IAQ, Building Performance: Energy Efficiency Can Affect Hospital Infection Rates

Much of the focus in facility management is on energy efficiency. And it’s for good reason. Not only does an energy efficient building lower overall operating costs, but energy efficiency is crucial to conserving the nation’s energy and protecting the environment.

Blurred doctors surgery corridorA hospital is one of the biggest energy wasters, largely in part because it operates 24 hours a day, every day. It can use 2.5 times as much energy as another commercial building of the same size, according to Energy Digital.

In fact, hospitals spend an average of $5.5 billion on energy every year, using 5% of all the energy consumed within the US, according to ENERGY STAR, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s energy efficiency program.

While there’s no question that hospital facility managers must address any energy inefficiencies within their buildings, new research has emerged that shows hospital patients may suffer ill health effects from an energy efficient building.

To test this theory, researchers in the UK released balloons filled with carbon dioxide in a hospital room, and popped them to spread an “infection,” according to a study conducted at the University of Leeds, aimed at determining how airborne infections might spread in a typical UK hospital ward.

The researchers then used smoke sticks to visually track the infection flow and wind stream. When the windows were open, the airborne infection risk was low. But when the windows were closed, the airborne infection risk increased by as much as four times, according to the study.

With the large focus on energy efficiency in hospitals, Dr. Cath Noakes, the lead investigator of the study, worries how sealing up buildings in order to save energy could affect indoor air quality.

If you seal up buildings “without alternative ventilation systems, you could be increasing the airborne infection risk significantly,” she says.

Researchers have determined that “introducing simple mechanical ventilation to supplement the airflow in the winter, could be an effective approach to ensuring good ventilation year-round,” Noakes says.

While this particular study was conducted in UK hospital wards, which may differ from the typical US hospital set up, the focus in all hospitals must remain on balancing energy efficiency with the need for enough proper air circulation to keep the risk of airborne infection low.

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