Hospital’s HVAC construction ongoing despite Soudelor

Despite Typhoon Soudelor’s carnage, one of the hospital’s biggest projects—the heat, ventilation, and air-conditioning system upgrading—is still ongoing.

“Despite Soudelor happening and the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. reaching out for recovery efforts, the HVAC system project is still continuing,” said Warren Villagomez, director for public health and hospital emergency preparedness program at CHCC. “It is coming along smoothly.”

It is now more than 60 percent complete and the Division of Public Health office areas is one of those that are already connected to the new system.

“DPH area is now finished and the clinical wards are now the focus for the HVAC system,” he said.

The new HVAC system is projected to save the hospital on its utilities costs, boost patient safety for a better climate-controlled environment, and better efficiency whenever the Commonwealth Health Center has a high on census.

JWS Air Condition and Refrigeration Ltd. is working on the HVAC systems.

CHCC is looking at a cost savings between 28 to 34 percent in the hospital’s current billings with the Commonwealth Utilities Corp., according to Villagomez in an earlier interview.

This is on top of the hospital’s continued push for a solar power system.

With Gov. Eloy S. Inos signing into law Public Law 18-75, the hospital can now move forward with the solar power system.

P.L. 18-75 seeks to offset the electricity or other utility required for the operations of CHCC and the Public School System, providing a definition for net metering and prioritize the interconnection with net metering for health and education renewable energy capacity at CUC.

“Despite undertaking energy efficient and demand-side activities, such as turning off the lights at night, implementing energy efficiency projects such as selecting a cost-effective HVAC system for the hospital and swapping out its light bulbs that draw less power, it is still necessary to continue to move forward with photovoltaic solar power system and lessen the cost of utility expenses to CHCC,” CHCC chief executive officer Esther Muna said.

“To do this, CHCC applied and was awarded a competitive grant from Office of Insular Affairs. However, the CNMI needed a clear and unequivocal policy to ensure that the benefits of renewable energy can be harnessed for the public good. P.L. 18-75 clearly establishes such a policy and savings from paying this high cost as a result of using alternative energy can be directed to maintain and improve health care for every child and adult in the CNMI,” she added.

On May 21, 2014, OIA approved a $560,000 grant to CHCC for its solar power system with net metering.

CHCC intends to loan money to purchase PV solar panels at the CHCC buildings and parking lot areas, and to interconnect the power generated through net metering to the CUC power grid.