Businesses that operate in the PJM Interconnection region could see energy costs climbing soon—and for some, it may be significant. 

PJM Interconnection, the organization responsible for managing electricity across 13 states in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest regions and Washington D.C., has announced a major increase in capacity prices for the 2025-2026 delivery year and beyond.

Starting in June 2025, some commercial customers could see a rate hike of up to 29% on their capacity price, which determines the cost of electricity reliability.  

While businesses across various industries could see negative bottom-line impact with the upcoming PJM rate increase, it also presents an opportunity to rethink energy strategies. Instead of simply reacting to the rising costs and paying a higher energy bill, there are ways for business owners to take back control. 

What’s Causing the PJM Rate Increase? 

PJM is a grid operator that ensures the reliability of power. To maintain that reliability, grid operators plan years ahead to make sure there is enough electricity to supply future demand. One method of planning used is an annual capacity auction, which helps secure the commitments from energy resources like power plants to be available when needed, especially during peak demand periods or emergencies. 

Following the most recent capacity auction, PJM’s price for the 2025-2026 delivery year is expected to rise from $50 to $269.97 per megawatt-day. 

The drastic increase is driven by a few key factors: 

Issues with gas power plants operating in extreme weather 

An interconnection backlog 

Higher demand from growing industries 

Overall grid reliability issues 

As a result, PJM must pass those higher costs along to both residential and commercial energy users, leading to a steep increase in electricity rates. And with grid reliability still a concern, the trend of rising capacity costs could continue in future auctions. 

What Businesses Will Be Impacted by PJM Rate Increases?  

Any business in PJM’s territory that relies heavily on energy will feel the impact as operating costs rise, especially those with already tight budgets. However, there are some that may feel the impact more than others. 

Hospitals and Healthcare Systems 

Healthcare systems are always under pressure to keep costs down while providing the best patient care possible. Hospitals and healthcare facilities operate 24/7, meaning energy is a constant and a major operating expense. As these price increases roll out, healthcare systems will need to find ways to manage rising electricity costs while maintaining patient care standards. 

Rising energy bills could also limit funding for other areas, making energy efficiency a top priority to help keep costs in check. 

Industrial Companies 

For industrial companies that rely heavily on energy-intensive machinery, rising electricity costs are a major concern. Manufacturing processes often run around the clock, and the cost of energy can make or break profitability.  

Increased costs could affect the price of goods manufactured, and companies may need to explore ways to reduce energy consumption or alternative energy sources to keep production running smoothly and cost effectively.   

Auto Dealerships 

Showrooms, service centers, and parking lots at auto dealerships all require energy, and with prices increasing, so will overhead costs. That means higher bills for lighting, HVAC, and service operations. And for dealerships looking to expand their electric vehicle (EV) offerings, there’s an added complexity of powering charging infrastructure, potentially making energy bills even more unpredictable. 

Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Portfolios 

CRE owners, especially those with multi-tenant properties, will also face pressure as electricity prices rise. Increased operating costs could reduce net operating income (NOI), particularly for owners and operators of office buildings, retail spaces, and multifamily communities. Additionally, properties with high energy-consuming operations may face rising utility costs that could impact both the tenants and owner. 

Owners may need to pass increased energy costs to tenants or find a way to offset rising expenses through energy-efficient property upgrades.  

How Can Businesses Combat PJM’s Rising Costs? 

There are ways for businesses to avoid PJM’s rate hike, with one option being distributed generation (DG) solutions. A DG system typically includes a power generation source (i.e. solar) and energy storage (i.e. battery storage), which enables businesses to generate their own power on-site.  

DG systems help to stabilize energy costs and avoid volatile utility rates. Additional benefits include: 

Reduced energy costs due to less power being purchased from the grid 

Less reliance on the grid during peak demand hours when power is most expensive 

More control over your energy supply 

Ability to maintain operations during outages or peak demand periods 

New revenue streams by selling energy back to the grid 

Reduced carbon emissions to meet sustainability and ESG goals 

Your Partner for Every Step of the Distributed Generation Process 

SitelogIQ is your one-stop partner for all project phases of distributed generation solutions. In addition to being your consultant and contractor, we’re also a strategic partner that manages all phases of a project from planning and utility coordination, to installation and incentive management. Our team also helps you identify funding strategies and navigates incentive applications and management on your behalf—we ensure you never leave money on the table.  

