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Exterior illustration of Heywood Hospital at night, showing a red-brick building labeled ‘Watkins Center for Emergency & Acute Care,’ a covered entrance, an American flag on a pole, and a ‘Heywood Hospital’ sign in the foreground.

A healthier hospital for patients and the planet

Heywood Hospital had a clear vision: better care, smoother operations, and less impact on the environment. The good news? With energy performance contracting, the upgrades pay for themselves – and with Siemens, the hospital found the right partner to make it all happen.

Better care. Smaller footprint

For Heywood Hospital, caring for the community goes beyond treating patients. This 134-bed, community-owned hospital in Gardner, MA, serves almost 60,000 people a year and is now working to make its operations as healthy as the care it provides, with a focus on energy efficiency and sustainability.

For Heywood Hospital, this 134-bed, community-owned hospital in Gardner, MA, serves almost 60,000 people a year.
A large, three-story red brick medical building with the Heywood Hospital sign in the foreground. An American flag flies on a tall pole in front of the center of the building, and several green and reddish-purple trees are planted along the sidewalk. The sky is overcast and grey.

Caring for Patients and the Planet

Heywood Hospital boosts sustainability with energy-efficient upgrades, cutting costs while supporting patient care.

Investing in care for people and the planet

A stylized illustration on a dark blue background depicting digital facility management. A man in a bright teal shirt sits at a laptop, connected via green data lines to a simplified hospital building icon. To the right, three colorful square icons represent monitoring categories: temperature (thermometer), ventilation (fan), and power (electric plug). The scene is accented with abstract purple shapes and teal dots.

Heywood Hospital’s leadership wanted to make the facility smarter, more eco-friendly, and more sustainable. The biggest lever: tackling its aging infrastructure and securing funding for crucial energy upgrades. In 2020, they approved a $14 million investment in vital infrastructure and energy-savings upgrades, including a new central utility plant. This is projected to save $6.5 million over ten years, enabling Heywood to keep delivering the high-quality care the community relies on.

A more efficient hospital funded by its own savings

To turn its vision into reality, Heywood Hospital partnered with Siemens to tackle the biggest challenge first: replacing its 50-year-old central utility plant. The $14 million project began with essential infrastructure improvements as foundation for new systems that enhance performance in every corner of the hospital, from energy-efficient lighting and smarter controls to water-saving measures and better energy practices. Thanks to an Energy Performance Contract, the investment pays for itself, with savings covering the costs while the hospital stays focused on patients and the community.

A stylized illustration representing sustainable healthcare on a dark blue background. A white hospital building with a red cross sits in the foreground, surrounded by teal trees. In the background, a purple Earth globe is visible, overlaid with green icons representing environmental initiatives: a sprout (nature), a water droplet (conservation), and a recycling symbol. Purple geometric accents and green dots decorate the space around the icons.

Better care means better sustainability

At Heywood Hospital, caring for patients also means caring for the world they live in. Together with Siemens, the hospital brought this vision to life – delivering exceptional care while running efficient operations with minimal environmental impact. The upgrades are projected to save $6.5 million in energy costs over ten years, boosting efficiency and sustainability – and making Heywood a model for community hospitals with limited budgets to achieve their sustainability goals.

2.25M USD energy and utility cost savings

4.25M USD operations and maintenance cost savings

49.9M USD in overall hospital debt refinanced with Siemens