more Sustainable organization. Visit www.theinspiredworkplace.com/inspirement-program for more information.
Presence Health was created in November 2011 through a merger of Provena Health and Resurrection Health Care. They offer more than 150 locations around the state of Illinois. The system includes 12 hospitals, 27 long-term care and senior living facilities, dozens of physician offices and health care centers, and more. Visit www.presencehealth.org for more information.
