Optimizing Energy Efficiency in Healthcare: How Harris Integrated Solutions Transformed a Major Hospital System with Atrius® Energy

Harris Integrated Solutions (HIS) has been a leader in building automation and energy management since 1965. As a family-owned business spanning three generations, HIS has grown into one of the premier control providers in the Carolinas, serving industries such as healthcare, K-12 education, and government facilities. Their expertise in energy management, combined with their hands-on approach to strategy development, has helped numerous organizations optimize operations and reduce energy costs.

When a major hospital system approached Harris Integrated Solutions, they were facing a significant challenge—there was no structured energy management strategy in place. They lacked visibility into their energy consumption, had no clear tracking system for utility costs, and had never actively managed their energy efficiency. With an increasing demand for utility management and rising energy costs, they recognized the need for a smarter approach. 

The hospital system had two major concerns: 

1. Identifying where energy savings could be achieved without compromising patient care. 

2. Avoiding large-scale disruptions to hospital operations while implementing an energy management strategy. 

They had considered working with performance contractors and large-scale maintenance providers but ultimately chose to partner with Harris Integrated Solutions, their existing provider. HIS proposed a surgical, step-by-step strategy that would gradually improve energy efficiency over five years, ensuring minimal disruption and measurable results. 

Implementing an Energy Management Strategy 

Harris Integrated Solutions began with the fundamentals by gaining a complete understanding of the hospital system’s existing utility usage. Manual efforts were required to locate their edge devices and match them to the corresponding data, which proved to be a difficult task. 

“The first step was identifying where all the meters were and matching them to the correct utility bills. After years of expansions and renovations, there was no clear record of which meters corresponded to which buildings.”

Tony Holcomb, Energy Solutions Consultant

This meticulous groundwork was essential. The team spent countless hours walking through each campus, documenting every meter and benchmarking the hospital system’s energy metrics. After collecting this crucial data on the hospital system, it was essential to use Atrius Energy to provide much-needed visibility, allowing HIS to track consumption patterns and identify inefficiencies across different facilities. 

Smart Scheduling within Non-Critical Areas 

One of the first major changes involved creating energy usage schedules for non-critical areas across their portfolio of buildings. Non-critical areas were rooms, buildings, or sectors identified by the hospital system that would not directly affect patient care. These were the areas that Harris Integrated Solutions was able to first begin implementing energy efficiencies. 

“They were running HVAC and lighting in medical office buildings as if they were 24/7 operations,” Billy Blackburn explained. HIS implemented strategic energy scheduling, ensuring that unoccupied areas were no longer consuming unnecessary energy on weekends or after business hours. 

Key Success: 27% Energy Reduction within a Single Facility 

In one medical office building (MOB), the adjustments led to a 27% reduction in energy consumption within the first year, without affecting operations. “This was a huge win because it proved that even simple scheduling adjustments could make a significant impact,” said Holcomb. By taking small, strategic steps, Harris Integrated Solutions was able to approach energy efficiency one area of opportunity at a time within the hospital system. 

Tracking and Identifying Hidden Inefficiencies 

Atrius Energy played a pivotal role in uncovering hidden inefficiencies. The Harris Integrated Solutions team discovered that a boiler at one hospital was operating at 3:00 AM every night, hitting peak demand charges. Without Atrius’ energy data monitoring, this issue could have gone unnoticed indefinitely and continued to accrue massive energy bills for the hospital system. By making adjustments, they significantly reduced demand costs. 

Another major success was found in the hospital’s chiller operations. HIS discovered that a set of small, redundant chillers, leftover from another project, could be used during mild weather instead of the primary system. “We had to prove to them that using these smaller chillers could save money without compromising comfort,” Blackburn said. The result of implementing this recommendation led to $60,000 in annual savings at one location from a single change. 

The dashboards, storyboards, and real-time alerts within Atrius’ energy management software allowed Harris Integrated Solutions to easily identify and strategize on utility inefficiencies that may otherwise be undetectable. 

The Impact of Implementing an Energy Management Strategy 

Over the course of the project, Harris Integrated Solutions implemented a variety of energy conservation measures (ECMs), tracking the effectiveness of every adjustment through Atrius Energy. By focusing on incremental improvements and data-backed decision-making, they helped the hospital system achieve remarkable results: 

• ~$500,000 in energy savings in the first year of strategy implementation 

• Targeting ~$750,000 in savings in year two 

• Significant cost avoidance despite rising energy rates 

• No disruptions to patient care or hospital operations 

• Hospital administration fully engaged in energy efficiency efforts 

One of the standout successes was the motion-sensing smart room initiative. In hospitals, patient rooms must be heated and cooled at all times, but what about unoccupied rooms? HIS developed a strategy using motion sensors to track occupancy based on staff movement, automatically adjusting heating and cooling when a room was empty for periods that extended longer than 45 minutes.  

Generating “Smart Room” Initiative ROI Within a Year 

 “This initiative was a game-changer. It paid for itself in less than a year. The moment a patient leaves, the system adjusts to a more efficient setting until the next patient arrives. The energy savings were dramatic, as reflected in the cost savings of the entire hospital system.”

Billy Blackburn, Strategic Business Development Manager

Recommendations for Maximizing Energy Efficiency 

One of the biggest lessons learned during the project was the importance of taking a strategic, step-by-step approach. “You can’t just come in and make sweeping changes,” said Blackburn. “It takes time to understand the environment, optimize each system, and roll out new initiatives in a way that people buy into.” 

For hospitals looking to improve their energy efficiency, Harris Integrated Solutions offered the following recommendations: 

1. Start with Data: Before making any changes, track and analyze your energy usage. Identify where savings can be achieved without compromising critical operations. 

2. Prioritize Non-Critical Areas: Scheduling changes and minor optimizations can lead to major savings without affecting patient care. 

3. Engage Stakeholders: HIS found that hospital administrators became excited about energy savings when they received clear reports and saw measurable progress. 

4. Make Small, Smart Changes: “You don’t have to overhaul everything at once,” said Rachel Woods from HIS. “Small changes can lead to big transformations.” 

A Multi-Phase Plan for 2025 and Beyond 

As Harris Integrated Solutions continues to work with this major Carolina hospital system, they are focusing on a five-phase plan: 

1. Optimizing Terminal Units 

2. Enhancing Air Handler Efficiency 

3. Refining Chilled Water Plant Operations 

4. Replacing End-of-Life Equipment 

5. Exploring Co-Generation Opportunities 

Additionally, HIS is working on behavior modification strategies, training staff to adopt energy-conscious habits that could lead to an additional 5-15% reduction in energy usage. With these changes, the expected outcome is that the hospital system continues to see improvements in energy savings and cost avoidance in the years to come. 

Creating a Model for Energy Efficiency in Healthcare 

The partnership between Harris Integrated Solutions and the hospital system demonstrates that energy efficiency and patient care can go hand in hand. By leveraging Atrius Energy’s advanced energy management software capabilities, HIS has helped the hospital achieve nearly half a million dollars in savings in just one year, with the potential for even greater reductions in the future. 

This success story proves that strategic energy management in healthcare is not only possible but highly impactful. Through data-driven insights, smart scheduling, and ongoing optimizations, HIS has provided a roadmap that can be replicated in hospitals, schools, and other industries.