As operating expenses continue to rise for businesses, we’re here to help make yours more energy efficient and help you combat increasing costs. Let’s chat about your specific needs today. 

Deferred maintenance refers to the postponement of necessary repairs, updates, and general upkeep of a facility, typically due to budget constraints or other organizational challenges. For healthcare systems, deferred maintenance can cause disruptions to hospital operations, negatively impacting patient safety and their ability to deliver care.

A survey conducted by Healthcare Facilities Management found that 38% of hospital respondents experienced disruptions to patient care due to deferred maintenance issues. And just last year, a western state hospital made headlines when a single boiler was overloaded in a cold snap and failed. Their heat and hot water supply was halted, all hospital services were suspended, surgeries and procedures were rescheduled, and patients were moved to nearby facilities for care. It took days to get back up and running.

Deferred maintenance not only impacts a hospital’s daily operations and quality of patient care but often requires costly repairs when systems fail. The American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) has reported that deferred maintenance costs for U.S. hospitals can range into the billions of dollars. 

Deferred maintenance costs for U.S. hospitals can range into the billions of dollars.

American Society for Healthcare Engineering

This issue is continuing to rise amongst healthcare systems as it also impacts reputation, staff morale, and compliance standings. Instead, implementing sustainable facility solutions can help tackle deferred maintenance while also staying ahead of industry regulations, allowing you to move from reactive to proactive facility planning. Planned replacements can include broader systemic improvements instead of an emergency replacement, which can cost dramatically more.    

3 Sustainable Solutions for Healthcare Systems

LED Lighting

https://www.livescience.com/how-do-energy-saving-light-bulbs-workRetrofitting a building with LEDs is one of the best investments in energy efficiency a hospital can make. LEDs require up to 80% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and 20-30% less than fluorescent lights. By consuming less energy, LEDs also contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions and help lower energy costs up to 80%. In addition, LEDS are more durable and have longer lifespans, lasting up to 50,000 hours, depending on their quality and usage, while fluorescent lights typically last around 8,000 hours.

LED lighting will save a hospital thousands each year in energy costs and will cost even less to replace. LEDs also provide an exceptionally bright light, which helps to illuminate entrances and exits, parking lots, and garages, enhancing staff and patient safety.

Solar Energy

Installing solar panels through a centralized approach is one of the best renewable energy sources – and it’s an emissions-free solution. Generating solar power on-site reduces the amount of electricity used from the grid and helps lower operational costs while also allowing healthcare systems to be energy independent and more reliable. In addition, solar panels typically require minimal maintenance which can help reduce ongoing operational costs and the need for frequent repairs or replacements. 

High-Efficiency HVAC Systems

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning require substantial energy usage. They are some of the biggest costs associated with commercial energy use, and the healthcare sector is no exception. In such a sensitive environment, it may not always be possible to turn the heat or the AC down to save on costs. Instead, hospitals should consider investing in energy-efficient systems. ENERGY STAR-rated heating and cooling units will run more efficiently, saving money in the long run.

An Industry Move Towards Sustainability

Providing stellar patient care and a comfortable treatment experience requires a significant amount of energy. Hospitals spend thousands of dollars per bed in electricity each year, and the healthcare industry accounts for 9.8 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas generation. Because of this, we’re seeing more and more healthcare professionals looking to reduce their impact on the environment and lower their operational costs to meet sustainability goals.

The healthcare industry accounts for 9.8% of U.S. greenhouse gas generation.

