Full Title: Boston Medical Center: New England’s Largest Safety-Net Hospital Installs Energy Storage
Author(s): Gabe Epstein, Anna Adamsson, and Todd Olinsky-Paul
Publisher(s): Clean Energy Group
Publication Date: April 14, 2025
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
A battery storage installation at Boston Medical Center demonstrates how hospitals can integrate energy storage into an efficiency or sustainability program to better manage peak demand and lower costly demand charges. The project is profiled in this case study by Clean Energy Group.
Boston Medical Center (BMC) is the largest and busiest trauma and emergency services center in New England. Over 50% of its patients come from underserved populations. As a safety net hospital, BMC serves all patients who come through its doors, including those without insurance and those who are publicly insured.
In 2022, BMC installed a 572 kW battery energy storage system and connected it to their cooling system. Hospitals use over eleven times more electricity than any other building type, and air conditioning accounts for an average of 11% of a hospital’s energy use. Prior to its installation, BMC faced over $1 million in energy capacity and transmission costs per year. Now, they expect the battery to save them over $130,000 a year on utility bills: selling stored energy back to the utility during times of peak demand via the Massachusetts ConnectedSolutions program accounts for $80,000 in annual savings, avoiding energy transmission and distribution charges accounts for another $40,255, and peak demand savings account for the remaining $17,250. These savings can be redirected to support patient care.