Health Care
Hospital administrators find themselves in a quandary these days: how do they keep their facilities financially healthy in the face of declining reimbursements and rising costs? There are no simple answers, but energy-efficient construction and renovation can result in surprisingly large savings.
The nation's 8,000 hospitals are among our most energy-intensive commercial buildings, spending more than $5 billion annually on energy. Cutting down on energy use can have a big impact on any hospital's operating budget.
To promote energy-efficient building and renovation, the U.S. Department of Energy has launched EnergySmart Hospitals, an initiative that challenges hospitals to lessen their energy usage by 20 percent. The initiative also seeks to encourage at least 10 of the 100 new large-hospital construction projects scheduled to be completed by 2010 to improve energy performance by at least 30 percent over current standards.
Energy-Saving Tips:
- Reduce energy and maintenance costs and increase patient comfort by installing centralized energy management systems
- Save energy and water with solar water heating systems and low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets
- Reduce lighting loads by installing efficient, or replacing inefficient, fixtures
- Specify ENERGY STAR® products for administrative offices
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has facilitated the creation of the Commercial Building Energy Alliances (CBEAs), which are designed to minimize the energy and environmental impact of commercial buildings and reduce energy costs for these buildings.