August 6, 2008—The US Department of Energy (DOE) recently launched the EnergySmart Hospitals initiative, with the aim of increasing the use of energy-efficient technologies in hospitals across the US.
The EnergySmart Hospitals initiative will provide hospitals with design strategies, advanced energy design guides, technology assessments, case studies, training sessions, and an interactive Web site to help hospitals increase their energy efficiency, says DOE.
The goal of the initiative is to improve energy efficiency in existing hospitals by 20% and to help develop new hospitals that are 30% more efficient than the current building standards. EnergySmart Hospitals will also support hospitals in meeting the challenge of lowering costs while delivering quality patient care and maintaining healthy healing and work environments.
The nation’s 8,000 hospitals are among the most energy-intensive commercial buildings in the US, with more than 2.5 times the energy intensity and carbon dioxide emissions of commercial office buildings, notes the DOE. Last year, hospitals spent more than $5 billion on energy. The DOE points out that, unlike many other commercial buildings, hospitals must remain fully operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provide services during power outages, natural disasters, and other events that would force other facilities to close.
