Lutheran Home at Kane Conducts Energy Audit and Ventilation Review
Contact:
Char Floravit, CEO
(814) 975-1250
Kane, Pennsylvania – June 7, 2022 – The Lutheran Home at Kane, a non-profit Continuing Care Retirement Community in rural McKean County, has received a $12,400 grant from the West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) to perform an energy audit and ventilation review of their nursing home and senior living facility.
The team from WPPSEF conducts an energy audit.
The audit is a major next step in the Lutheran Home at Kane’s strategic plan to expand services and modernize the facility to meet the growing needs of our aging and disabled population well into the future. The Lutheran Home at Kane’s strategic plan includes the deployment and promotion of sustainable energy technologies and energy efficiency to positively impact the health and well-being of residents, visitors, staff, and the planet.
The comprehensive, diagnostic energy audit and ventilation review was conducted at the Lutheran Home at Kane facility in late April by Envinity Commercial Energy Services of State College. The resulting report will assess the facility’s energy consumption and will identify ways to increase energy efficiency, decrease cost and reduce the building’s carbon footprint. A senior Envinity engineer with experience in healthcare also conducted a ventilation review. Ventilation is a core component of energy efficiency, and is also vital for air quality, reducing airborne pathogens, and improving the health and comfort of staff and residents.
As the third largest employer in Kane Borough, the Lutheran Home at Kane presents a unique opportunity for staff to learn about clean energy and energy efficiency while on the job, in a way that can help them decrease energy consumption and lower energy bills while at home.
Prior to the energy audit and ventilation review, The Lutheran Home at Kane had already taken active steps to improve energy efficiency and ventilation. The majority of the facility was upgraded to energy-efficient LED lighting several years ago, and the Lutheran Home was recently awarded a $14,700 grant from The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to improve ventilation. Kane based business Allied Systems, Inc. recently installed motorized zone values, air dampers, new thermostats and digital air temperature controls for ventilation improvement.
The team from WPPSEF conducts an energy audit.
Planned future facility upgrades include an energy efficient commercial kitchen upgrade, expansion of the Alzheimer’s and Dementia unit, expanded surgical and rehabilitation rooms, and a spiritual chapel for residents, families, and staff.
Addressing issues identified in the audit conducted by Envinity will enable the Lutheran Home at Kane to more effectively plan for these energy efficiency improvements, and to explore sustainable building practices, the potential for renewable energy sources, and other conservation initiatives.
Said Char Floravit, CEO of the Lutheran Home, “We are grateful to WPPSEF for their support of the Lutheran Home at Kane and our energy audit and ventilation review. WPPSEF is helping us all build a culture of energy sustainability in the rural PA Wilds region. While nursing homes have faced tremendous hardships in recent years, our team is undaunted and building for the future. We care for our rural region’s most vulnerable residents. We must ensure our facility and team are resilient and ready to face future challenges, whether from a changing climate, severe weather events, energy supply interruptions, or future pandemics. We believe our residents and staff deserve the very best, and that energy innovation can happen in rural places.”
The West Penn Power Sustainable Energy Fund (WPPSEF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that invests in the deployment of sustainable energy technologies that benefit West Penn Power ratepayers in Pennsylvania. WPPSEF investments are focused in three broad categories:
Deployment of sustainable and clean energy technologies;
Deployment of energy efficiency and conservation technologies; and
Facilitating economic development, environmental betterment, and public education as they relate to sustainable energy deployment in the WPP service region.
Visit WPPSEF online for further information.
About The Lutheran Home at Kane
The Lutheran Home at Kane (LHK) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit social ministry that serves our rural region’s most vulnerable residents – the elderly, sick and recovering – with quality and compassionate care for over 55 years. LHK has achieved the designation of a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) – spanning services from retirement to end of life. LHK’s facilities include a 90-bed skilled nursing home, a 33-bed personal care facility and six independent-living cottages, located on a 25-acre forested plot of land in rural McKean County, surrounded by the Allegheny National Forest. The Lutheran Home is the third largest employer in Kane, Pennsylvania, employing over 140 people. The level of care at LHK is such that the organization consistently maintains a 4-out-of-5-star rating by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid.
