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— Health Care Properties Quarterly — July 2017
www.crej.comSustainability
Healthcare Construction
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INSPIRE • LEAD • DELIVER
Photo: Ed LaCasse
H
ospitals and health care
facilities have the enormous
responsibility of providing
continuous, high-quality
care while managing their
costs. Energy costs, in particular,
can become a substantial burden for
this sector in order to meet the long
operating hours and specialized needs.
Fortunately, however, there are easy
methods for increasing your facility’s
energy efficiency. Investing in energy
efficiency can help to free up funds to
implement other innovative solutions
to meet the changing demands in
health care.
Installing energy-efficiency lighting,
for example, provides a unique oppor-
tunity to cut costs, while impacting
patient satisfaction and staff perfor-
mance. According to the U.S. Depart-
ment of Energy, lighting accounts for
as much as 42 percent of the electric-
ity used in health care facilities. Due to
recent developments in light-emitting
diode technology, facilities can achieve
long-lasting energy reductions and
superior light quality with rapid pay-
backs. For example, electric customers
of ours can see as much as 75 percent
of the total project cost through 2017
covered through rebates for certain
LED solutions.
The characteristics of LED lighting
offer a wide array of benefits, starting
with their unprecedented lifespan.
With the expected useful life of 30,000
to 50,000 hours or even longer, facili-
ties can expect to significantly reduce
their maintenance and replacement
costs. Additionally, LEDs are less prone
to breakage, provide instant-on perfor-
mance and are controllable in nature.
These benefits allow lighting manu-
facturers to manipu-
late the light to
provide the optimal
illumination across
environments.
Here are a few key
areas that can ben-
efit from LED tech-
nology:
• Waiting rooms
and lobbies.
First
impressions are
important. Lobbies
and waiting areas
with the right light
can give patients
and visitors the warm welcome they
need. This subtle but noticeable dif-
ference can be the differentiator that
impacts patient retention.
• Stairwells.
Modern LED lighting
works to distribute light widely and
with greater vibrancy than fluores-
cents. A well-lit stairwell ensures
proper light levels when occupied and
helps to reduce avoidable accidents.
Additionally, the controllable nature of
LEDs allows for dimming features to
drastically reduce energy consumption
while unoccupied.
• Operating rooms.
High-quality light-
ing is a necessity in operating rooms.
The superior performance of LEDs
can provide crisp illumination exactly
where it’s needed, while improving
color rendition and reducing waste
heat.
• Nursing stations.
These key areas
require proper lighting for administra-
tive work, the exchange of information
and visitor assistance. Research has
indicated that 57 percent of nurses
report shadows as impacting their
visual performance. LED lighting can
provide a balance in the quality and
quantity of light – improving work-
place satisfaction and patient care.
• Patient rooms.
Lighting is a crucial
component of a healing environ-
ment, and we have strong emotional
and biological responses to it. Studies
have shown that natural lighting has
a significant influence on our biologi-
cal clocks.Without an abundance of
natural light in many hospitals, mod-
ern LED lighting can help to replicate
the feel of sunlight. These LED fixtures
bring the reality of full color control,
helping to match earth’s natural light
patterns and qualities throughout
each day – recalibrating patient’s bio-
logical clocks and improving their
sleep when compared to florescent
light.
• Parking and outdoor areas.
Bright,
reliable outdoor lighting enhances
safety for visitors, patients and staff,
and is especially important for hospi-
tals, which operate around the clock.
Modern LED area lighting creates a
vibrant, uniform and safe lighting
solution for parking lots and outdoor
areas.
Upgrading health care facilities with
energy-efficient LED lighting has mul-
tifaceted benefits for employees and
patients alike.When coupled with cut-
ting-edge sensors and control technol-
ogy, LEDs allow for even deeper energy
savings and benefits, like occupancy
sensing, daylight harvesting and load
shedding. This level of control and
customization empowers facilities to
create the right healing environment
for them – increasing patient experi-
ence, retention and satisfaction across
the board. Fewer accidents and errors,
reduced energy waste and a decreased
maintenance burden are additional
advantages.While the upfront costs
of upgrading to more efficient lighting
can look intimidating on paper, cur-
rent rebate offerings make updating
a wise investment that will pay off in
the long run.
Xcel Energy is offering through year-
end free services to qualifying health
care facilities, including a lighting
assessment, a recommendation report
and project support, along with 30
percent bonus rebates on the latest
high-efficiency lighting solutions. For
more information, visit xcelenergy.com/ lightingefficiency. s Fit your health care facility for the future with LEDsReid Beauchamp
Market outreach
specialist, Xcel
Energy, Denver
Due to recent developments in
light-emitting diode technology, facilities can
achieve long-lasting energy reductions and
superior light quality with rapid paybacks.