News Release

Baystate Medical Center Earns $426,373 Incentive from WMECo for Energy Efficiency in Expansion

Measures will result in $459,000 annual energy savings

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., February 7, 2012 –
Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo), through its partnership with MassSave, has paid a total $426,373 incentive to Baystate Medical Center for energy efficiency-measures undertaken in construction of its new facility expansion. This project earned the largest incentive of all WMECo energy-efficiency projects for 2011.

The incentive rewards energy-efficiency measures in the $296 million expansion of Baystate Medical Center, which includes the Davis Family Heart and Vascular Center, shell space to be built out for future needs, and a new, expanded Emergency Department slated to open in the fall.

The total payment is composed of incentives paid specifically for lighting, water-heating and cooling system installation.

Together these measures will save 3,282,269 kWh each year, equal to 49,440,680 kWh saved over the estimated lifetime of the new equipment. Baystate Medical Center will save approximately $459,000 annually in operating costs as a result of increased energy efficiency.

“We are pleased to be able to provide the expertise and incentives that help our customers reduce energy use and achieve significant savings,” said Peter J. Clarke, president and chief operating officer at WMECo. “Baystate Medical Center clearly recognizes the short and long-term value of making such an investment in energy efficiency."

“This building will help our dedicated and talented doctors and nurses provide the very best in care for the people in our community for decades to come,” said Baystate Health President and Chief Executive Officer Mark R. Tolosky. “And it represents a major step forward for our organization in caring for the world around us—ensuring the health not just of our community, but also of our environment. This is a legacy of which we’re extremely proud.”

The expansion at Baystate Medical Center will open on March 2. WMECo will continue to support energy-efficient construction at the Center throughout construction of its new emergency department to open in Fall 2012.

About Baystate Medical Center: Baystate Medical Center is an academic, research and teaching hospital that serves as the western campus of Tufts University School of Medicine. It is the major referral care center and only Level 1 trauma center for western Massachusetts, and is home to one of New England’s busiest emergency rooms. One of Thomson Reuters’ top 100 U.S. hospitals and a Leapfrog Top Hospital for quality, safety and efficiency, Baystate Medical Center is also designated a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, and is a six-time winner of the Beacon Award for Critical Care Excellence. Baystate Medical Center’s expansion, including the Davis Family Heart and Vascular Center, opens March 2nd. www.baystatehealth.org/bmc

Western Massachusetts Electric Company (WMECo), a Northeast Utilities company (NYSE:NU), transmits and delivers electricity to 210,000 customers in 59 cities and towns. For more information, please visit our website: www.wmeco.com, like us on Facebook (facebook.com/WMECo) and follow us on Twitter @wmeco.
###
[Back to Top]