Hospitals serve thousands of patients, visitors, and employees – 24/7, 365 days a year.

Because of this they use a massive amount of energy.

High-power lighting in operating rooms, air exchange, filtration, it all adds up.

Because of the vast amounts of energy consumed, hospitals make the perfect candidate for energy-efficiency measures, renewable implementation, and a tailored energy strategy.

Lighting, space heating, and water heating are particularly good targets (as they can make up to 65% of total energy use).

Keep reading to find out how improving your hospital’s energy strategy can help to save money, improve patient care, and strengthen your organisation.

Energy use in hospitals

In inpatient care facilities, cooling, ventilation, and lighting use the most electricity annually. For natural gas consumption, heating interior spaces and water heating are the main sinks.

But aside from this, MRI scanners, dialysis machines, x-ray machines, and heart rate monitors all need a constant stream of energy to run 24/7. Lights in hospitals stay on around the clock and so too does air conditioning and refrigeration units.

With budgets always getting tighter and energy costs continuing to rise, all of this consumption can represent an ever more significant cost. Volatile energy markets will make any savings now much more important in the years to come.

One thing in particular that many hospitals do have is an excess of roof space, so how could this be better used?

Solar PV helps save on energy bills

As solar photovoltaics continue to get cheaper (falling 70% between 2010-14) and continuing in the same direction, government support has generally tailed off.

This does not mean that solar PV no longer offers good value for money.

In fact, the main benefit for turning to solar energy is that it is a cheaper way of getting in electricity than buying from energy suppliers directly. Even after grid charges and policy costs, a solar system with a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) will almost certainly provide you with considerably cheaper energy.

There are government schemes such as the Feed-in Tariff that will pay a set amount per unit of energy created – handy for cutting costs further. Caps on deployment can make this scheme a little hard to qualify for and low rates don’t provide a hefty argument for a business-motivated pursuit of solar PV.

But for hospitals this should not matter as they are far more likely than other customers to achieve

‘the holy grail’ of solar PV installations.

Complete 100% self-consumption.

Other commercial buildings may only use between 50-70 percent of the power that they generate as they are closed on the weekends and on holidays. Hospitals do not have this luxury and the high power demand remains constant, seven days a week.

This certainly provides a hefty business-motivated argument for solar PV.

Now you only need a qualified energy expert to walk you through the next steps…

Why you need an energy consultant

If you decide to press ahead with a solar installation, it is almost always worth engaging the services of an energy consultant who is able to walk you through the complexities and draft technical specification documents.

Consultants will often liase with installers directly as well as inspect the final product prior to a handover, giving you peace of mind.

If you do feel like going it alone, then we have curated a list of questions or things to ask from your installer:

• Ask to see sample risk assessments and method statements from previous similar projects
• Ask to see design statements covering things like lightning protection and how fire risks will be minimised and managed
• Obtain confirmation that the roof will be assessed and signed off by a qualified structural engineer
• Ask to see samples of all structural and structural design assessments undertaken for similar projects and confirmation they will actually be provided for the project in question
• Require detailed justification of the system as designed including component selection
• If the operatives working on-site will be directly employed or subcontracted, and if they will be DBS checked
• Confirmation that the contractor will obtain permission to connect to the grid and ensure that this will be provided before works commence
• Confirmation of what kind of system monitoring will be provided to ensure no faults – and consider also using a public display

Why is energy efficiency important for hospitals?

Simply put, energy efficiency helps to reduce costs – contributing to better economic management of your hospital and a better commitment to caring for the environment. Growing energy consumption (particularly in cities) offers many avenues to improve energy efficiency. From the smallest of gestures that across scale make a huge difference, to adapting and implementing major infrastructure upgrades.

It is particularly important for hospitals to improve their energy efficiency due to the unnaturally high and consistent consumption of energy. The lighting, heating, air conditioning, security systems, monitoring, elevators, cleaning, sterilisation, and operating rooms work 24-hours a day 365 days a year.

So, how do you improve the energy efficiency of hospitals?

Any improvements would reduce energy costs massively, benefiting the economic and environmental management of the hospital. There are three main groups of measures that can be implemented to achieve efficient energy management in hospitals.

Simple, no investment measures

Controlling the opening of windows and doors between spaces with different temperatures.
Periodic revision and maintenance of the boiler.
Periodic revision and maintenance of the air conditioning system, including the restoration of leaks of cooling liquid.

Pause of hot water circulation in periods where there is no demand.
Installation of low consumption light wherever possible.
Use of electronic energy saving equipment

Simple, low investment measures

Replacement of conventional metal doors and windows that have considerable heat bridges with others made up of sustainable materials.

Upgrade of the heating insulation surfaces of boilers.
Clean condenser pipes in water-cooled systems.
Optimized redesign of the ventilation pipe system.
Minimization of exterior lighting and use of timers.

 Complex, high investment reconstruction actions

Thermal insulation of exterior walls, roof, floors.
Installation of separate boiler for covering the needs during summer.
Production of cold water in coolers of air conditioning through solar energy or biomass.
Replacement of common manual faucets with faucets controlled by photocell.
Heat recovery from the condensates with heat exchanger.

Systems for improvement of the quality of the power supplied, both current and voltage.

The long-term solution – Why Healthcare and Energy Brokerage go Hand-in-Hand      

One thing that is universal with all types of healthcare is the long hours and demanding nature of the job.      

It is unthinkable for most to deal with energy procurement and strategy on top of their already vast daily responsibilities. Dealing with suppliers, complex calculations, paperwork, long phone calls, complex jargon, and even more paperwork…      

We don’t blame you.      

Wouldn’t it be nice to have someone on your side to alleviate the load when it comes to energy?       

That’s when partnering with an energy procurement specialist comes in handy. Acting as a knowledgeable consultant for everything energy, they’ll keep you on the best possible energy contract available to you. Saving you money and time to spend on whatever else you’d rather be doing.      

Energy Solutions by Us, for You            

At a time of great uncertainty in global energy markets, it is easy to feel lost in it all.          

Keeping up to date with developing situations and the associated ramifications is a tricky and time-consuming job. It is also one that is not likely a priority for you and your business.         

So, what do you do?          

You partner with energy procurement experts to take the load off your desk.        

Energy Solutions have been trusted brokers for countless businesses for over twenty years, which means we know how to navigate the energy markets during a time of uncertainty.      

Website: https://www.energybrokers.co.uk/      

Email: nick@energybrokers.co.uk      

Call Us: 0131 610 1688      

WhatsApp: 07757 400 788