Medical Energy

Over the past couple of weeks I have had the amazingly unfortunate experience of being in and out of the hospital a lot. Just to give a quick background (without too much detail), my foot got cut open while I was surfing, and a subsequent infection (the product of both bad luck and medical mishaps) rendered me without function of one of my legs for close to three weeks. The good news: I seem to be able to walk now and am making a slow, but (somewhat) sure recovery. The bad news: the medical industry is an energy mess!

First off, let’s talk about hospitals. During the past three weeks I have been into four different facilities. All of them were lit with energy inefficient light sources and chilled (even in the lobby) to astoundingly low temperatures. Not to mention, with their conventional rectangular structure, most hospitals are not conducive to air flows that play into passive warming and cooling strategies. In fact, one hospital I was in featured a glass façade in the entry way, yet had air conditioners blasting out cool air to chill what essentially was a four-story tall greenhouse.

Now doesn’t that seem silly?

Plus, most hospitals have flat roves, simply because of their design and structure. However, although some of these roofs are for medical helicopters (which I must say are pretty cool), the majority of them are simply covered with black tar/ shingly.

When we are pumping AC like crazy into a facility to cool it, doesn’t it seem a bit ridiculous that we have flat black roves?

Now, I realize that my injuries occurred in September, which is a hot month and of course the HVAC was cranking to accommodate for this fact. However, it doesn’t take a LEED designer to realize that something is off with the system.

Not to mention medical equipment. WOW. I had to get an MRI on my foot, those things take a small power plant to run! It is extraordinary. Not to mention, they also have associated cooling systems that must draw nearly as must energy as the machine itself.

It goes without saying that in the world of medicine, energy conservation should not come before quality levels. When we are talking about providing care, I agree that most of the time we should forget about the energy levels directly associated in order to get the maximum out of our technical capacity. But little things really could go a long way.

In the world of medicine, where there is a constant battle of finances between hospitals, insurers, and patients, wouldn’t it make sense to cut costs on the little ‘overhead’ items such as the energy bill?

In searching for how hospitals can save electricity and energy, I came across this presentation from University of Illinois. It’s pretty informative on not only the issues driving up costs, but also on strategies to reduce electrical draw. http://smartenergy.arch.uiuc.edu/pdf%5CPresentations%5CSEDAC%20Energy%20Saving%20in%20Hospitals%20Springfield%20Mar%202009.pdf

Hopefully more medical facilities, both hospital and otherwise will realize the necessity of reducing electrical draw, before a different prescription is needed.

 

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