Journal of Hospital Medicine

In addition, The Joint Commission announced that effective January 1, 2024, healthcare organizations can voluntarily choose to join the Sustainable Healthcare Certification Program. This program helps accelerate sustainability practices and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and grants public recognition for these efforts. It will also help the industry in creating baselines to measure three sources of GHG emissions and developing an action plan to reduce them.

As the industry moves towards implementing more sustainable practices throughout your facility portfolio, healthcare systems can tackle their deferred maintenance issues by updating their system with sustainable ones, moving away from a break-and-fix mentality and adopting a proactive approach to creating a resilient space for their patients and staff.

SitelogIQ’s Process for Tackling Deferred Maintenance with Sustainability

Failing to address deferred maintenance at healthcare facilities puts them at risk of experiencing disruptions to critical patient care and costly repairs. At SitelogIQ, we partner with hospitals and healthcare systems to develop capital plans that allow them to identify and prioritize facility improvements, develop financial strategies for upgrades, execute projects, and continue to build their plan to have sustainable reliability.

In addition, our technology platform, mySiteIQ, gives valuable visibility into building assets, access to schedules and budget scenarios, and key performance metrics to keep teams informed and help them meet short- and long-term facility and sustainability goals.

Contact us today to get started.

In May 2022, the Department of Energy issued a ruling requiring lighting products to meet new standards. This largely eliminates most fluorescent, incandescent, and halogen products as they are seen as toxic and inefficient and unable to meet these new standards.

Since the ruling, 14 states and the District of Columbia have approved or proposed even stricter standards on lighting products, effectively banning the sale of fluorescent lighting within state lines, specifically general service lamps (GSLs), compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), and linear fluorescent tubes (T8, T5, T12).

For schools, office buildings, hospitals, warehouses, and all buildings that have used these bulbs to date, this will require a lighting retrofit to stay within compliance of these bans. Here’s a look at the current state restriction timelines for all GSLs, CFLs, and linear fluorescent lights:

The Reason Behind the Ban

Once the most common lighting sources in offices, schools, warehouses, industrial facilities, and most buildings, fluorescent lights contain mercury, a toxic heavy metal that is used to help emit light more efficiently. Mercury is considered by the World Health Organization (WHO) one of the top 10 chemicals of major public health concern. While the average CFL containing ~4 milligrams of mercury might seem low, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has emphasized there is no known safe level of mercury exposure. When intact, fluorescent lamps impart no health risk to their surroundings; however, if the bulbs break or are improperly disposed, the mercury can be released. This can pose risks to human health and pollute our landfills and water systems, creating long-term consequences to the environment.

In addition to the toxins, GSLs, CFLs, and linear fluorescent lighting consume more energy and have a short lifespan, compared to modern lighting technology. For example, LED lights are more energy efficient and sustainable, helping improve efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

Moving away from fluorescent lighting will help to protect the health and safety of both people and the planet.

The Solution: LED Lighting

LED lighting is quickly becoming the standard for many industries due to its ability to create safe and environmentally-friendly spaces. With the ban of GSLs, CFLs, and linear fluorescent lights, LED lighting is a great alternative for retrofitting your lighting and provides many benefits.

LEDs are long-lasting, efficient, and compatible with solar panels, helping lower the carbon footprint. Long-term LED use offers a positive return on investment because they require up to 80% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs and 20-30% less than CFLs. By consuming less energy, LEDs also contribute to a reduction in carbon emissions and help lower energy costs up to 80%, saving you thousands of dollars annually.

They are also more durable and have long lifespans, lasting up to 50,000 hours, depending on their quality and usage, while CFLs typically last around 8,000 hours. Because of this, LEDs don’t degrade as quickly as other bulbs, meaning you won’t have to stop operations to repair the lighting system as often.

In addition, LEDs offer bright, high-quality light to increase visibility inside workspaces, hallways, stairways, and outdoor environments, making these areas safer and enhancing occupant comfort. LED lighting upgrades help organizations keep pace with sustainability best practices and future-proof their facilities.

Check out our blog post to learn more about the advantages of LED lighting.

