The healthcare industry is one of the world’s largest, and it significantly impacts our economy.
It is estimated that NHS facilities spend about half a billion pounds on gas and electricity alone each year.
Of course, this is necessary to keep patients safe and healthy. Still, it also means that hospitals have an enormous opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint by becoming more efficient in how they use electricity.
Many Medical Devices Used in Hospitals and Doctors’ Offices Use Electricity From the Grid
Medical devices are used in hospitals, doctor’s offices and other healthcare facilities, and they help improve patients’ quality of life.
Some medical devices use electricity from batteries that can be recharged by plugging them into a wall outlet.
Other devices are plugged into the power grid, including X-ray machines, MRI scanners, surgical equipment, and more.
This can come at a serious expense to healthcare facilities. But don’t panic; Utility Bidder can help GP surgeries save on their energy bills.
How Much Energy Is Used by Medical Devices?
The University of California Berkeley’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) partnered with Stanford University to study how much energy is used by medical devices at different times during the day.
The researchers looked at a specific hospital over one year: from June 2017 through May 2018.
They found that many types of equipment, such as x-ray machines, operating room equipment, CT scanners and MRI machines consume energy during peak usage times and when they are not being used but still plugged into an outlet.
Researchers found that the energy usage at hospitals varied throughout the day, with specific times having higher power consumption levels.
On average, they used 3.2% more power during peak times than they did during off-peak times in the same year.
Given this information, some hospitals may be able to save money by adjusting their schedules so that these peak times don’t coincide with when they’re using the most electricity.
For example, by having visiting hours later in the afternoon instead of right after lunchtime break or moving diagnostic tests from 8 AM until 2 PM rather than between 10 AM and noon.
The research found that for a facility the size of a large hospital, the above could mean annual savings of more than £110,000 and a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to removing 550 cars from the road.
The study, published in the Journal of Healthcare Engineering, examined how much energy medical devices use.
It found that end users who use medical devices on a regular basis, such as doctors or nurses, are not fully aware of or understand their power usage.
This presents problems for hospitals because they have a limited budget to invest in energy-saving programs.
Medical Devices Can Be a Source of Significant Energy Usage for Hospitals
While medical devices can be a source of significant energy usage for hospitals, there are many ways to lower energy costs and improve your hospital’s efficiency and profitability; some of these include:
- Energy-efficient lighting.
- Moving to a peak time and non-peak time consumption system.
- Energy-efficient heating and cooling systems.
Energy-efficient medical equipment can give hospitals a competitive edge over other facilities that may not be as efficient. The savings from using energy-efficient medical equipment varies depending on the type of device used.
Energy-Efficient Medical Equipment Can Give Hospitals a Competitive Edge
If you’re a hospital administrator and have a competitive edge in the marketplace, energy-efficient medical devices can help you gain an edge over your competitors.
By reducing your operating costs, they can give your hospital a competitive advantage by allowing it to offer more competitive rates for services than other hospitals.
In addition, these devices can also increase patient comfort by improving the quality of care and patient experience while reducing noise levels, which may be especially important for patients who are ill or undergoing treatment in intensive care units (ICUs).
Finally, suppose a hospital is interested in meeting environmental goals (such as LEED certification).
In that case, these products can help achieve those goals while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from power generation sources such as coal or natural gas-fired plants that use fossil fuels such as coal or natural gas to create electricity.
Wrap Up
As the number of medical devices and healthcare facilities increases, so does the amount of energy used.
By understanding how much energy is being consumed, we can start to reduce our impact on the environment and save money.
