ASHE’s Sustainability Roadmap Includes Relevant Considerations for Commercial HVAC in Healthcare Settings
Each year, Healthcare Facilities Management (HFM) releases its hospital construction survey results. Their goal is to identify trends across the industry, provide insight into this market, and address the concerns of its core audience.
One important survey question concerns facility initiatives that healthcare leaders are invested in that calendar year. In 2023, it isn’t surprising to see which initiatives are leading the pack. Sustainability, technology, and safety are top priorities across the board.
Healthcare facilities are at the nexus of our society’s deepest concerns, and what is on the minds of hospitals (resource scarcity; infection control; and safe, ethical, effective uses of technology) is often playing out in the larger world. These concerns would likely top the list for most businesses outside of healthcare.
In regard to sustainability, you can’t go too far in the healthcare industry without encountering both the buzzword and the very real concept in practice. HFM’s recent survey dives deeper into the topic of sustainability and decarbonization by asking respondents about where they are finding success with these initiatives and what obstacles are in their way. In fact, 73% are making upgrades to their commercial HVAC systems out of the 200 U.S. hospital-facilities leaders surveyed this year.
This, too, is unsurprising. HVAC requires energy. Energy efficiency is essential for hospitals’ bottom lines, their brand authority, and their impact on our environment. When any healthcare leader makes sustainability considerations, healthcare-facility HVAC will be a part of that conversation.
And the conversation continues. Concurrent with their survey, the American Society for Health Care Engineering (ASHE) also released several resources on the topic of sustainability, including a comprehensive Sustainability Roadmap for Healthcare. This guidance includes 15 steps toward achieving sustainability initiatives. It offers helpful support for facilities that are just getting started and those that want to measure their progress against ASHE’s considerations.
Reflective of HFM’s survey results, this support from ASHE is highly relevant to healthcare facilities’ HVAC priorities. Read on to find out more about how this guidance can inform how you select sustainable air distribution systems for your facility.
A Summary of ASHE’s Sustainability Guidance for Healthcare Facilities
Available as a downloadable PDF, the ASHE Sustainability Guide is a step-by-step resource for healthcare facilities. ASHE makes the process of developing a sustainability plan for the healthcare industry manageable and clear.
Where too many initiatives are bogged down in bureaucracy, competing interests, and disorganization, the stability of the guidance from ASHE simplifies the process for complex healthcare systems.
The ASHE 15-step pathway to sustainability includes:
- Tracking energy use (step 3)
- Setting targets for emissions (step 7)
- Creating a sustainability plan (step 10)
- Implementing projects to reduce energy use (step 11)
Several resources are available to support each of these steps, beginning with the ASHE Sustainability Glossary and success stories from facilities that have already made progress. This comprehensive resource meets facilities where they are, whether they’re already on the path to sustainability or they’re just getting started.
Scenario: How Your Healthcare Facility’s HVAC Project Can Align with Sustainability Recommendations
The scenario below refers to a hypothetical healthcare facility that is seeking specific commercial HVAC systems to improve on infection prevention protocols and enhance operating room capabilities. They also want to achieve these goals while ensuring sustainability measures are in place.
Hospital priorities: A U.S. hospital has decided to work with a leading manufacturer of modular ceiling systems and customizable fan filter units. Each of this manufacturer’s commercial healthcare HVAC products will meet their goals for patient care:
- A reduction in healthcare-acquired infections
- Better indoor air quality that exceeds regulatory requirements
- Smarter utilization of operating room space
- A meaningful focus on medical staff needs based on recent strategy sessions
- Improved brand authority and the ability to showcase state-of-the-art facilities
Sustainability is a must: These initiatives won’t move forward unless the chosen equipment demonstrates a conscientious commitment to the ASHE Sustainability Guide, a key metric in the healthcare system that includes this hypothetical hospital. Based on ASHE resources, the healthcare system has set fossil fuel emissions targets, short- and long-term sustainability goals, and a plan for how sustainability leaders will be included during project management discussions.
Meaningful outcome: The manufacturer quickly responds with information about the energy-efficiency benefits of the desired equipment. Their suspended ceiling systems for operating rooms include energy-efficient lighting options, and their FFUs’ output is exceptionally strong without requiring significant power draw. A rewarding partnership develops between this hospital and the manufacturer. The healthcare facility gets the high-quality equipment they need to meet all their goals, including sustainability.
Find an Energy-Efficient Air Distribution Manufacturer for Your Healthcare Facility’s Next Project
When you’re seeking ceiling systems or fan filter units, it is important to ensure that your manufacturer is dedicated to sustainability.
Look for a manufacturer that specializes in commercial HVAC for healthcare facilities. They should be willing to share information about their sustainability efforts. Based on their response, it will be clear whether they’ve prioritized this initiative.
For examples of how an industry-leading manufacturer of commercial hvac systems addresses energy efficiency, decarbonization, and sustainability in their thought leadership, read the resources below:
“How to Improve Energy Efficiency for Your Commercial HVAC System”
“Two Commercial HVAC Solutions that Are Here to Stay”