How You Can Complete an Energy Audit in Your Healthcare Facility

On average, hospitals in the U.S spend $8.3 billion on their energy bills annually. These energy costs are so huge that they can have a big impact on a budget. Here we look at the benefits of completing an energy audit in your healthcare facility and how you can ensure it runs safely.

Energy Use in Healthcare Facilities

In most commercial buildings, energy costs outweigh any other outgoing costs and lighting is usually the main reason for this. For that reason, many healthcare facility owners and managers look at targeting their light usage as a way to save money. Healthcare facilities are unable to raise costs if energy usage becomes a problem and so, many turn to energy audits as a solution. Operating more efficiently could save thousands, if not millions of dollars a year in energy costs.

Energy Audits Explained

Energy audits are carried out by professionals who can determine how energy is being used throughout the healthcare facility and then identify any areas for improvement. Basically, they see where the highest costs are and offer solutions to cut energy costs down. Energy audits can be run on anything from air conditioning to lighting, with lighting being the most common. A professional audit is worth the initial upfront cost, as they will provide you with energy-efficient solutions that will save you money for years to come. Many commercial energy audits will offer the option of improving insulation, reducing costs in heating and cooling. Energy usage audits are well worth the investment for any healthcare facility looking to improve their energy usage. 

Challenges for Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare is a 24/7 practice, meaning some facilities don’t close at all and may always have patients in the rooms. If you want to run an energy audit in your healthcare facility, a lot of planning is involved to minimize the stress on patients and workers. Anybody coming to inspect the facility must comply with any infection control and PPE should be provided. As many healthcare facilities and hospitals are expanded over the years, there may be several buildings with systems that aren’t integrated, meaning more time will need to be spent on the energy audit for each individual system.

Best Practices for Healthcare Facilities

No matter the obstacles, healthcare facilities can perform an energy usage audit and make improvements, as long as there is a detailed schedule and patients are always considered. Wherever possible, ensure outside workers have minimal contact with patients, and consent must be gained from patients if workers need to be in their rooms. Once a room has been upgraded, it should be cleaned and sterilized before use. Finding contractors who have worked in healthcare facilities before is an advantage.

Healthcare facilities are perhaps one of the highest energy consumers worldwide. As most healthcare facilities are open 24/7 and healthcare relies greatly on technology, these costs are inevitable. Completing an energy audit and changing the way your healthcare facility consumes energy will lower these costs annually.