Your LED Retrofit Partner

As more states implement fluorescent light bans, your facility may require an LED lighting retrofit to maintain industry standards and remain in compliance. LED lighting can also help to enhance building aesthetics, improve facility performance, or reduce energy consumption.

At SitelogIQ, our nationwide team has a deep background of sustainability experience partnering with firms to improve facility performance and quality standards. To date, we completed over 2,000 lighting retrofit projects for multifamily complexes, K-12 school districts, higher education institutions, commercial properties, hotels, hospitals, and more. Our process begins with an energy audit to pinpoint high-need opportunities and determine a tailored, energy-efficient lighting solution. In addition, our energy and facility experts can identify the proper financing solutions or recommend grant opportunities to help you address budget limitations. 

Contact us today to begin planning your LED lighting retrofit!

Climate change has contributed to increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, including heatwaves, hurricanes, droughts, and heavy rainfall. In 2023, there were 28 extreme weather events in the U.S., more than double the number seen a decade earlier.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2024).

Climate change-related threats can greatly impact healthcare systems, leaving facilities vulnerable to damage and at risk for power outages, which can be costly.  Most importantly, it detracts from this vital infrastructure from being able to deliver on its mission to the community in its time of most dire need.

In addition, over the last decade, the costs associated with extreme weather events has grown substantially, as reported by the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.

Healthcare systems must prepare their facilities to withstand climate change threats and become more resilient, allowing them to keep operations up and running and avoid costly repairs.

3 Facility Solutions for Climate Resiliency

1. Emergency Power Storage

Whether the sun is shining or an extreme weather event has hit your area, power storage systems allow the excess energy produced by a renewable energy source, such as solar PV, for later use. When generation drops below a given threshold — due either to excess demand or limited sun light or wind conditions — or the electricity costs are at their peak, the battery kicks in, providing the extra power needed to maintain adequate power for a healthcare facility and lower energy costs.

These systems provide a reliable power supply during outages, especially during extreme weather events.  They can also be configured to reduce dependence on the electrical grid, minimize downtime and disruption to operations, and save energy costs when extreme weather is not forecasted. This allows your healthcare system to become more resilient and reap additional economic benefits to support the improvement under typical weather conditions.

2. Weather Resilient Solar Panels

Solar photovoltaics (PV) panels are one of the best renewable energy sources for healthcare systems as they lower carbon emissions, reduce the amount of electricity used from the grid, and save on operational costs. However, they are susceptible to damage from extreme weather events, which can result in power outages and costly repairs.

Installing weather resilient solar PV panels enhances the reliability, durability, and performance, minimizing disruptions to operations so you can continue to deliver excellent care. As they are built to withstand severe storms and winds, they also require less maintenance and repairs, saving time and money.

3. Hurricane Proof Windows

As mentioned earlier, extreme weather events often result in damages to facilities – for healthcare systems, this not only requires costly repairs but can, again, impact their ability to deliver care. However, installing hurricane proof windows that are designed to withstand high winds and impact from debris can help minimize the risk of property damage. In addition, these windows also reduce heat transfer and air leakage, lowering heating and air-cooling costs year-round.

This solution helps enhance the safety and security of a healthcare facility, protecting your patients and staff, while also improving energy efficiency.

How SitelogIQ Can Help You Achieve Resiliency

Failing to create a climate resilient healthcare facility puts you at risk of experiencing power outages and property damage, resulting in disruptions to critical patient care and costly repairs. Climate change poses a serious threat to healthcare systems as the U.S. continues to experience more and more extreme weather events. Now is the time to implement climate resilient solutions.

At SitelogIQ, we help identify opportunities such as solar energy, power storage, and hurricane proof windows, to combat climate change threats. Our team of experts have over a decade of experience with healthcare facilities for portfolio-wide solutions, creating more sustainable and resilient spaces. Contact us today to learn more.

