UC San Diego Medical Center is on SDG&E Schedule AL-TOU with peak hours 4-9 PM weekdays. Peak demand charges are $24.71/kW vs $8.92/kW off-peak. Hospital has backup generators but administration is nervous about load shedding during patient care hours. Looking for strategies that don't compromise medical operations.
UC San Diego Medical Center time-of-use optimization
Pre-cooling sounds promising. UCSD has pretty sophisticated BMS. What kind of temperature setpoint changes did you make?
Battery storage is interesting but the upfront cost is still pretty high. We're going to try the thermal management approach first since it uses existing equipment.
Update: Implemented pre-cooling strategy starting in January. Peak demand down 220 kW average, saving about $5,400/month in peak demand charges. No complaints from facilities or medical staff.
UCSD has sophisticated energy management already but hospitals can usually shift non-critical loads. Things like laundry equipment, sterilizers, some HVAC systems. The key is identifying what can be delayed without affecting patient care.
I worked with Banner Health in Phoenix on similar issue with APS. We focused on pre-cooling strategies - run chillers extra hard during off-peak hours to build up thermal storage, then reduce cooling load during peak. Saved about 15% on demand charges without affecting patient comfort.
We dropped setpoints 2-3 degrees during off-peak hours (like midnight to 10 AM), then let temperatures drift up 1-2 degrees during peak hours. Thermal mass of the building carries you through. Never exceeded comfort ranges.
Another option is battery storage. California has good incentives through SGIP program. Hospitals are perfect for behind-the-meter storage because of their reliable load patterns and critical facility status.