By Dan Hounsell

Healthcare facility managers have more technology at their disposal than ever before in their efforts to bring greater efficiency and cost-effectiveness to their operations. No area of operations stands to deliver more bottom-line benefits as a result of these opportunities than energy efficiency. 

For example, in the past three years, South Carolina-based Prisma Health has gone from having no Energy Star hospitals in its system to having two, according to Health Facilities Management. In that same time, it also has made headway as an Energy to Care participant, with three hospitals being Energy to Care award recipients — one in 2018 and two in 2019. 

How did the organization make such strides in energy efficiency? Jacob Warner, energy manager, says the hospital deployed fault detection diagnostic software across its entire building management system but soon found that its most cost- and energy-saving opportunities lie in its air-handling units and chilled-water system.

Some of the biggest culprits of wasted energy use were leaky water valves and faulty valve actuators and damper actuators. After correcting these issues, Patewood Memorial Hospital saw its energy costs and usage drop, with more than $1 million saved since deploying the software.