Funding facility infrastructure and energy efficiency improvements, especially within the healthcare market, takes a tailored and unique approach to meet your goals. There are many options when comparing and contrasting what might work best for your energy project and how to best suit the needs of your organization. This is where SitelogIQ can help – we partner with our customers to drive savings, efficiency, sustainability, and create better healthcare facilities to promote exceptional patient care.

Types of Healthcare Project Funding

1. Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE)

An innovative form of energy financing that exists in many states throughout the U.S. is Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy, or C-PACE. For healthcare facilities, securing C-PACE financing solves the upfront cost barrier by providing 100% financing for your healthcare project. This financing option helps overcome procurement hurdles, enabling large-scale energy savings initiatives, and implementation of turnkey projects to meet high priority facility needs. It also helps you create a long-range facility roadmap to benefit your patients and staff through a process made simple for healthcare administrators.

C-PACE is not credit sensitive, because the lien is against the property and not the organization managing it, the lending community views this as investment grade. This can be a very powerful tool in accessing competitive capital for organizations that in of themselves would not be considered investment grade credit.

2. Loans and Leases

For investment grade (IG) bond/credit rated organizations, a loan or lease-like product may be another financing option to consider. These organizations will typically have a Better Business Bureau rating of BBB- or higher, yielding borrowing or lease terms of 10-20 years depending on the project specifics. These financing vehicles also may be eligible for tax exempt funding depending on the nature of their IRS classification. Organizations such as 501(c)(3)’s may be eligible for this form of tax exempt financing, which can further reduce the interest rate.. There are multiple lenders in this segment ranging from commercial banks, private equity, and/or infrastructure funds. As a result, it is a highly competitive lending environment that can lead to competitive project finance rates.

3. Energy-as-a-Service

A more recent financing option for energy improvements is Energy-as-a-Service or EaaS. EaaS is an option in which a third-party owns and maintains energy infrastructure improvements for a period of time, usually 10-15 years. Under this model, the customers pay the system owner a fee based on the benefit received. For example, think buying the lumens from a light bulb, not buying the fixture itself. This structure also does not require any money down, just a commitment to purchase the utility/benefit from equipment.

4. Traditional Bonds

Lastly, bonds are a common way of financing major infrastructure improvements, and potentially even acquisitions. While most of the debt for healthcare organizations comes in the form of bond obligations, the amount financed is usually significantly more than an energy project would cost on a per-site basis. Should this be of interest, SIQ has the knowledge and network to explore your bond syndication options.

It doesn’t stop there. Creative funding approaches can also support near-term budget constraints with multiple products deferring initial payments for up to 2 years while the operations benefit from the performance of the new equipment. Clients have a multitude of options in how to best benefit from the flexibility in timing that capital providers offer.

Our Process for Identifying Funding Options

To begin, the SitelogIQ team will identify opportunities to save energy, money, and other attributes in maintaining top tier healthcare facilities. Because the condition of the facilities, age(s), technology, equipment, and capital maintenance budgets vary so vastly, it is paramount to consider what funding mechanisms can provide the greatest overall value for your project. Considerations that would drive our recommendations and financial models:

Condition and efficiency of existing facility infrastructure
Goals/targets for sustainability
Plan for funding upcoming projects
Energy use intensity of facility versus benchmarks
Credit rating, ability to access cost effective capital

As your project takes shape, our capital markets team will meet and work closely with your finance or treasury group to make the most of the project’s impact to your operations while always focusing on the bottom line, so your organization can continue advancing the highest quality patient care.

Contact us today to learn what funding solution may work best to help you create a safer, healthier, and more sustainable healthcare facility for your patients and staff.

Hospitals spend thousands of dollars per bed in electricity each year. With such a high operating cost, it’s no wonder many hospitals are seeking to conserve energy. Energy conservation in hospitals takes skill and coordination, but the results can save money and even help patient outcomes and their recovery process.

What Are Common Energy Efficiency Problems in Healthcare?

