HVAC Energy Efficiency: What MSC Found (and Fixed) at a New Jersey Hospital

The Energy Cost Context

HVAC systems account for 40 to 50 percent of total energy consumption in commercial buildings and hospitals. In industrial and manufacturing facilities, where process equipment often dominates energy use, HVAC still represents as much as 30 percent of total consumption. With New Jersey commercial electricity rates rising 41.3 percent since 2021, and natural gas sitting at $1.48 per therm as of May 2026 (up 18 percent over five years), the financial impact of underperforming HVAC systems has never been greater. Finding and fixing these inefficiencies is no longer just a maintenance matter. It is a financial one.

With peak summer cooling loads now here, the timing matters. Lower-than-normal mechanical cooling demands during an unusually cool spring gave MSC technicians and engineers a clear view across service calls: energy-saving features in HVAC systems were either not functioning at all or not operating as designed. The pattern was consistent enough to warrant a closer look,  and the results at one hospital facility make the case for why every facility manager should be asking the same questions right now.

Hospital Case Study: Energy Recovery and BMS Optimization

MSC was called in to evaluate why AHU economizers at a northern New Jersey hospital were not performing to their potential. What began as a targeted diagnostic turned into a comprehensive energy recovery project.

The economizers were the first issue. When economizers fail, or are poorly designed, improperly installed, never commissioned, or simply never hooked up at all, buildings lose the ability to bring in free cool outside air during favorable conditions and instead rely entirely on expensive mechanical cooling. With targeted repairs and a handful of instrument replacements, the hospital was able to restore full economizer function and take advantage of free outside air cooling whenever conditions allowed. Changes were also made to the BMS sequences of operation, enabling better use of cool outside air and reducing reliance on mechanical cooling.

The energy recovery units (ERUs) were next. MSC found significant leakage and bypass around the wheels and seams, which dramatically reduces a system's ability to recover heat from exhaust air and transfer it to incoming fresh air. MSC sealed and adjusted the ERUs and cleaned the energy recovery wheels to restore maximum efficiency.

Several glycol run-around loops were also found to be circulating improperly and working with compromised heat exchange coils that could not transfer heat effectively. MSC flushed and recharged the loops with fresh glycol, hydronically balanced the systems, and cleaned the heat exchangers.

Following the diagnostic and repair work, MSC established dedicated trend logs in the BMS to monitor economizer performance and generate alerts for any anomalies requiring attention. MSC also provided the hospital's maintenance team with recommended monitoring tasks to help protect the improvements. To ensure ongoing performance, the hospital signed on for a preventive maintenance agreement with MSC, with hospital staff handling weekly and monthly monitoring and MSC providing quarterly on-site visits.

What Came Next

Encouraged by the results, the hospital's lead engineer and operations director asked MSC to investigate airflow and temperature issues in several operating rooms, as well as pressurization problems in certain isolation areas. MSC is now working on air balancing the building's exhaust and other systems to improve overall building efficiency, pressurization, and alignment with original design intent.

With energy costs at historic highs and summer cooling loads here, there is no better time to make sure your HVAC systems are running at full efficiency. MSC works with facility managers and building owners across New Jersey to find and fix the problems that drive energy bills up. Contact us today to schedule an assessment of your HVAC, process cooling, or building automation systems.