Durham Region's Lakeridge Health was named Green Hospital of the Year at the Green Health Care Awards at the HealthAchieve conference in early November.

The awards, which are sponsored by the Ontario Hospital Association and the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, honour environmental initiatives in the health care sector.

Lakeridge was recognized for its multifaceted Energy Retrofit Project. The project was developed with Ecosystem, an ISO-certified Canadian firm that specializes in deep energy retrofits, to improve energy efficiency at the hospital's four sites.

Features of the project include solar photovoltaic panel installation, LED lighting for the outdoor parking structure and conversion of several steam heating systems to hot water. A 1.6 megawatt cogeneration is in the works for the Oshawa site. It is expected that the project will generate more than $1.3 million in savings annually.

"The savings achieved by Lakeridge Health from this project will offer tangible benefits to the Ontario healthcare system and taxpayers," says Andre Rochette, President and CEO of Ecosystem. "We are excited to have played such a significant role in transforming the hospital to a model of 21st century energy efficiency."