The healthcare industry is complex. In pursuing the noble goal of saving lives, hospitals have unique needs. For an industry that uses far more energy than most, it can be difficult to get a healthcare facility running efficiently. Several factors make it challenging to achieve energy-efficient operations in a hospital setting, including:

1. Operating 24/7/365

Patients need around-the-clock care, and life-saving equipment needs constant power generation. While most buildings can be more energy efficient by limiting usage after hours, there is no after-hours time for healthcare facilities.

Plus, 24-hour operation can delay technology upgrades. Any work on energy conservation systems in the building must be carefully coordinated so it doesn’t interrupt daily activities or take place in a patient’s room. Even work in an unoccupied patient or care room must be coordinated with staff and facility managers.

2. Health and Safety Concerns

When embarking on energy conservation initiatives, hospital facility managers and energy partners must be keenly aware of the sensitive environment. The health and safety of patients, staff, visitors, and others must be a central consideration throughout every project. The extra precautions required can make energy conservation projects more time-consuming and costly.

Contamination can be a safety concern that delays new energy projects. Energy contractors need to be creative when finding workspaces and storage areas. They must work hand-in-hand with staff so they don’t impact patient care. Energy consultants need to work with a hospital’s Infection Control Department to keep patients safe. A common step is to ensure the team has received flu shots and is properly vaccinated.

Air quality is another crucial concern. Construction projects must use containment carts to collect dust while working, and partitions may be used to separate areas where work is ongoing. Workers must also take care not to block access to critical areas or hospital equipment.

In addition, lighting can have a direct impact on safety long after a project is complete. Facility staff and patients travel between the hospital and their vehicles at all hours of the day and night. It is necessary to have appropriate lighting in place so everyone feels safe entering and exiting the facility no matter what time it is.

3. Expanding Facilities Over Time

Many well-established hospitals have an ad-hoc layout. As facilities expand, new wings extend from the original building. When this happens, newer areas often have different energy infrastructure than the older areas.

Older areas may have outdated, less efficient lighting and HVAC systems. New spaces may have better insulation and layouts designed to reduce energy consumption, while older areas of the building may be less efficient.

When a building has a disjointed energy framework, it can be harder to make it operate at peak efficiency. When new sections are connected to older ones, they may use the same older HVAC system, for instance. Taking full advantage of the energy-efficient features of newer wings may require updating older spaces as well, which increases the costs of renovation projects.

4. Rising Energy Costs

The rising cost of energy is a concern for every business. Energy prices naturally fluctuate due to market conditions. Hospitals have sophisticated buildings, high rates of product procurement, and high transportation costs. These factors make the healthcare industry more susceptible to spikes in energy costs. They also make limiting dependence on resources a top priority for hospital facility managers.

Learn About Our Energy Solutions

How Will Energy Efficiency Benefit Healthcare Facilities?

Choosing to become more energy-efficient offers a whole host of benefits for the healthcare sector. Most convincing is the savings from reduced energy usage each month. Improving energy conservation in healthcare facilities such as hospitals can also simplify facility management and help the environment. Increasing energy efficiency can help healthcare facilities to:

Identify Low and No-Cost Savings
Make Low-Risk Investments
Effectively Integrate Systems
Create a More Comfortable Environment
Offer a Professional and Modern Appearance
Discover New Build Opportunities
Reduce Environmental Impact

1. Identify Low and No-Cost Savings

As you develop a facility energy conservation plan, you’ll uncover numerous potential cost savings, including some which require only a relatively low upfront investment or no upfront investment at all. Some of these potential upgrades include:

