It can be difficult to achieve HVAC energy efficiency in a single building, let alone across an entire campus. Yet that is what facility managers in the healthcare industry are tasked with doing. With facilities often spread across a city, and even sometimes involving broader regional campuses, it can be difficult for a healthcare campus to achieve HVAC energy efficiency markers.
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that healthcare facilities account for 10% of all of the commercial energy use in the United States. HVAC systems use over 50% of that energy.
In addition to their energy usage, HVAC systems present concerns for medical facility management if they are older, or not running efficiently. Poorly operating HVAC systems can have a direct effect on the indoor air quality of the facility. This can have long-term health ramifications not just for the workers in the building, but particularly for those who are in a compromised health state and are seeking care.
Complicating the situation even further is the fact that many healthcare systems did not grow organically, but came about because of mergers and acquisitions. This means that buildings may have mismatched mechanical systems. For example, one healthcare provider might be attempting to manage the HVAC systems on their campus with multiple BMS controls.
It’s obvious that the need for a healthcare campus to develop HVAC energy efficiency is important. And that doing so has a range of effects, from the bottom line up to the health and wellness of everyone who enters the space.
But where to begin? Healthcare facilities management has to contend with multiple systems all being used differently in multiple buildings which could be separated by miles. A facility manager could put up posters or talk with site managers about ways to develop energy efficiency in commercial buildings, but they won’t really know the outcome until the numbers come i’n at the end of the month.
Or they can implement a remote building automation software like ODIN. ODIN can provide healthcare facilities management with real time data and efficiency controls. It provides medical facility management with easy-to-use, cross-compatible features that can be utilized to achieve HVAC energy efficiency across the healthcare campus.
Healthcare facilities managers will be able to use ODIN to streamline their operational tasks with:
Medical facility management has to merge the needs of running an efficient system with the needs of the patients. ODIN enables you to run a facilities operations plan that focuses on both.
Connect with ODIN to discover how you can achieve HVAC energy efficiency in your healthcare system.