Demand Side Management in Health Care Facilities

The energy consumption in health care facilities is increasing dramatically. Health sector buildings (including homes for the old and disable population) are one of the sectors with the fastest growing energy consumption. This dramatic increasing is due to a combination of factors including: A larger share of the GNP is spent in health; The percentage of elderly and disable population is growing; The comfort levels of health related buildings are increasing, as more facilities are becoming available. Considering the current and coming importance of these type of buildings, this project aims to carry out demand side management actions, which will contribute for an efficient use of energy in such buildings. Below, some significant opportunities for cost-effective demand side management are mentioned: Thermal storage both for cooling and heating; Energy-efficient lighting (lamps, fixtures, ballast), high performance windows; Biomass for space heating; Energy-efficient ventilation; High-efficiency heat pumps for heating and cooling different parts of the buildings;