by Shane Henson — September 5, 2011—Facilities managers working in hospitals and surgical centers throughout the United States may benefit from reading a new monograph, Operating Room HVAC Setback Strategies, that focuses on how strategies to set back the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) in operating rooms can save energy. The monograph was recently published by the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) of the American Hospital Association.
An operating room (OR) setback strategy reduces energy use by curtailing the amount of air supplied to an OR when the room is not in use. It may also allow temperature or humidity settings, or both, to drift when the room is not occupied. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, healthcare organizations spend more than $6.5 billion on energy each year, and that amount is rising to meet patients’ needs, necessitating proactive energy reduction strategies
Referencing comprehensive national and state standards from the Facility Guidelines Institute (FGI) and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) for healthcare ventilation, the publication lists key considerations for adoption of OR setback strategies and fundamental controlling factors that determine how a strategy is implemented. The paper also outlines potential solutions and notes that a successful solution must take into account factors such as climate, facility type and user needs as well as adhering to applicable code requirements.
