Grumman/Butkus Associates (G/BA), a firm of energy efficiency consultants and sustainable design engineers, has released the results of its 2014 Hospital Energy and Water Benchmarking Survey, focusing on healthcare facilities’ resource usage trends and costs for calendar year 2013.
Since the survey was initiated 20 years ago, hospitals’ overall fossil fuel use has trended downward, but electricity use isn’t declining much. The average combined Btu/ft2 for facilities in the survey (electricity plus gas/steam) was 248,456, at a cost of $3.27/sf, compared with 235,731 Btu/sf and $3.09/sf in the 2013 survey (2012 data). Harsh Midwestern winter weather patterns undoubtedly had an adverse effect on energy consumption for hospitals participating in the 2014 survey.
Carbon footprint results have stayed fairly steady over time, at about 60 pounds of CO2 equivalent per sf per year. Water use is gradually declining, currently averaging just over 50 gallons per square foot per year (compared with nearly 70 gallons/sf/year a decade ago).
Hospitals’ energy costs per square foot (red boxes) have fluctuated greatly since 1999. Energy use intensity (Btu/sf/year) has drifted slightly downward but rose fairly sharply in 2013, probably due to inclement weather. ©2014 Grumman/Butkus Associates.
“Hospitals are under tremendous pressure to reduce operating costs,” says G/BA Chairman Daniel L. Doyle. “Reducing energy and water usage not only helps hospitals cut operating costs, but also helps them reduce the environmental impact of their operations.”
The survey has provided a free annual benchmarking resource since its initial release in 1995. Hospitals are invited to participate without charge by submitting responses to a short list of questions. Information for this edition, covering calendar year 2013, was provided by 102 hospitals located in Illinois (54), Wisconsin (29), Michigan (7), Minnesota (4), Indiana (3), and several other states.
“Hospitals have been investing in efficiency measures and making progress, but have much further to go," says Doyle “Electrical energy reduction measures such as lighting retrofits are being offset by the introduction of more and more electronic imaging equipment and fully digital recordkeeping. Though some of the low-hanging fruit is gone, there are still many cost-effective opportunities remaining for reducing energy usage and costs. The downward trend in water usage reflects a movement to eliminate city-water-cooled equipment, as well as the use of low-flow and occupancy-based plumbing fixtures. Again, there is still much room for improvement.”
Full results and analysis, as well as information about participating in the 2015 survey, are available at the firm’s website: http://grummanbutkus.com/why-we-excel/hospital-energy-water-survey. For additional information, contact Doyle (ddoyle@grummanbutkus.com) or Julie Higginbotham (jhigginbotham@grummanbutkus.com).
Related Stories
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Contractors [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Turner, Whiting-Turner, Skanska top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest contractors in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Engineering firms look to bolster growth through new services, technology [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Following solid revenue growth in 2013, the majority of U.S.-based engineering and engineering/architecture firms expect more of the same this year, according to BD+C’s 2014 Giants 300 report.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering/Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Jacobs, AECOM, Parsons Brinckerhoff top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Engineering Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Fluor, Arup, Day & Zimmermann top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
Top Architecture Firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]
Gensler, Perkins+Will, NBBJ top Building Design+Construction's 2014 ranking of the largest architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 18, 2014
2014 Giants 300 Report
Building Design+Construction magazine's annual ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
| Jul 17, 2014
A harmful trade-off many U.S. green buildings make
The Urban Green Council addresses a concern that many "green" buildings in the U.S. have: poor insulation.
| Jul 15, 2014
Michael Graves talks with Washington Post about new design eye from life in a wheelchair
Celebrated American architect Michael Graves sits with the Washington Post to talk about how being on a wheelchair changed the way he focuses on design.
| Jul 13, 2014
Punishing deadline can’t derail this prison health facility [2014 Building Team Awards]
A massive scope, tough schedule, and technical complexity fail to daunt the Building Team for a huge California correctional project.
| Jul 10, 2014
BioSkin 'vertical sprinkler' named top technical innovation in high-rise design
BioSkin, a system of water-filled ceramic pipes that cools the exterior surface of buildings and their surrounding micro-climates, has won the 2014 Tall Building Innovation Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
