Developing objective normalised metrics for comparing the energy use of hospitals

The drive for sustainability and efficiency, when considering energy usage in the building management sector, has resulted in the increased importance of the effective management of energy resources. Hospitals are complex and resource intensive facilities, resulting in increased complexities when managing energy usage. In addition, differences in characteristics of hospital buildings and variations in medical services rendered by different hospitals have resulted in a significant difference in energy usage between hospitals. Investigations suggest that comparisons of energy efficiency between hospitals are deficient without normalising for differences between hospitals. This paper details the findings of a literature analysis conducted to i) identify variables that contribute towards energy usage in hospitals and contribute towards the differences in the respective energy use of different hospitals and ii) to identify approaches for determining the energy performance potential of a hospital. The literature analysis identifies these factors and concludes that it is important to normalise for the factors that are due to the building characteristics and the factors that are due to the medical function of the building.