San Francisco Medical Building Moves Into 21st Century with Energy Efficiency Upgrades

Pan-Med Enterprises, located in the prestigious Pacific Professional Building in San Francisco, has been serving the health needs of the Bay Area since 1984. Although the building was considered state-of-the-art when it first opened, it had not been updated since then.

Tony Najera, a veteran Pan-Med engineer and recently appointed Building Manager, recognized there was an opportunity to bring his building into the 21st century with modern, energy-efficient equipment updates. As soon as he took charge of the building’s energy management, Najera rolled out a complete overhaul project focused on achieving the company’s long-term energy goals while increasing occupant and patient comfort.

“When my board asked me about my five-year energy savings plan, I told them we can get it done in two years with the help of PG&E,” said Najera.

Due to the building’s expansive footprint, financing a complete energy overhaul out-of-pocket would not be feasible. Working closely with his PG&E account manager John Storm, and energy solutions company Gridium, Najera quickly put together a plan that outlined $2.6M worth of equipment upgrades to maximize energy and money savings. This planning enabled Pan-Med Enterprises to retrofit the whole building with PG&E’s 0% interest On-Bill Financing Program, and pay for the total project cost with monthly energy savings and no out-of-pocket costs.

Once the project plan was complete and the On-Bill Financing loan was approved, PG&E trade pro partner Gridium worked with design and construction partner NuWave Energy Solutions to install LED lighting, variable frequency drives, HVAC controls, and a smart building automation system to monitor and manage it all. All the work was done while the building was occupied, with no effect on Pan-Med’s operations.

Since completion, Pan-Med is saving 30% of electricity usage and 60% of gas usage, bringing in $270,000/994,000 kWh in yearly energy savings — meaning they can turn their focus back to caring for the members of their community.