Shriners Children’s began out of the polio epidemic in the late 1910s, with the first hospital opening in Shreveport in 1922. Today, they operate locations throughout the US and in two other countries, all with the same mission: to change and improve the lives of children. In addition to top-of-the-line treatments for children, Shriners also excels in research and physician education. With specialties in orthopedics, burns, craniofacial conditions, and many more, the hospitals follow the vision of the Shriners Fraternity to serve mankind through the care of children.
5 has been fortunate to serve the Galveston branch of Shriners since 2015. This particular hospital has a significant specialization in treating pediatric burns and is on the leading edge of treatment techniques that help infants through adolescents recover and resume normal lives.
While it’s crucial that all hospitals have reliable power, Shriners Children’s in Galveston is unique in their needs. Wound and burn care require strict levels of temperature and air quality control in order to minimize the risk of infection. This necessitates careful management of the building’s control systems as well as preparedness using backup generation.
Controlling energy expenses has always been important to Shriners. Their team was looking for a partner that they could rely on to advise them on best practices for electricity procurement in addition to operational improvements. Through 5’s competitive procurement process, electricity contracts were put in place that give long-term budget certainty while also reducing their annual energy spend by more than $80,000. This was accomplished through a proactive procurement plan that leveraged 5’s proprietary energy market platform to identify strategic purchasing opportunities.
Shriners has undergone several energy and cost efficiency improvement programs, including a power factor correction project, which eliminated tens of thousands of dollars in penalties from their energy invoices each year. Shortly after this project was completed, 5 noticed anomalies in their usage, indicating that there was a small equipment malfunction, which the engineering team at Shriners was able to quickly fix. This couldn’t have happened without such a strong partnership. Additionally, 5 has advised Shriners on the use of their back-up generator as an additional revenue stream by participating in demand response programs.
5 will continue to support Shriners as they navigate the ever-changing energy landscape, providing support on procurement as well as advising on any and all energy issues. Shriners Children’s mission is noble and 5 is proud to contribute in a small way.