by Rebecca Walker — July 16, 2010—According to new research from the American Society for Healthcare Engineering (ASHE) and Johnson Controls, healthcare organizations are more likely to invest in energy efficiency for their facilities compared to other industry sectors across North America.
In March 2010, Johnson Controls, in conjunction with ASHE and the International Facility Management Association (IFMA), commissioned the 2010 Energy Efficiency Indicator (EEI) survey, which polled 2,882 executives and managers responsible for making investments and managing energy in facilities worldwide. Of these respondents, 288 operated in the healthcare sector in North America.
The research found that 58 percent of healthcare building decision-makers say that energy management was very or extremely important to their organization, compared with 52 percent among North American respondents across all sectors. Sixty-two percent of healthcare organizations plan to make capital investments in energy efficiency over the next 12 months, compared with only 52 percent overall in North America.
The survey indicates the healthcare sector has implemented a variety of measures to achieve energy efficiency, including lighting retrofits (73%), adjustments to HVAC controls (57%), installation of occupancy or daylight sensors (56%) and upgrades or improvements to building automation systems (56%). Other notable measures include the early replacement of inefficient equipment (41%) and the retro-commissioning of major building systems (23%, up from 16% in 2008).
Compared to results from the 2008 Healthcare EEI, the 2010 findings suggest an upward trend in the percentage of healthcare executives that have a goal of either achieving green building certification or incorporating green elements into their new construction projects (80% in 2010, up from 72% in 2008).
Lack of capital budget was cited as the primary barrier to efficiency investments among both healthcare respondents (45%) and the overall North American sample (38%). An additional twenty-one percent of healthcare leaders say insufficient paybacks or return on investment is the primary barrier to investment.
The survey is managed by the Johnson Controls Institute for Building Efficiency, a new initiative of Johnson Controls, providing information and analysis of technologies, policies, and practices for efficient, high performance buildings and smart energy systems around the world. For more information, see the Web site.
