By Krista McDonald Biason /Special to Healthcare Facilities Today

The median design temperature for Minnesota is very different than that of Florida so the size, capacity, and design methodology of the mechanical equipment required to keep a building cool in the summer and warm in the winter is directly impacted by ambient temperature and humidity, according to a blog on the HGA website.

"A 'one size fits all' design does not work in all regions of the country. Some regions have the potential of concurrent heating and cooling needs that directly impacts how the system functions and the energy it consumes. Once the mechanical systems are designed for the facility and the region, the electrical infrastructure required to support those systems needs to be considered," said blogger Krista McDonald Biason.

"So how do we determine how to design the engineer systems for a facility? There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration before you can determine a solid engineering solution. If your facility is a Level 1 Trauma Center, the answer is a little more obvious than if you are a suburban hospital next door to a Level 1 Trauma Center. The higher the acuity of the patients the more the need for additional redundant systems and generator back up," Biason wrote.

Krista McDonald Biason is an electrical engineer with HGA.

Read the blog.