Why this matters for U.S. hospitals
Hospitals run around the clock, use far more energy per square foot than most buildings and cannot shut down to be retrofitted. That is the problem this project works on.
The U.S. context
- Scale. The American Hospital Association's 2024 Annual Survey counts about 6,100 U.S. hospitals with roughly 907,000 staffed beds (AHA Fast Facts on U.S. Hospitals).
- Emissions. A 2020 Health Affairs study, summarised by Yale, found health care accounts for about 8% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, and that its emissions rose about 6% between 2010 and 2018 (Yale News).
- Intensity. The ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager median for U.S. hospitals is about 234 kBtu of site energy per square foot per year. See the reference data page for the figures and sources used in the tools.
Why hospitals are hard
A hospital cannot pause care to replace a chiller, a switchgear lineup or an air handler. Infection control, pressure relationships, medical gas and essential electrical systems are governed by codes and accreditation standards (for example NFPA 99, NFPA 70 and NFPA 110, CMS Conditions of Participation and Joint Commission requirements). Many U.S. hospital campuses are decades old and grew by additions, so plant and distribution systems are a patchwork. Savings projects have to prove they are safe before they are cheap.
What this project provides
- Free, plain-language playbooks for measuring a hospital baseline and sequencing safe efficiency and electrification work.
- Eight quick calculators plus a 42-worksheet engineering toolkit, built on U.S. Government and national-laboratory methods (EPA, eGRID, ENERGY STAR, FEMP/NIST), with every formula published on the methods page.
- A LEED v5 O+M guide and a curated list of U.S. federal and professional resources.
- A study app for the CHFM exam, the AHA credential for healthcare facility managers, to help build the facilities workforce.
What it is and is not
This is an independent educational project. It does not sell consulting, equipment or carbon credits, collects no health data, and is not endorsed by the agencies, standards bodies or programs it cites. Calculators give planning-level estimates, not engineering designs or certifications. Readers should verify decisions with qualified local engineers and their infection prevention team.
Corrections and source suggestions are welcome through the contact page.