One of 22 Shriners Hospitals across the country offering specialized, intensive treatment to children with serious orthopedic issues at no cost, the Erie, Pa., Shriners Hospital can now save money on its utility bill and help more kids. It is all due to a recently won $250,000 grant that will help the hospital save $62,000 in annual utility costs by improving the hospital’s lighting, air handling and boiler systems.

The money came to PA Conservation Works!, an energy grant program, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. Grants were awarded to facilities that proposed energy-saving projects resulting in a 25 percent or more reduction in energy use. Shriners Hospital came up a winning proposal with energy savings of 36 percent.

The project will cut the hospital’s electrical energy use by 315,367 kilowatt-hours per year, reduce the consumption of natural gas by 3,380 million cubic feet per year and will prevent the use of 28,000 gallons of water annually by reducing the operation level of the hospital’s humidifier.