Replacing exit signs with LED signs: Most exit signs use 36 Watts of electricity, while LED exit signs use only five. For a typical 600-bed hospital with 300 exit signs, retrofitting LED signage will result in $14,755 in savings each year. A hospital would earn back the initial investment in 1.15 years.
Replacing light fixtures with LEDs: Retrofitting a building with LEDs is one of the best investments in energy efficiency a hospital can make. A 12 Watt energy-efficient LED light bulb can save between 72 and 80 percent of the energy costs of a traditional light bulb. While an incandescent bulb will last for about 1,000 hours, an LED will last 25,000 hours. So, LED lighting will save a hospital thousands each year in energy costs, and will even cost less to replace. LEDs also provide an exceptionally bright light, which helps to illuminate entrances and exits, parking lots, and garages, enhancing staff and patient safety.
Limiting air changes in the OR: When an operating room is in use, it must have at least 20 air changes per hour. Keeping this going 24 hours a day can rack up quite the energy bill. One hospital network in Ohio projected savings of $2 million per year from reducing air changes to six per hour when the OR is not in use.
Using data analytics to uncover energy savings: Data-driven energy optimization solutions, like those from EnergyIQ, make it easy to identify the most cost-effective energy management upgrades for your facility. EnergyIQ provides you with building data analytics and savings opportunities organized by value, so your maintenance team can tackle the most beneficial projects first. In addition, SitelogIQ can provide you with as much energy engineering support as you need.

2. Make Low-Risk Investments

Low-risk investments in energy efficiency in hospitals can reduce operating costs. Upgrades to energy-efficient technology generally have a short projected payoff period. While they may cost more initially, they result in measurable savings in energy costs over time. Here are some investments in energy efficiency that pay for themselves in the long term:

High-efficiency HVAC systems: Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning use significant energy. They are some of the biggest costs associated with commercial energy use, and the healthcare sector is no exception. In such a sensitive environment, it may not always be possible to turn the heat or the AC down to save on costs. Instead, hospitals should consider investing in energy-efficient systems. ENERGY STAR-rated heating and cooling units will run more efficiently, saving money in the long run.
Advanced lighting control systems: LED lighting in hospitals offers many advantages. A smart lighting system allows a healthcare facility to reduce electricity consumption through hours of lighting operation and lighting intensity. A study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory found that lighting control systems result in 24 to 38 percent energy savings. 
Energy consultant services: Energy planning is one of the most effective ways to increase efficiency. An energy audit can help you find areas of improvement and get the most out of all your technology. An energy consultant can conduct an energy audit, design energy-efficient facility improvements, install new technologies, create an energy management system, and more to help you reduce your energy usage over time.

3. Effectively Integrate Systems

Hospitals sometimes have disparate energy systems. Separate wings and even rooms on the same floor can have a different framework, depending on when they were built or renovated. Non-integrated systems tend to limit energy efficiency and make life more complicated for hospital facility managers.

While one area might have a brand new, energy-efficient HVAC system and LED lights, the old wing might run on out-of-date equipment. As a facility manager, you might be navigating between several building management systems to keep everything running.

Taking on an energy management project is a chance to upgrade technology and integrate these systems. Integrated systems use less energy and simplify management. If you’re implementing smart lighting controls, it may also be an excellent opportunity to incorporate them with HVAC system controls. Doing so can give nurses and patients complete control over comfort, with the ability to adjust lighting and temperature on a single interface.

4. Create a More Comfortable Environment

Employing energy-saving initiatives can have some surprising benefits for patients, staff, and visitors. Advanced lighting systems and programmable HVAC systems can make patient rooms and waiting areas more comfortable. To create a more comfortable environment, consider:

Smart lighting controls: Energy efficiency upgrades can improve patient care. LED lights can be programmed to mimic daylight cycles better, and dynamic lighting can have a positive impact on patients’ sleep and circadian rhythms. Harsh or inadequate lighting can lead to headaches, eyestrain, or fatigue. The Journal of Biosciences and Medicines recommends LEDs because they eliminate these ailments — they also provide better visual comfort because LED lights do not flicker.
Natural lighting: Another energy conservation technique that creates more comfort for patients and visitors is natural lighting. Designing healthcare buildings and rooms that let in more sunlight can save energy by reducing the need to turn on lights. Natural lighting can also work wonders for patient recovery. Studies have shown that patients exposed to natural light experience less stress and pain. They also take 22 percent less analgesic pain medication per hour. You can also install LED lighting system that mimics natural lighting to get the benefits of natural light, as well as the reliability and consistent availability of LEDs.
Programmable HVAC: Programming the heating and cooling systems to ramp down when rooms are not in use can also have a significant impact on comfort. Most waiting rooms and other visitor areas go unoccupied after visitation hours end. Turning down the climate controls during these times helps a hospital save on energy costs. Programming these systems to ramp up when visiting hours begin means guests walk into waiting rooms that are a comfortable temperature. Allowing patients and nurses to adjust temperatures to their comfort can also reduce energy costs.

