The project: Since 2014, IMEG has partnered with the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and Nebraska Medicine to advance energy efficiency, decarbonization, and building performance across their shared Omaha campus. The campus includes approximately 150 buildings totaling more than 8 million square feet and supports a complex mix of healthcare, research, education, and support functions. IMEG’s work began with development of a campus-wide Net Zero Pathway and Energy Master Plan and evolved into detailed energy studies, retro-commissioning, Performance Commissioning, and optimization of individual facilities.

The result is a long-term program connecting enterprise-level energy planning with building-level action.

The goal: UNMC and Nebraska Medicine sought a practical, financially sustainable path for reducing energy use and carbon emissions while maintaining the reliability and performance required of mission-critical healthcare and research facilities.

Key goals included:

  • Establish a long-term pathway for energy and carbon reduction
  • Support commitments associated with the HHS Healthcare Sector Climate Pledge
  • Identify and prioritize energy conservation opportunities across a large, diverse building portfolio
  • Improve system performance and operational efficiency
  • Create a repeatable process for measuring, verifying, and continuously improving results
  • Translate campus-wide sustainability goals into actionable facility-level improvements

Project scope: IMEG’s initial scope included assessment of the broader campus building portfolio, including facility master plans, capital programs, operational practices, design standards, utility sources, and existing energy performance. From this work, IMEG developed a living Energy Master Plan and Net Zero Pathway to guide ongoing investment and decision-making.

The program expanded to include energy audits and studies for 21 facilities, followed by targeted retro-commissioning, Performance Commissioning, functional performance testing, and energy optimization for several major healthcare, research, and education buildings.

Project approach: IMEG approached the engagement as an ongoing performance program rather than a one-time planning exercise. The team first evaluated the campus at the portfolio level to understand energy use, infrastructure, operational practices, planned capital improvements, and long-term facility needs. This information was used to establish priorities and create a living roadmap that could evolve as campus conditions, technologies, and financial considerations changed. The planning effort then informed deeper investigation at the building level. Energy audits and performance studies were used to identify specific opportunities for conservation, optimization, and operational improvement.

For selected facilities, IMEG worked directly with campus facilities staff to perform functional testing, diagnose system performance issues, identify root causes, and develop practical corrective measures. Energy and building performance data were then used to verify improvements and inform future priorities.

This progression created a continuous cycle of: Plan → Assess → Prioritize → Implement → Measure → Optimize

Challenges: The scale and complexity of the campus required solutions that could address both enterprise-wide goals and highly specific building conditions. Challenges included:

  • Managing energy and carbon reduction across approximately 150 buildings with different ages, uses, systems, and operating requirements
  • Maintaining critical healthcare and research environments while implementing efficiency improvements
  • Coordinating sustainability goals with capital planning, operational priorities, and available funding
  • Diagnosing complex controls and equipment issues that were not always apparent through standard commissioning processes
  • Developing recommendations that delivered measurable improvements without compromising occupant comfort, system reliability, or mission-critical operations

In some facilities, IMEG’s detailed functional testing uncovered persistent system deficiencies—including building pressure and controls issues—that required deeper investigation to identify their root causes.

Project outcome: IMEG helped UNMC and Nebraska Medicine move from high-level sustainability goals to a structured, actionable energy and decarbonization program. The Energy Master Plan provides an ongoing framework for prioritizing investment, evaluating opportunities, and advancing progress toward long-term energy and carbon reduction goals. Building-level studies and commissioning efforts have translated that strategy into tangible operational improvements across healthcare, research, and education facilities.

The partnership has helped the campus:

  • Improve building and system performance
  • Reduce energy use and operating inefficiencies
  • Identify and resolve persistent controls and equipment issues
  • Support more informed capital and operational decisions
  • Establish a repeatable process for continuous facility optimization
  • Connect enterprise sustainability strategy with measurable action at the building level

What began as a campus-wide energy planning initiative has become a long-term performance program—demonstrating how strategic planning, technical investigation, and ongoing optimization can work together to create lasting value.