We’ve all got to keep the lights on — but health care facilities stand apart in needing to keep the lights on all the time. According to data published by DSO Electric Collective, a 200,000-square-foot, 50-bed facility based in the U.S. spends about $680,000 per year on electricity and natural gas. That comes out to more than $13,600 per bed.
Those costs, which can easily total $10,000 per day or more before insurance, make their way down to patients as part of their bills. And, of course, all that energy use has an impact on the environment, too. Worldwide, health care accounts for at least 4.4% of global carbon emissions. As Health Care Without Harm puts it, “If the health sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest emitter on the planet.” The U.S. has the dubious honor of being a leader in this regard, emitting 57 times more health care-related carbon dioxide than India does per person.
Increasing energy efficiency — and reducing costs — in health care environments
Clearly, finding ways to keep energy use as low as possible (while maintaining the highest possible standards of care) is a matter of great importance for all health care practitioners, but particularly those in the United States. It’s no surprise that the country with the highest health care-related emissions also has one of the highest relative per-capita rates of health care spending per patient as compared to similarly developed countries.
Fortunately, there are measures health care facilities can take at relatively low upfront costs — which can lead to longer-term benefits for providers, patients and the planet alike. Here are a few of them.
Sensor-controlled lighting and accessories
From patient appointment reminders to billing, automation has become a major part of economizing workflows in the health care industry — and they can work to help economize energy use, too. Installing smart thermostats can ensure HVAC systems work in the most economic way possible while still meeting facility needs, for example, which can be especially powerful in medical settings where HVAC operation can account for far more than half of overall energy use. Automatic light sensors can help ensure energy isn’t being wasted on rooms that aren’t in use.
Lighting in commonly used areas, like reception desks, might be placed on a timer rather than a sensor, ensuring the lights go out once work is over (but not before). Some facilities even put their vending machines on occupancy sensors so they can power down when no one’s around to take advantage of their offers.
Facility-wide upgrades
For facilities that are in a place to take on larger-scale projects, making one-time, facility-wide upgrades can be a great way to save expenses over the long term by investing today. These can range in both cost and required effort level.
For example, upgrading fluorescent lights to LEDs can significantly lower your utility costs (along with lasting longer), and doing so is relatively inexpensive (especially when factoring in savings over time). Upgrading to Energy Star appliances in kitchen areas is another relatively low-cost and low-effort option that can drastically decrease utility bills.
At the other end of the spectrum, upgrading your building’s windows to more energy-efficient models or augmenting its insulation may be more time-consuming and effort-intensive projects, which may even require temporarily shutting parts of the facility down. However, given their holistic impact on electricity and fuel costs, they may still be the most economical option in the grand scheme of things.
The human element
Ultimately, the energy usage of tools depends on the humans they are designed to serve. Even without taking on potentially costly upgrade projects, medical facilities can educate and incentivize workers to make energy-smart decisions like turning off lights that aren’t in use, as well as setting up protocols to ensure that major energy sinks, like HVAC systems, are both properly and regularly maintained. If budgetary concerns mean more serious upgrades are best saved for a later day, these human efforts can make a big difference.

Joseph Muscente
Joseph is a Content Marketing Analyst at LendingTree where he works to empower people to make their best financial decisions. He earned his B.A. from Penn State University.