EnergySmart Hospitals: Retrofitting Existing Facilities
 “Quick Win” Energy Efficiency Tips for Facility Managers and Operators

E

nergySmart Hospitals has developed

the following tips—on lighting, HVAC,

building envelope, and plug

loads/water efficiency—to assist hospital

facility managers and operators in getting

started on an energy management program

and producing some “quick wins” for energy­ and cost­savings, as the program builds

and strengthens.

Lighting

Begin by upgrading lighting technology in

areas that offer the best opportunity and

fastest return on investment:

•	 Upgrade all exit signs with light emitting

diodes (LED)—these can last up to 25

years

•	 Replace older T­12 fluorescent lamps with

“super” T­8 lamps and high efficiency

electronic ballasts, reducing energy usage

by 20­30 percent

•	 Eliminate incandescent lamps where feasible and replace with compact fluorescents

(CFLs) that use a quarter of the electricity

and last up to 10 times longer

•	 Install occupancy sensors in rooms that

are frequently unoccupied

•	 Investigate the use of daylighting sensors in

patient rooms and public spaces with large

window areas (lobbies, meeting rooms)

•	 Track maintenance on different types of

bulbs and ballasts to identify any consistency issues or manufacturing

problems—frequently these issues go

unnoticed and result in a significant waste

of energy and money in continuously

replacing the same fixture

•	 Consolidate lamp inventories by eliminating unnecessary bulb types (different

bulbs with same purpose); limit the addition of any new bulb types as much as

possible when renovating a facility

•	 Adopt a period of “downtime” lighting,

reducing the overall lighting levels to

allow for patients to rest while also lowering energy usage

•	 Provide “cheat sheets” with pictures and

installation instructions for different ballast and bulb types to help facility

operators with maintenance

A 286,000 square foot Trauma III hospital, Mercy underwent

several energy efficient upgrades, including replacing old

T­12 lamps with T­8 Electronic Ballasts, installing modular

condensing hot­water boilers and upgrading three old R11

chillers with two high­efficiency VFD units.

Financial Analysis:

• Project Cost: $650,000

• Annual Energy Savings: $71,300

• Reduced Maintenance Cost: $20,000

• Utility Incentives: $118,680

Mercy Medical Center

Roseburg, Oregon • 2000 – 2004

Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

HVAC

Regardless of size, a hospital’s heating,

ventilating, and air­conditioning systems

represent a large portion of energy use and

therefore energy costs. Regular monitoring

and maintenance are two important steps

toward improved energy management:

•	 Calibrate, check, and adjust thermostats

to accurately heat and cool different

building zones; implement set­back

strategies to reduce HVAC use during

low­use or unoccupied hours

•	 Look for and correct any HVAC systems

that are fighting each other with simultaneous heating and cooling, such as

humidity control fighting a static control

•	 Schedule and perform regular maintenance on key HVAC units:

–	 Clean/replace air filters and dampers

to ensure top HVAC performance

–	 Inspect ducts and pipe insulation for

damage and repair/replace as needed

•	 Improve performance of heating and

cooling systems:

–	 Clean heat transfer coils on chillers,

heat pumps, and air conditioners to

ensure high operating efficiency

–	 Monitor ΔT on the chilled water

system to determine when it needs to

be upgraded or replaced

– Maintain/repair steam traps of boilers

–	 Clean boiler tubes and combustion

surfaces of fouling

–	 Install automatic blow down controls

on boilers

Bringing you a prosperous future where energy is clean, abundant, reliable, and affordable
EnergySmart Hospitals

Building Envelope

•	 Tune up key building envelope features:

–	 Repair or replace “leaky” windows and

doors to reduce energy losses and make

sure all doors and windows close tightly

–	 Regularly check caulking and weather

stripping for leaks

•	 Keep external doors closed when

possible, especially during high­ and

low­temperature periods

•	 Provide energy efficient checklists to

ensure equipment is operating at intended energy levels

Plug Loads/Water Efficiency

•	 Reduce energy use of plug loads:

–	 Use ENERGY STAR® rated equipment (copiers, computers, printers)

–	 Enable ENERGY STAR settings, as

available, on all equipment

–	 Install vending misers on vending
 

machines
 

•	 Install insulation around domestic hot

water tanks and pipes to reduce their energy losses to the surrounding environment

•	 Train staff in more efficient operation

of cleaning equipment in kitchen and

laundry areas

•	 Investigate the use of heat exchangers to

capture heat from hot wastewater

Creating an Energy

Management Program

Hospitals can proactively manage energy use

by developing a comprehensive Energy

Management Program. Once such a program

is in place, information on energy use will generate savings from reduced utility costs that

can be redirected to mission­critical needs,

provide indicators to perform predictive maintenance and reduce equipment downtime,

and create an energy efficiency mindset that

will contribute to a more comfortable environment, promoting faster healing and

increased staff satisfaction.

Step 1: Work with upper management to

establish an Energy Management Steering

Committee with wide representation from

across the organization (maintenance and

facilities, finance, purchasing, quality assurance, medical personnel).

Creating an Energy Management Program

8. Perform

Necessary

Maintenance

7. Confirm

Performance

1. Establish Target

Energy Goals

& Baseline

Energy
 

Management
 

Model
 

6. Implement

Activities 5. Select

Activities

2. Model Energy

Consumption

& Review

3. Identify

Improvements

4. Develop

Financial

Analysis

Step 2: Help the committee develop a

strategic plan and set goals in conjunction

with hospital’s primary mission and existing

greening efforts.

Step 3: Initiate, track, and re­evaluate a

comprehensive “whole­building” energy

management program, addressing all

appropriate building systems.

Step 4: Use integrated building design

strategies in any future renovation or design

projects.

A Strong Energy Portfolio

for a Strong America

Energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy

will mean a stronger economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy independence for

America.Working with a wide array of state,

community, industry, and university partners, the

U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy

Efficiency and Renewable Energy invests in a

diverse portfolio of energy technologies.

For more information, contact:

EERE Information Center

1­877­EERE­INF (1­877­337­3463)

www.eere.energy.gov

Printed with soy ink on recycled paper 

March 2009

www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energysmarthospitals