Effort to Improve Energy Efficiency Launched by DOE
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) announced a new program to foster improved attention to energy efficiency at hospitals across the U.S. The program was detailed at the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) conference. Additional tools are available on the program website.
This effort recognizes that hospitals across the country are some of the most energy-intensive commercial buildings in the country. This is a particularly unique opportunity as significant hospital construction is planned between now and 2014.
The intent of the EnergySmart Hospitals effort is to encourage hospitals to utilize technologies which are energy efficient. The programmatic goal is to improve energy efficiency in hospitals that already exist by at least 20 percent. A second goal is to improve efficiency by 30 percent with respect to new construction.
In 2007, hospitals spent more than $5 billion on energy costs. Compared to other commercial buildings, hospitals have 2.5 times the energy intensity and carbo dioxide emissions. This is explained, in part, by the fact that hospitals function 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
This program is dedicated to the reduction in costs associated with energy usage. An additional benefit of these improvements in efficiency is a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The agency further notes that energy savings can be translated into more dollars for healthcare spending.
July 24, 2008 Related topics: Facilities, Trends