Ice batteries cool hospitals, lower energy costs

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Norton Audubon Hospital uses ice batteries to provide cooling and reduce electricity costs.

System freezes 74,000 gallons of water nightly to chill operating rooms and patient areas.

Ice battery technology cuts $278,000 in annual energy costs and nearly $4 million since 2016.

Growing demand from commercial buildings and data centers highlights sustainable energy potential.

Every night some 74,000 gallons (280,000 liters) of water are frozen at Norton Audubon Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. The hospital used to get all of its air conditioning from a conventional system found in most U.S. buildings, but now 27 tanks of ice sustain a network of cold-water pipes keeping operating rooms at safe temperatures and patients comfortable.

This type of thermal energy s