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

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

Case Study:

Mercy Medical Center, Roseburg, OR (2000 – 2004)

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

Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

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

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
EnergySmart Hospitals

•	 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

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).

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

or

Pat LeDonne

pat.ledonne@ee.doe.gov

August 2008

www.eere.energy.gov/buildings/energysmarthospitals