Background Information on Energy Consumption in Hospitals

Dsicuss about the Strategies on the Improvement of Energy Efficiency.

Energy is a significant resource for the economic and social development of any country (Saidur et al., 2011). Hospitals and healthcare facilities are among the highest consumers of energy and producers of significant carbon emissions. They operate day and night and have additional supplies for fresh air and disease control, imaging machines, and waste control; as a result, they consume a substantial amount of energy than a commercial building of standard size in developed countries. Therefore, this paper aims at examining the present state of energy efficiency and then ascertains cost effective Energy Management solutions and recommend possible implementation methodologies in Australian Hospitals. 

1. What are the energy efficient improvements for Australian Hospitals?
2. What are the benefits of energy efficient hospitals?

1. To ascertain techniques for achieving energy efficient hospitals in Australia
2. To find out the benefits of energy efficiency in Australian hospitals.

Several researchers have conducted surveys on buildings across the world to minimize its energy consumption and bills. Numerous studies in the sector illustrate the role of the structures in the analysis of the energy consumed by electrical systems, water heating systems, lighting systems, air conditioning and cooling systems. These studies will be useful in various ways in the research.

A study was conducted by Teke, & Timur (2014) on the strategies for energy saving and efficiency in the healthcare facilities. The researcher presented the energy consumption profiles of hospitals and an outline of the areas of the hospitals where energy saving measures can be achieved. The researchers found out that hospitals account for about 6% of the overall energy consumed in the area of utility building.  The major specific sectors with high electrical consumption in the hospitals were found to be the Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems. 70% of the total electricity consumption was attributed to the air conditioning system, whereas, the electric motors represent 21% and 19% of the total electricity consumption was represented by the lighting system. This study will be of significance in the research because it will be used to determine the various power systems with high energy consumption. The findings will also be used to underscore the fact that the design of the hospital building is the most significant determinant of power consumption in hospitals.

Ascione et al. (2016) conducted an energy audit and renovation of an established Italian Day-Hospital building. The authors did a thorough energy analysis of the foundation of the structure and a strategy for the entire repair by refining both the HVAC system and the building envelope. The study meticulously examines numerous measures on energy efficiency in relation to the HVAC systems and building envelope.  The outcomes show that the energy consumption of a building can be optimized through a procedural and appropriate design backed-up by the implementation of statistical studies in addition to the regulation of the internal microclimatic conditions.  The findings of the survey by Ascione et al. (2016) will be useful in ascertaining the measures for attaining energy efficient hospitals.

Previous Surveys Related to Energy Efficiency in Hospitals

A study by Vourdoubas (2016) was done to ascertain the use of renewable energy sources and the level of power usage of hotels in Crete and Greece. The researchers found out that the hotels in Crete adopted the technology of renewable sources of power such as solar thermal power, solar-PV, and use of low enthalpy solar energy for heating among others. Also, the annual emissions of CO2 from the respective hotels with renewable power sources were significantly low. Similarly, the study found out that the government of Greece had invested in power efficient and renewable energy sources by offering subsidies with the objective of eliminating the high consumption of electricity and emission of toxic gas from the fossil fuels.  The findings of this study from the hotel sector will be used to underscore the fact that renewable energy sources should also be adopted in industries with high power consumption levels like hospitals. This article will be used to prove that the renewable sources of energy have successfully worked in hotels which also consume considerable amount of power, and thus can be applied in hospitals as well.

Studies by Cambridge University scholars Short et al. (2010) and Giridharan et al. (2013), examined the opportunities for lowering the NHS power consumption by integrating low-energy ventilation and cooling plans into the designs of new hospital buildings and the renovation of the present healthcare facilities in England. The researchers found out that with adequately designed buildings, hospitals can adopt energy efficiency measures to reduce their high consumption rates. The outcomes of this study will be used to demonstrate that despite the nature of the services offered in hospitals, the high energy consumption rates can still be reduced to economic standards.

An investigation into the energy consumption rates of three average-sized healthcare buildings in Victoria, Australia was conducted by  Rajagopalan, & Elkadi (2014).   The article identified the variation in power consumption of different functional areas in the facilities. The outcomes showed that operational features and building characteristics significantly contributed to the high power consumption rates. The study concludes by comparing the current energy consumption in the hospitals with the international standards to show that an average energy consumption rate in Victorian hospitals can still be achieved. The paper findings will be used to offer convincible proof that the Australian benchmarking on energy consumption in hospitals is realistic and achievable.

Steins and Zarrouk (2012) conducted a study on primary healthcare – Roturua Hospital in New Zealand which had a 1977 doublet geothermal heating system. The scholars examined the output of the power heating system and the effect on the geothermal reservoir. The findings reveal that the machine was working efficiently and it met the heat demands of the hospital. The power consumption demands of heating were partially achieved by using the heated water. The article will be relevant in showing that alternative and cost-effective energy saving measures exist and can be used instead of the expensive equipment with high consumption.

