Going Green in a Down Economy on Nashville Medical News

Going Green in a Down Economy

By: HUGH O. NASH, JR., PE

Given today's economy, it seems only natural that healthcare companies would want to focus more on the bottom line and less on perceived "extras" such as green building. With businesses doing all they can to survive, going "green" can seem unaffordable, particularly to healthcare companies, which are under tremendous financial pressure.

Ironically, though, planning and implementing green building initiatives —especially those that save energy and water — can pay off, even in this economy. Just as people are advised to think about investing over the long-term, rather than panicking at every uptick and downtick in the stock market, investing in green building is part of a long-term, money-saving strategy. Yes, investments in green building pay off today, but more importantly, they pay off tomorrow as resources like water and energy become scarce and as policies and regulations designed to address climate change become reality.

So what should a healthcare company or hospital think about if they want to invest in building a green facility in a time of down markets and tight credit? Here are a few tips:

Don't view capital and operating budgets in isolation.
Yes, you might have to pay 1 or 2 percent more in the beginning to construct an energy-efficient building, but remember that this slight cost increase may berecouped in a few years in reduced operating expenses, saving you much more money than your investment over the long-term. This fact is often overlooked because those responsible for building a hospital are not necessarily responsible for operations. Decisions about investing in energy efficiency need to be made at the highest level of executive responsibilityin order to overcome organizational silos that prevent investing in green buildings.
Investigate and access the right incentives.
There are many different kinds of incentives and programs to finance investments in energy efficiency and green building. Performance contracting, for example, allows you to pay a third party to install equipment on your behalf, with the third-party assuming the risk and some of the payback of the investment. This is a great way to make big energy efficiency or renewable energy investments without having to pay the upfront costs. At the end of the contract, the building owner assumes the improvements and gets the benefits of ongoing energy savings. In addition, many utilities offer incentives to larger customers to install energy-saving building technologies and equipment. Local, state and federal governments offer tax credits to spur investments in energy and water savings, as well. The key to success is making sure that your design team knows where and how to access these programs on your behalf.
Prepare for efforts to curb climate change.
With the recent passage of the Waxman-Markey bill in Congress, climate change regulation may be coming. It appears that establishing a "cap-and-trade system" for greenhouse gas emissions may soon be a national priority. In addition, a number of states have been working on their own greenhouse gas emissions targets, which may affect healthcare companies in a variety of ways through changes to regulation and building codes. While the outcome is not completely clear, designing and constructing energy-efficient facilities will allow you to mitigate the risks associated with new regulations and policies as they unfold.
Educate yourself about the issue of climate change
. Recently, trade associations like the United States Climate Action Partnership, (a group of large American businesses) have started lobbying for national legislation to slow greenhouse gas emissions in a coordinated manner. They know regulation is coming and want a seat at the table. Healthcare companies would be wise to do the same.
Pick the low hanging fruit
. There's no doubt about it: hospitals and healthcare facilities are energy hogs. The good news is that using only the energy you need could save you a lot of money. Even in a 24/7 hospital, there are lights, computers and servers that run when they are not needed or that are using more energy than they should. By having someone in your company take responsibility for reducing your energy load and figuring out how to turn off power-draining lights and equipment that aren't needed. One simple tactic: install automatic controls (such as occupancy sensors) that will turn lighting, HVAC and other systems off when a room is unoccupied.Last, make sure you maximize the efficient operation of your building and your equipment so you are getting as much out of it as possible, and it all runs at full capacity. Building commissioning and re-commissioning can be a big help here.
Integrate your design
. If you are building a new hospital or other facility, optimize how it will function by making sure your design team (architects, engineers, contractors, you as the client) work together from the very beginning. This is the only way to guarantee that all the equipment and features of your building will work as efficiently and effectively as possible. Your lighting, HVAC, building orientation, materials and landscaping can work towards conserving as many resources (and as much money) as possible, or they can work against you. The only way to make sure they work for you is to design that efficiency in at the very beginning of the process.

Hugh Nash is a principal with Mazzetti Nash Lipsey Burch, a leading engineering and consulting firm with offices in Nashville, as well as in Baton Rouge, Denver, Houston, Irvine, Sacramento, San Francisco, and Portland. The company is an acknowledged leader in green building engineering and has vertical expertise in healthcare, data centers and clinical and research laboratories.