5. Offer a Professional and Modern Appearance

Another one of the benefits of energy efficiency in hospitals is better control over the lighting. Advanced lighting can result in a more modern-looking facility. LED lighting systems come in a variety of warmth and brightness settings. Advanced lighting controls allow hospitals to customize lighting to create a more inviting space.

Many LED lights, integrated with smart lighting controls, enable users to make the light warmer or cooler, depending on their preference. LEDs can integrate color tuning, allowing them to mimic natural lighting, encourage a sense of calm or promote alertness. They can also be dimmed to create less harsh lighting.

6. Discover New Build Opportunities

When you identify ways to reduce energy consumption, you’ll likely begin upgrading your hospital’s infrastructure. A typical step many facilities take is updating the insulation. Especially if the building is older, some new insulation can completely transform a space. With new insulation, the building will retain more heat in the winter and keep out more hot air in the summer. This tactic saves on heating and cooling costs and creates a more comfortable environment that can help patients heal.

A hospital can avoid the challenge of 24-hour operation by building energy-efficient buildings from the start. With all the challenges that come with retrofitting a hospital with energy-efficient technology, the best time to up a building’s energy efficiency is as you’re building it. Upgrading the building’s current infrastructure can create the opportunity to expand your facility. Meeting energy goals can also open up funds to build additions or a new hospital altogether.

Some hospital networks take on smart energy efficiency goals during the construction of new buildings. Green hospital buildings usually cost the same amount to build and save a great deal on maintenance costs long-term.

7. Reduce Environmental Impact

The healthcare industry accounts for 9.8 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas generation. Hospitals use an average of 600,000 BTUs of energy per building annually. That amount of energy is more than almost any other type of building in the country. As one of the largest energy consumers in the country, energy conservation in healthcare has a hidden environmental impact we don’t often consider.

Energy usage and emissions can cause adverse health effects. Most significantly, air pollution can cause or worsen asthma and other complications. Hospitals save lives and make a great effort to create a healthier world. Since doctors commit to “do no harm,” the healthcare sector has also prioritized sustainability.

Conserving energy can limit a hospital’s dependence on pollution-generating energy sources. An overwhelming majority of healthcare facilities have committed to reducing their impact on the environment through better energy consumption. According to one survey, 87 percent of respondents in the healthcare industry has plans to electrify space or water heating, which would reduce fossil fuel use. The industry also has a high concentration of renewable energy goals with a deadline between 2020 and 2025. 

With so many healthcare professionals looking to reduce their impact on the environment, energy efficiency is vital. Integrating solar panels is another strategy that can reduce energy costs over time. Protecting energy from going to waste and finding green energy solutions lets hospitals run cleaner and aid the environment. Commitment to energy efficiency can make the whole planet healthier.

Learn About Our Energy Solutions

Trust SitelogIQ With Your Healthcare Facility’s Energy Needs

The healthcare industry is complicated. Between concerns for health and safety and other constraints, it’s essential to work with an experienced energy management and efficiency team. At SitelogIQ, we’ve worked with many hospitals, so we understand the unique needs of these sensitive environments. We know your biggest concern is providing the best possible care for patients, so we take care to work around the schedule of nurses and doctors. Our case study of Zambarano Memorial Hospital shows how we provide cost-effective solutions for healthcare facilities like yours.

Whether you are building a new facility or are looking to reduce the energy costs of an existing one, SitelogIQ is here to help with energy-efficient design solutions. We can also provide you with an energy audit, construction or design, and ongoing energy management support. If you’re ready to make your energy usage more efficient, reach out to us today.