by Shane Henson — May 11, 2012—Now that the U.S. Department of Energy has released the Advanced Energy Design Guide for Large Hospitals: 50% Energy Savings, the final installment in its series of four 50% advanced energy design guides (AEDGs), ensuring that large U.S. hospitals are designed and constructed to be highly energy efficient should prove easier for architects, engineers, and contractors that choose to put the guide’s information and strategies to use.
The guide is for “standard” mid- to large-size hospitals, typically at least 100,000 feet in size, but the strategies apply to all sizes and classifications of large hospitals, says the DOE. Space types covered include cafeterias and kitchens; conference and office areas; reception and waiting areas; examination and treatment rooms; clean and soiled workrooms; nurse stations; nurseries and patient rooms; operating, procedure and recovery rooms; sterilizer equipment areas; pharmacies and laboratories; triage, trauma, and emergency rooms; physical therapy and radiology/imaging rooms; storage, receiving; and mechanical/electrical/telecom rooms.
The 50% AEDG series that this latest guide is a part of provides a practical approach for designers and builders of large hospitals, and other major commercial building types, to achieve 50% energy savings compared to the building energy code used in many parts of the nation, says the DOE. Other guides in the series cover small and medium office buildings, K-12 schools, and medium retail buildings. These guides support President Obama’s goal to reduce energy use in commercial buildings 20% by 2020.
But beyond helping builders achieve efficiency exceeding the current energy code, the AEDGs also provide climate-specific recommendations to incorporate today’s off-the-shelf energy-efficient building products. These recommendations help designers and builders choose advanced building envelope assemblies and highly efficient heating and cooling systems, and incorporate other energy-saving measures such as daylighting and associated control systems. Additionally, efficiency measures found in the guides can be used in the development of future commercial building energy codes.
