Eneration: Empowering the Next Generation of Sustainable Success
Team that made Gundersen Health System the nation’s first energy-independent health system is set to scale their impact.
A new company named Eneration has launched to provide leadership in energy sustainability services, radically efficient construction, and renewable energy generation in the healthcare industry.
Seed Round Funding Complete
Eneration has successfully closed its seed funding round, securing investment from the Idea Fund and Edge, the investment arm of Bellin and Gundersen Health Systems. "As more health systems recognize the importance of addressing their carbon footprint, Eneration offers a proven model that not only meets this overdue need but also enhances patient outcomes and lowers costs," said Jonathon Horne, Managing Director of the Idea Fund. "As they scale, they have the potential to make a substantial impact in reducing the carbon footprint of the healthcare industry."
Built for Healthcare
Eneration has Bellin and Gundersen Health System – and the system’s new brand, Emplify Health – as its first strategic partner. Alan Eber, who helped build Gundersen’s sustainability program more than a decade ago, is Eneration’s Chief Executive Officer.
“Bellin and Gundersen and the brand they are becoming, Emplify Health, is the sustainable energy leader in U.S. healthcare, achieving unheard-of success in care quality and cost savings,” Alan shares. “Eneration is born from decades of success helping health systems across the country execute bold, sustainable energy initiatives, which
also improve their margins. We can now more rapidly advance the goals of dramatically reducing the cost of healthcare and improving the health of the world around us.”1
Critical Innovation for the Nation’s Health
Healthcare generates significate harmful emissions causing adverse health effects. Inadvertently, many health systems’ in-actions with energy sustainability are direct contradictions to their mission and oath to do no harm:
Healthcare represents 8.5% of US carbon emissions (Decarbonizing the U.S. Health Sector — A Call to Action | New England Journal of Medicine (nejm.org).
Disease burden from healthcare emissions is 388,000 DAILY (Health Care Pollution And Public Health Damage In The United States: An Update | Health Affairs)
Creating Eneration is an opportunity to greatly expand what Bellin and Gundersen has already achieved with intentional sustainability investment: 80% emission reduction, approximately $5 million in annual energy cost savings, and unmatched (in healthcare) renewable energy and sustainability infrastructure and expertise.
Eneration has bold goals over the next 10 years:
Reduce energy demand in U.S. healthcare by 75 trillion Btu energy usage (Example: 75 trillion Btus represents a 10% reduction in the U.S. healthcare energy consumption.)
Remove $1 billion in expense from U.S. healthcare
Eliminate 5 million tons of carbon dioxide generation in U.S. healthcare (Example: 5 million tons of CO2 would be equivalent to removing 1.1 million cars from U.S. roads)
Innovation opportunity helps bring Eneration to life
Edge, Bellin and Gundersen’s innovation brand, helped build on the health system’s success to identify Eneration as a spin off opportunity for the organization.
“Edge’s launch of Eneration leverages our health system’s sustainability innovation excellence and outcomes to exponentially lift the healthcare industry’s contribution to building more sustainable communities,” says Bill Farrell, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, Emplify Health. “The Eneration team is proven and poised to demonstrate immediate value to its healthcare system customers and partners.”
Born From Healthcare brings understanding
“Because everyone on our Eneration team has worked and led in various roles within healthcare, we understand the unique challenges and opportunities facing healthcare. We know about tight margins, staff burnout, and having more patients than beds, says Laura Olson, Chief Business Development Officer, Eneration.
With this deep understanding of healthcare operations, Eneration can help healthcare systems achieve their sustainability goals while advancing patient care and safety.
“We also know how dedicated healthcare leaders, providers and workers are in providing care for their patients,” Alan shares. “Patient care is our top priority, and partnering with health systems like Bellin and Gundersen is how we can improve health for everyone and help reduce costs; it’s a win-win.”