What to consider when implementing a “Building Energy Management System”

With energy costs rising, environmental consciousness heightening, and concerns over treatment and surgery backlogs intensifying, identifying ways in which operational efficiency, patient care, and energy consumption in healthcare settings can be improved is crucial.

While implementing BEMS (Building Energy Management System) in healthcare environments is increasingly necessary and government incentives and sector-specific solutions are helping hospitals take the first important steps, there are many complex challenges.

In any setting, reducing energy consumption should be a key consideration for property developers, architects, facility managers, and building owners. For hospital trusts, this is no different – especially when you consider the NHS estate reportedly uses approximately 11.3 billion kWh per year.

Furthermore, the average hospital electricity bill in 2022 was £431,143 and the total costs of running the NHS estate total £9.7 billion per year.

While improving operational efficiency and optimising energy use in UK hospitals and healthcare facilities is gaining increasing significance, the implementation of building controls and automation systems can often be more complex than in other environments.

The average hospital electricity bill in 2022 was £431,143

Continuous operation

With hospitals and major healthcare facilities needing to be in operation 24 hours a day, seven days a week, they typically see high volumes of traffic – meaning many critical areas, such as operating rooms, intensive care units, and emergency departments require strict environmental control and uninterrupted power.

Consequently, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), and lighting systems, along with crucial medical equipment, must function flawlessly around the clock. Therefore, the introduction of BEMS in settings such as these demands a well-devised solution that not only improves efficiency but also ensures zero downtime. This can be a very difficult balance to strike.

To ensure clinical operations are not disrupted, facility managers should consider zoned implementation, focusing on non-clinical areas, such as plant rooms and storage, before expanding into more sensitive areas. This will enable effective financial management and a more streamlined short- and long-term roadmap for the facilities.

Additionally, BEMS configurations should prioritise patient safety, and clinical staff should be liaised with to plan changes and schedule upgrades during off-peak hours, especially as many settings can require extensive sanitation to prevent transmission of infection, or even dust and dirt, that could result in partial closure.

Diverse HVAC needs

Hospitals often have highly specialised HVAC demands. Indeed, different zones throughout the premises will often require varying humidity levels, temperatures, and air exchanges. For instance, surgical suites will need positive air pressure to prevent contamination while isolation rooms will require negative air pressure to contain pathogens.

Furthermore, facility managers will often place resilience at a higher priority than energy, so the implementation of reliable and efficient building automation systems that are proven to last and ensure accurate monitoring of crucial equipment performance is vital.

This is where taking a cohesive and collaborative approach is absolutely crucial. Working closely with the facility manager can help the BEMS engineer better understand the unique requirements of the facility and optimise equipment and utilities accordingly.

Legacy system integration

With around 60% of current UK hospitals at least 30 years old, many may currently lack the sufficient processes to capture energy consumption data and monitor performance accurately.

It is also often the case that a single NHS trust will need to look after many large and sometimes disparate estates. Campuses can be large and feature a mixture of new and old buildings, offering a real challenge for BEMS engineers and sustainability consultants to efficiently integrate new systems and optimise energy efficiency.

However, all of this can be overcome with effective BEMS design. In fact, even relatively low-cost and non-invasive improvements, such as