The 2021 Hospital Energy and Water Benchmarking Survey by Grumman|Butkus Associates found that U.S. hospitals’ use of fossil fuels is declining since the inception of the annual survey 25 years ago, but electricity use is dipping more slowly.
The average combined Btu/ft2 (electricity plus gas/steam) for participating facilities was 236,743 in this year’s survey, up from 233,491 in 2019. “However, interpretation of year-to-year trends should be tempered by the realization that the respondent pool for the 2021 survey was different from the pool from the 2020 edition, due to the stresses that COVID-19 response placed on the healthcare facility personnel who normally participate, particularly during 2019,” according to a news release.
Hospitals’ average carbon footprint has remained fairly steady at 50 to 60 pounds of CO2 equivalent per square foot per year since GBA began calculating carbon data in 1999. CO2 footprint in 2020 was up from a low in 2019 (likely attributable to a change in respondents for the 2020 survey), but still shows an 18% decrease from 2018.
“To meet the ambitious goals put forth by the Biden Administration, hospitals will have to achieve much more significant reductions in the near term,” says GBA-Illinois Chairman Dan Doyle. “These reductions can only be achieved by implementing larger and more costly retrofits of existing buildings.
“The drive to decarbonize will also require building owners to embrace fuel switching to renewable-based energy sources. Many leading healthcare systems are implementing on-site renewables (usually solar photovoltaic systems), as well as off-site renewables, often funded through Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) to purchase some or all of their electricity.”
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Dec 13, 2016
How healthcare systems can reduce financial risk with developer-owned hospitals
When entering a new market, the financial risk can be magnified to the point that the investment – although critical to a system’s future – becomes unpalatable to a governing board.
Sponsored | Flooring | Dec 7, 2016
Reading Hospital expansion project saves two months in construction schedule thanks to nora nTx
Construction delays are common with projects as large as the $354 million Reading Hospital expansion. Maybe that’s why construction manager Jeff Hutwelker, project executive with LF Driscoll Co., LLC, was so pleased with his nora® experience. By Hutwelker’s estimates, nora nTx saved approximately two months in his construction schedule.
Healthcare Facilities | Nov 30, 2016
Utilizing real estate to build physician networks
How hospitals can partner with their doctors to build an ambulatory network.
Healthcare Facilities | Nov 10, 2016
Prescription for success: Managing technology in the design of healthcare facilities
While the benefits of intelligently deployed technology are abundantly clear to both designers and healthcare end-users, it’s no simple task to manage the integration of technology into a building program.
Public Health Labs | Nov 3, 2016
Cutting-edge microscope facility opens on UMass Medical’s campus
Design and construction met rigorous requirements for sound, vibration, and temperature controls.
Healthcare Facilities | Oct 31, 2016
A world unbuilt: The moral implications of design
The communications challenges don’t even begin to compare to the inherent challenges of designing for a developing nation, writes CannonDesign's Michael McManus.
Sponsored | Healthcare Facilities | Oct 26, 2016
Rx for noise control at Virginia hospital: Large dose of acoustical ceilings
A myriad of acoustical ceiling solutions aid in patient comfort and recuperation.
Sponsored | Healthcare Facilities | Oct 24, 2016
Cyclotron streamlines isotope production
The 70 MeV, 140-ton cyclotron was manufactured by Ion Beam Applications (IBA) in Belgium.
Industry Research | Oct 20, 2016
New book from HDR explores opportunities for how healthcare organizations can reinvent the patient experience
Delta offers a close look at specific activities and behaviors that can help healthcare providers and caregivers discover revolutionary concepts to help them embrace and thrive in the rapid change that surrounds them.
Lighting | Oct 6, 2016
Healthcare systems lighting their way to savings
There has been a rapid improvement and availability of LED products as primary light sources in most healthcare facility applications.
