An energy study at Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center, in Vancouver, Wash., may have a national impact on the future of hospital design. The study confirms that, in many hospitals, heating systems use the most energy. The study also has some surprising results, namely that imaging equipment and hot water account for much less energy use than had been thought.
Study partners were the University of Washington's Integrated Design Lab and Eugene, Ore.-based SOLARC Architecture & Engineering Inc. The UW project team worked with Legacy Health officials to monitor energy use at the hospital during a one-month period in the winter of 2011. The detailed information on how hospitals use energy will be helpful in reducing energy use in other healthcare facilities.
The study received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy, through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance's BetterBricks Initiative.
Read the full article in Site Selection Magazine here.