Massachusetts, USA, 17 February 2019: Southcoast Health, a not-for-profit, community-based health system, which operates in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island, in the United States, announced it has reduced maintenance and energy costs at its facilities by approximately 15%, in a Press communiqué. Southcoast Health has achieved this reduction using real-time monitoring, commissioning, fault detection and diagnosis from FacilityConneX, an intelligent monitoring and knowledge action system, the communiqué said.

According to Southcoast Health, the health system has been using FacilityConneX technology since 2013, at the Charlton and St. Luke’s Hospitals and at the Tobey Hospital and Fairhaven Cancer Center, in south-eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. FacilityConneX said the solution currently monitors 1,600 pieces of equipment and 13,000 analytics across the four facilities, to support energy savings and to meet environmental, health and safety requirements.

Christopher LeBlanc, Executive Director of Facilities, Southcoast Health, said: “We now have the data and information to get ahead of the curve, anticipating HVAC and mechanical issues before they impact patients and helping teams better understand the nuances of the equipment. The data collected is also playing a large role in validating our ECMs and helping us secure additional utility savings.”

Southcoast Health and FacilityConneX announced plans to expand monitoring to HVAC and air quality at Charlton Memorial in Fall River, Massachusetts, and at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, Massachusetts, the communiqué said. The optimisation is expected to take effect within specialised areas of the hospitals, including operating rooms, sterilisation areas and recovery areas, the communiqué further said.

According to FacilityConneX, “Southcoast Health’s facility management staff will receive real-time alerts to potential issues pertaining to airflow, air changes, temperature, pressure and humidity, all of which can ultimately boost energy savings, enhance safety and provide infectious disease detection related to the facility equipment.”

The communiqué said Canadian real estate corporation KRP Properties, recently expanded their programme with FacilityConneX, adding monitoring to two new buildings in Ontario. The communiqué further said that an initial project produced 10% electrical savings year-over-year and a 20% increase in operational efficiency.