Energy & Water

Commercial buildings, and especially Hospitals, are a major source of energy consumption in the United States. The two most common sources of energy for commercial buildings and hospitals are purchased electricity and the direct consumption of natural gas or petroleum for heating and hot water. Mount Sinai has major improvements in its infrastructure to reduce energy use and electrify operations as much as feasible.

In 2022, Mount Sinai Health System signed the White House Health Sector Climate Pledge, committing to a 50% reduction in Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050 based on a 2005 baseline.

In 2009, the New York City Mayor’s Office launched the New York City Carbon Challenge, a long-term sustainability program to reduce emissions from buildings in NYC. Mount Sinai joined the Challenge, pledging along with ten other large hospital organizations to voluntarily reduce their building-based emissions by 30 percent or more by 2019. Mount Sinai has achieved its initial goal for a 30% reduction from its 2005 emissions levels.

These are some of the ways we are saving energy:

• Control energy use in unoccupied spaces.
• Maintain equipment.
• Check for air and water leaks.
• Cogeneration—using one energy source to produce power and usable heat.
• Data center efficiency. Mount Sinai has implemented the ASHACE program to identify problem areas and ultimately reduce the energy demand for data centers.
• Follow LEED guidelines in construction, verified by the US Green Building Council.