Self-powering elevators, solar-powered water heaters and regenerative pool filters are just some of the “green” innovations coming to a new $73 million Wellness Center on the Thibodaux Regional Medical Center campus in Thibodaux, La., according to an article on the St. Charles Herald Guide website.

The new building has a number of 'green' features that will help it save hundreds of thousands of dollars annually, the article said.

Among these are a regenerative braking system on the elevator, which generates energy while going down that it then uses to power it going up. In addition, roughly 60 percent of the heat for the warm-water therapy pools will come from solar power, and the water system will help the center save over 700,000 gallons of water per year.

Thibodaux expects that the new building’s technologies will save it more than $145,000 annually over traditional designs.

Read the article.