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Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin
The Challenge
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To address continuing demand for its services, the health care network has a number of expansion and renovation projects scheduled for completion in 2020. The health network’s three hospitals have 784 staffed beds, nearly 40,000 annual admissions and more than 930,000 annual outpatient visits. |
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The expansion required new plumbing for the touch-free electronic faucets. The hospital considered and rejected battery-powered faucets, concerned that they wouldn’t be reliable enough, especially if the faucets are not used regularly. Installing electricity and wiring to power hard-wired faucets, on the other hand, would cost more and take longer than battery- powered faucets.
“It was definitely a challenge,” says Scott Altenberger, Project Manager, Plant Operations for the hospital. “We would have to bring in additional power just for the faucets. Plus, we also needed the ability to monitor their performance and functioning on a regular basis to maintain hand-washing and hygiene standards.”
Altenberger needed wireless, self-sustaining faucets that saved installation costs, energy, and water and were easy to install in tight spaces. In addition, the faucets had to be ADA compliant and meet drinkability standards, low-lead requirements, and current building codes.
The Solution
Altenberger and Froedtert Hospital selected HyTronic® faucets with a Self Sustaining Power System (SSPS), from Chicago Faucets.
The SSPS uses the flow of water to create and store power: a cross-flow water turbine generates the necessary power, providing optimal power generation even at low flow rates. There is no need to replace batteries, supply backup batteries, or wire the faucet to the building’s power supply. Even after long terms of non-use the unit activates the faucet and generates power.
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| HyTronic® faucets with gooseneck spout | E-Tronic®40 faucets with SSPS |
Fifty-three deck-mounted HyTronic® faucets with gooseneck spouts were installed in the patient areas of the North Tower and West Hospital building. The faucets feature a water-saving, hygienic 1.5 gpm (5.7 L/min) laminar flow. Eight E-Tronic®40 faucets with SSPS and a 0.5 gpm (1.9 L/min) flow rate were installed in the public restroom areas for even more water savings. Thanks to the SSPS from Chicago Faucets, Froedtert Hospital saved about $35,000 in electrical wiring costs.
Chicago Faucets Commander™, a handheld programming unit, is compatible with HyTronic and E-Tronic faucets. Using Commander, maintenance personnel can enable unique modes like Clean Mode, Scrub Mode, or Water Saver Mode, customizing each faucet for its environment or unique application requirements. Data can be transferred from Commander to a PC, allowing the creation of usage reports and maintenance records.
“Monitoring the faucets is easy using the Commander. We can scan the faucets many times a day and provide the maintenance or repair needed to keep the units running. And through usage history we can gauge where future units should be installed or if units are not being used and assess the reasons,” says Altenberger.
The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) has recognized Froedert Hospital through its Energy Efficiency Challenge (E2C) program for the reduction of energy consumption. As part of the program – and to encourage frequent handwashing – Froedtert Hospital placed a plaque above each faucet that reads:
For additional information, contact The Chicago Faucet Company at 2100 South Clearwater Drive, Des Plaines, IL 60018, or call 800-323-5060. You can also visit Chicago Faucets at www.chicagofaucets.com.
Chicago Faucets Commitment to Conservation and Sustainability
Chicago Faucets has a long-standing commitment to water conservation and sustainability. An extensive product offering incorporates low-flow outlets, adjustable metering cartridges, and most recently our line of HyTronic® sensor- operated faucets. All of these products help to conserve water by limiting the flow rate and controlling operation time. Chicago Faucets makes products that are designed to last as long as the building. A product built to last means fewer replacements and less waste from replacing an inferior product. At Chicago Faucets, we truly believe that quality can have a lasting impact on our natural resources by extending the replacement timeline and reducing manufacturing processes.
Chicago Faucets is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council, developer of The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.™ Chicago Faucets also partners with WaterSense®, a program sponsored by the EPA, and promotes water efficiency by enhancing the market for water efficient products, programs, and practices. We are also a charter sponsor of the Alliance for Water Efficiency, a non- profit organization dedicated to the efficient and sustainable use of water.
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The Chicago Faucet Company 2100 South Clearwater Drive Des Plaines, IL 60018
Phone: 847/803-5000 Fax: 847/298-3101
Technical: 800/832-8783 www.chicagofaucets.com
