Towards Zero Energy Healthcare Facilities: A Proposal to Reduce Operating Room-Based Energy Demand
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15781980Keywords:
Building Energy Performance, Zero energy, Cooling energy, Zero energy hospital, Energy efficient operating room, Operating room cooling, Optimizing cooling for sustainabilityAbstract
The concept of zero-energy healthcare facilities represents a crucial strategy in mitigating global warming and combating climate change. This study proposes a method to reduce energy consumption specifically by optimizing the operation of ventilation systems in hospital operating rooms. The primary focus is to evaluate the impact of lowering the airflow rate during non-use hours (referred to as night mode) on cooling energy consumption. Using actual hourly usage data, night mode hours were defined as 20:00 to 08:00. For Izmir province, analysis showed that implementing a 50% reduction in airflow rate during these hours could lead to an electricity savings of 11.3%, equivalent to 803.3 kWh, during the cooling season in a single operating room. These findings demonstrate a significant opportunity to improve energy efficiency in hospital settings by adjusting ventilation system operation according to room usage, contributing to the broader goal of zero-energy healthcare facilities and environmental sustainability.
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