New study from Corporate Realty, Design & Management Institute revealed good information on thought process of hospital executives towards energy saving and other sustainability issues.
"Three out of four survey respondents think hospitals need a sustainability manager, according to a survey of health-care professionals attending the “Energy, Economics & Environment: Making the 3Es Work Together in Healthcare” seminars during the first half of 2010.
The survey (PDF), conducted by Corporate Realty, Design & Management Institute, finds that many organizations have yet to create a sustainability manager job position, which means that health-care facilities do not have individuals who have a facilities or energy-related background.
The report’s authors said this has led to a focus on recycling and waste management programs, instead of energy and water efficiency projects. It also means that sustainability is becoming a core competency of facility professionals in other industries instead of the health-care sector, according to the report.
In several regions, utilities offer millions of dollars in rebate and incentive funds but too often hospitals fail to tap this funding source or they approach the utility too late to receive any money, say report authors.
As an example, one utility health-care segment manager cited a hospital that buys bus passes for employees but has not replaced its older T12 fluorescent lamps with more efficient lighting.
The report finds that cost is the biggest factor in all purchasing decisions. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said “initial cost” takes precedence in the final selection of equipment and materials on recent projects.
Another key finding shows that when installing or specifying energy-saving technology, the biggest concern is that the technology won’t deliver the projected performance, according to 70 percent of respondents.
“If you haven’t had a retrofit in the past 5 to 7 years, do it now. You’ll get on average a 12-14 percent improvement. Fluorescent technologies are incredible. There are better control systems. LEDs are economical for hard to service areas,” said Brian Weldy, vice president of Sustainability for IFMA Healthcare Council and vice president of Facilities for HCA, in the report."
For complete coverage-http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/06/10/health-care-survey-finds-industry-needs-sustainability-managers/
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