City of Hope’s environmentally friendly policies have drawn praise — and a rebate — from one of the nation’s largest utility companies.

Kamran Mirza (Courtesy of Kamran Mirza)

Through its Healthcare Energy Efficiency Program, Southern California Edison (SCE) recently recognized the institution’s efforts to significantly reduce energy consumption. The program offers cash incentives for energy-saving retrofits of hospitals and medical office buildings, in a bid to promote green programs.

“City of Hope is an example of what local businesses can do to promote and initiate energy efficiency,” said Steve Sullivan, director of SCE’s Government and Institutions of the Business Customer Division. “By working together, we can assist our customers in making smarter, cleaner energy choices by conserving energy and taking advantage of our rebate programs, thereby saving money and reducing their carbon footprint.”

The program that garnered the SCE recognition, City of Hope’s Server Virtualization Initiative, drastically cut the institution’s computing energy needs by making networked computers more efficient.

Staff in Information Technology Services eliminated a group of redundant servers, cutting the number of servers from 142 to seven — a 95 percent reduction. That saves City of Hope more than 877,000 kilowatt-hours and eliminates more than 380 tons of greenhouse-gas emissions each year. The institution now saves more than $70,000 annually in energy bills through the initiative.

“City of Hope understands the value of energy efficiency, and we constantly seek ways to effectively manage our energy consumption and conserve our environmental resources,” said Kamran Mirza, director of infrastructure services in the Information Technology Services Department.

“We saved significant energy costs by reducing the need for power,” he said. “As a result, Southern California Edison awarded significant rebates to City of Hope, which we can reinvest into comprehensive patient care.”