Hospitals and healthcare estates have special energy needs and most of their power provisions are critical. At the same time there is the need to conserve energy – not just as part of the broader quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but also as part of overall NHS targets and, of course, to save money. Kevin Jones of Schneider Electric’s Projects and Services team outlines some of the facets of power management that NHS Trusts and care providers face.
Most healthcare estates are large and are complex in their variety of buildings and needs.
Many hospitals, for example, have evolved over many years and suffer disparity between the energy systems and the energy efficiency of each location. Moreover, where individuals can effect savings at the flick of a switch by turning off some lights, the options for hospitals are naturally far more restricted.
The health sector is under increasing pressure to demonstrate value for money while at the same time continuing to deliver cutting edge healthcare to patients. Reducing costs, while delivering ever-improving standards, not just in healthcare but also in the infrastructure, are prerequisites.
The safety, comfort and security of staff and patients are of paramount importance for those responsible for managing buildings. Reliability and flexibility in the building services are key requirements. These issues can help in reducing installation and running costs, while energy efficiency and ease of maintenance are maximised.
Electrical and mechanical equipment used in the health sector must offer the highest possible levels of reliability, be simple to use and flexible enough to cope with changing requirements. Innovative, cost-effective solutions, that make the best use of modern technology and the available budget, are what is required. In order to realise the benefits of energy efficiency, it is important that these issues are considered at the earliest planning, briefing and design stages of any project.
Vital considerations
In new buildings it is vital that energy and infrastructure are considered as part of the design. Sadly, all too often and despite the broadening awareness of energy issues, architects remain more concerned with the aesthetic and fabric of a building than they do with its services. Building services engineers are therefore left with the task of compromising – usually against stringent budgets – to deliver the required heating, lighting and ventilation as a subsequent function of the planning.
In existing buildings, there is a plethora of needs that almost all add up to a further compromise. Yet, existing equipment and systems can still benefit from regular maintenance and modernisation in line with energy conservation principles.
The topic of energy efficiency is a very expansive one. Everything within a hospital’s infrastructure may present potential for savings from the obvious heating, ventilating and lighting to the somewhat less obvious use of water and the need to train personnel. Undoubtedly, much can be addressed by simply changing practices and habits. These cost little to implement, but action by NHS Trusts is necessary. We are focusing in this article on the technological and consultative measures that can be implemented.
Holistic approach
To effect the best possible energy efficient solutions in health estates requires an holistic approach. While it is likely that some lights can be switched off, fans slowed down or better heating controls be applied, the first thing is to identify where energy is being used.
Only once a thorough understanding of a hospital’s usage has been assessed can the correct value judgements be taken as to where savings can be made.
In keeping with most major energy users, hospital staff rarely know how to go about tracking, tracing and analysing energy usage. The reason for this lies with two factors – the means to monitor energy, which has a technological solution; and the steps required to analyse the data, which is founded on experience and know-how.
Schneider Electric’s Projects and Services team always starts its assessment of power management needs by not only surveying and examining the site’s needs, but also by installing PowerLogic metering systems from Merlin Gerin, a brand of Schneider Electric. An important distinction to draw here is the use of the term power management rather than simply energy or building management. I will explain why there is a difference shortly.
The data collected from the PowerLogic systems forms the platform from which decisions can be taken on energy cuts. Clearly, lighting is essential in all the public areas of a hospital, along with treatment rooms and operating theatres. There is also the need to comply with the new Building Regulations Part L2 relating to energy – which sets, as part of its remit, the minimum lighting levels as well as recommendations on energy efficiency in lighting. That having been stated, most healthcare estates boast significant numbers of offices that are not permanently occupied and here lighting control can save thousands of pounds.
Countless fans, pumps and compressors are used in most hospital estates – not just for heating and ventilation, but for a raft of ancillary services too. While it might not be possible to turn these devices off, many of these applications can benefit form the installation of variable speed controls – AC inverters – without loss of performance. For example, fans are often over-rated for their duties and could have their speed reduced very slightly without discernible loss of flow. Similarly, when demand drops, fans and pumps can often be slowed for a time.
Fans, in particular, consume power as a cube. That is, the fan’s output is directly proportional to the speed of the fan, but the power required to operate it is proportional to the fan speed cubed. Turning a fan down by just a few Hertz can dramatically affect the electricity it consumes. Most ageing heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems employ fixed speed fans with flow controlled by dampers that simply deflect flow out of an exhaust to atmosphere when demand reduces. A simple intelligent survey of plant rooms can often reveal huge potential savings by fitting variable speed controls. Retrofitting variable speed drives is easy and relatively inexpensive with a rapid amortisation in many cases.
Often overlooked
One area of potential energy savings is often overlooked. The maintenance of electrical equipment is frequently ignored and yet poorly functioning equipment can impact directly on its running costs. The reason for this oversight is perhaps understandable. Mechanical equipment obviously wears, but electrical equipment that appears static does not suggest the propensity to degrade over time. Similarly, constricted maintenance budgets within the NHS means that priority is given to any equipment that observably affects patients and staff. A failed electrical supply is avoided at all costs, but an inefficiently functioning one is invisible – except on the electricity bill.
A good example of this type of maintenance is illustrated by the performance of power factor correction (PFC) equipment. All equipment that uses rectified circuits creates disparity in the power factor – that is, it consumes more energy than it uses effectively. This wasted power is called reactive energy and is charged for in the electricity bill (albeit hidden as part of the overall charge in the case of most electricity providers). PFC equipment reduces the impact of this reactive energy by storing electricity in capacitors. These capacitors have a half life (they degrade over time) and as they deteriorate, their effectiveness diminishes and the reactive energy used rises. Routine testing of the PFC panels’ capacitors presents a simple remedy.
Suitable partners
The need to outsource energy consultation within health estates is overarching, but the selection of suitable partners is one founded on trust. Essentially, the partnering organisation must understand the requirements of the healthcare provider, the constraints it is likely to be working under and the need to maintain security, safety and the wellbeing of patients. The partner should also be able to demonstrate its competence and a portfolio of capabilities to suit the entire infrastructure needs of the estate. Schneider Electric’s Projects and Services offer is broad, but founded on a great depth of experience, expertise and proven state-of-the-art products.
The company offers:
Total lifecycle support 24/7/365.
HTM training courses for estates and facilities personnel.
Continuity to ensure that the integrity of the electrical network guarantees continuous operation of critical installations.
Management and maintenance of the electrical network.
Creation of a safe and secure environment for occupants and property.
Reduced whole of life costs to allow NHS Trusts to obtain the most from capital budgets.
Savings during design, installation, commissioning and operating phases.
Preventative maintenance offering enhanced return on investment.
Energy savings through the use of intelligent devices (PLCs, variable speed drives).
Enhanced energy management solutions.
Sub metering/cost allocation solutions to identify energy usage.
Ability to re-configure power, data and communications networks quickly and easily.
Modular products to facilitate any upgrades and refurbishment within the building.
Built-in provision to ensure adaptability of building functions.
Systems optimisation to enhance the wellbeing of staff and patients (heating, lighting, ventilation etc).
Controls to ensure comfort while minimising energy consumption.
Remote monitoring and control of building services – secure web-enabled or dedicated network capability.
Assurance of compliance with all the latest legislative requirements.
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