Strategies for Energy Saving and Efficiency in Healthcare Facilities

This study uses a qualitative Grounded theory approach. Existing relevant literature is analysed to provide in-depth and background information on the topic under study. A Grounded theory  method equips the researcher with a broad foundation on the characteristics of the variables involved in the study and helps to avoid pre-judgments which can lead to biases. This approach also stimulates the researcher’s individual experience on the research topic thus developing much interest in it.

The target population for the study will be three leading hospitals in Queensland, Australia. Purposive sampling is used to select The three hospitals are chosen because they are among the highest energy consumer hospitals in Australia and thus can easily be used as a representation of all other high energy consuming hospitals.

In order to achieve the objectives of this research, both secondary and primary data will be gathered. Secondary data will be used to develop the background information of the study and to help the researcher to comprehend the research topic thoroughly. Primary data will be collected using semi-structured and in-depth interviews. Interviews will be conducted with the management of the various hospitals. Semi-structured interviews will ensure an imperative adaptation to questions for easy understanding by the interviewee (Irvine et al., 2013). In-depth interviews will ensure that the study objectives are attained by exploring the perspectives of the hospital management about the energy consumption levels at the hospitals (Turner, 2010).

The collected data will then be used to formulate relevant theory using Grounded theory methodology.  This approach is crucial because it helps in generating hypotheses and ascertaining current issues and patterns and is therefore appropriate for this study (Sharon & Carmel, 2011). Grounded theory will thus be adopted in the in the carrying out of a research synthesis of literature in energy efficiency measures in hospitals, due to its potential in providing a data analysis method for determining themes and patterns.  Data analysis will follow the established Grounded theory principles which include coding, constant comparison, memoing and theorizing.

Coding will be used to create a connection between gathering data and establishing an emerging theory to describe the data (Charmaz, 2014). The coding systems will be developed through group meeting and deliberations.

The established codes will be compared against each other to make sense of the relationship between the study variables, and with the use of the constant comparative method, a theoretical code will be developed.

The researcher will note down memos based on the various study cases after each interview. The interviewee will write a case-based memo on the lessons gained from each meeting. They will address the respondent’s impressions alongside the reactions of the interviewer.

Conceptual sorting of the memos will then be carried to develop an overview of the established theory, demonstrating the association between the study variables.

The entire research study will be carried out between 23rd March and 11th May 2018, as shown in the Gantt chart below;

Task Name	Start date	End Date	Duration(Days)
Project proposal Plan	23/03/2018	30/03/2018	7
Literature review	01/04/2018	04/04/2018	3
Data collection process	09/04/2018	27/04/2018	18
Data analysis process	30/04/2018	04/05/2018	4
Report presentation	07/05/2018	11/05/2018	4

References

Ascione, F., Bianco, N., De Masi, R. F., De Rossi, F., De Stasio, C., & Vanoli, G. P. (2016).

Energy audit of health care facilities: dynamic simulation of energy performances and energy-oriented refurbishment of system and equipment for microclimatic control. American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 9(4), 814-834.

Charmaz, K. (2014). Constructing grounded theory. Sage.

Giridharan, R., Lomas, K. J., Short, C. A., & Fair, A. J. (2013). Performance of hospital

spaces in summer: A case study of a ‘Nucleus’-type hospital in the UK Midlands. Energy and Buildings, 66, 315-328.

Irvine, A., Drew, P., & Sainsbury, R. (2013). ‘Am I not answering your questions

properly?’Clarification, adequacy and responsiveness in semi-structured telephone and face-to-face interviews. Qualitative Research, 13(1), 87-106.

Rajagopalan, P., & Elkadi, H. (2014). Energy performance of medium-sized healthcare

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Saidur, R., Atabani, A. E., & Mekhilef, S. (2011). A review on electrical and thermal energy

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Sharon Licqurish, R. N., & Carmel Seibold, R. N. (2011). Applying a contemporary

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Short, C. A., Cook, M., Cropper, P. C., & Al-Maiyah, S. (2010). Low energy refurbishment

strategies for health buildings. Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 3(3), 197-216.

Steins, C., & Zarrouk, S. J. (2012). Assessment of the geothermal space heating system at

Rotorua Hospital, New Zealand. Energy conversion and management, 55, 60-70.

Teke, A., & Timur, O. (2014). Overview of energy savings and efficiency strategies at the

hospitals. World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology International Journal of Social, Behavioral, Educational, Economic, Business and Industrial Engineering, 8(1). Retrieved from https://www.waset.org/publications/9997335

Turner III, D. W. (2010). Qualitative interview design: A practical guide for novice

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Vourdoubas, J. (2016). Energy Consumption and Use of Renewable Energy Sources in

Hotels: A Case Study in Crete, Greece. Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Management, 4(2), 75-87. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/John_Vourdoubas2/publication/316916477_Energy_Consumption_and_Use_of_Renewable_Energy_Sources_in_Hotels_A_Case_Study_in_Crete_Greece/links/5a32bd9d458515afb6ea90b8/Energy-Consumption-and-Use-of-Renewable-Energy-Sources-in-Hotels-A-Case-Study-in-Crete-Greece.pdf