Grumman/Butkus Associates, a firm of energy efficiency consultants and sustainable design engineers, recently released the results of itsĀ 2019 Hospital Energy and Water Benchmarking Survey,Ā focusing on healthcare facilitiesā resource usage trends and costs for calendar year 2018.
Since G/BA initiated the survey more than 20 years ago, hospitalsā overall fossil fuel use has trended downward, but electricity use isnāt declining as much. The average combined Btu/ft2Ā (electricity plus gas/steam) for participating facilities was 245,258 in this yearās survey, up from 241,733 in CY2017.
Square-foot prices for gas/steam fell modestly ($0.74 in 2918, compared with $0.75 in 2017), but square-foot prices for electricity climbed rose sharply ($2.57 in 2018, compared with $2.41 in 2017). The overall result is that hospitalsā total ft2Ā costs for energy (gas/steam plus electric) increased: $3.31 for 2018, compared with $3.16 for 2017.
Hospitalsā average carbon footprint has remained fairly steady at 50 to 60 pounds of CO2Ā equivalent per ft2Ā per year since G/BA began calculating carbon data in 1999. āIf we are going to address the very daunting issue of climate change, the healthcare industry must make greater strides in reducing its carbon footprint,ā says Dan Doyle, G/BA Chairman. āAs the trend data shows, not enough progress is being made so far.ā
Participating facilities displayed a broad range of usage patterns. For instance, some participants are using more than 250,000 BTU/ft2Ā in fossil fuel annually, compared with a general mid-range of facilities (about 140,000 BTU/ft2/year) and those that used least (75,000 BTU/ft2/year or less). Similarly, a few hospitals consume more than 45 kWh/ft2/year in electricity, compared with a mid-range of about 30 kWh/ft2/year. A few squeaked by with less than 18 kWh/ft2/year.
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Hospitalsā energy costs per square foot (red boxes) rose in 2018. Energy use intensity (Btu/sf/year, blue bars) has drifted downward over time but also ticked up in 2018. Chart Ā©2020 Grumman/Butkus Associates.
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āFacilities that have high unit costs for energy should view this as an opportunity,ā says Doyle. āFor example, an energy conservation project that would have a five-year payback at an āaverageā facility may have a payback of just 2.5 or 3 years at a facility with higher unit costs for energy.ā
Hospital water/sewer use is also gradually declining, currently averaging about 48 gallons per square foot per year (compared with more than 60 gallons/ ft2/year a decade ago). Costs for water/sewer are generally rising, however, now averaging $0.44 /ft2.Ā āG/BA expects the trend of rising water and sewer costs to continue,ā says Doyle. āPrice hikes not only reflect increasing costs to extract and treat the water, but also the fact that cash-strapped governmental entities may view water as a revenue source. Costs to upgrade or replace aging infrastructure are also contributing to escalating costsā
Since 1995, the G/BA survey has provided a free annual benchmarking resource. Hospitals are invited to participate by submitting responses to a short list of questions. Information for this edition was provided by 125 hospitals located in Illinois (48), Wisconsin (18), Indiana (16), Michigan (15), Texas (13), and several other states.
Full results and analysis, as well as information about participating in the 2020 survey (2019 data), are available at the firmās website:Ā grummanbutkus.com/HES. For additional information, contact Dan Doyle (ddoyle@grummanbutkus.com) or Julie Higginbotham (jhigginbotham@grummanbutkus.
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