Hospitals to Hotels: The Versatility of Electric HVAC (1/4)
4 applications for electric HVAC you might not know about, starting with: Hospitals
Welcome to our series on uses of all-electric HVAC you may not have thought about. You might be aware of the use of heat pumps to keep your home comfortable, but did you know all-electric heating and cooling is driving efficiency across a variety of industries?
In this series, we’ll highlight examples in healthcare, culture and education, manufacturing, and hospitality. Explore these examples and then consider how going electric with your HVAC might help you meet your business and sustainability goals.
“All environmental concerns eventually just become health concerns.”
Michael Waller, Director of Sustainability, Rochester Regional Health.
Breathing Easy with Electric HVAC
Let’s look at the healthcare industry to start. Healthcare systems are increasingly aware of the acute interplay between fossil fuel usage and health. For example, indoor combustion of natural gas can worsen asthma and stressors of a changing climate like more severe weather events can have long term impacts on health.
Michael Waller, Director of Sustainability at Rochester Regional Health says, “All environmental concerns eventually just become health concerns.” So it makes sense that hospitals would employ technologies in their facilities that prioritize health, inside the hospital and for the greater community.
Investing in Health with a Financial Return
Hospitals have the daunting task of providing top-quality patient care in an increasingly challenging healthcare landscape, without losing sight of the bottom line. Electric HVAC options like air-source or geothermal heat pumps thrive at that intersection:
providing specific temperature controls for patient and staff comfort
improved air quality
and low, consistent energy costs.
Hospitals seeking to lower their costs for heating and cooling can trust geothermal systems to pay for themselves over time – Edgerton Hospital and Health Services in Wisconsin saw their payback just 6 years after installing their system. This hospital system was able to drastically reduce the amount of natural gas they use, eliminating the need to budget for fluctuations in natural gas prices. Dollars saved on energy can be put to work towards patient care.
Interested in learning more? Check out these resources from NYSERDA about energy solutions for the healthcare industry.
