02/14/2011 // Riverdale, NJ, USA // Camfil Farr // Lynne Laake
Energy has been a part of our world long before we were, but formal programs focusing on energy management for hospitals— where organizations try to understand, and more efficiently manage, the way they use power — are a recent phenomena. Indeed, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the typical energy program, whether it be in a manufacturing plant or a hospital, is less than five years old. There are some good, and often sobering, reasons why organizations are ramping up their energy initiatives now – and why those that aren’t risk falling behind.
For one thing, the global demand for energy will rise dramatically over the next quarter century — a whopping 57 percent, according to the EPA. Within the U.S., demand for energy is expected to increase 31 percent within the next 25 years. That’s going to have a dramatic effect on businesses, which could find their profits reduced due to high operating costs. At the same time, organizations that learn to use energy more efficiently will find themselves in a stronger competitive position. Hospitals that embrace sustainability, for example, will be able to serve patients better, in a number of ways. They’ll keep costs down. Or use the money they save in energy use to purchase more advanced equipment. Or be able to provide more services during more hours of the day. Or maybe even do all of those things.
To be sure, the savings and benefits that are possible via improved energy management for hospitals can be significant. The EPA has estimated that just by improving maintenance and installing more efficient equipment, hospitals can cut their energy bills up to 30 percent. Better yet, the expenses can go down without sacrificing the quality of care. Indeed, with the right technology, patient care can actually improve even as costs drop.
Already, forward-looking hospitals and healthcare facilities are finding that sound energy management can be surprisingly simple to achieve. One strategy they’re adopting is to embrace products designed from the ground up for sustainability — systems that require less energy than traditional products while outperforming them to boot. Hospitals using innovative air filters from Camfil Farr, for example, have been able to reduce their HVAC energy use by 15 to 30 percent. What makes such dramatic improvement possible is Camfil Farr’s unique filter media that ensures that resistance to airflow is the lowest in the industry, throughout the life of the filter.
Camfil Farr high efficiency air filters also use fine-fiber media, which enables its air filters to operate at peak efficiency throughout their service life — unlike more traditionally designed filters that degrade over time. There are, of course, many other steps that can make an energy program successful — organizations should take a long-term view of energy, understand what their total costs are over time (including the maintenance, replacement, and disposal costs of energy-using products), and look at how their own internal policies and procedures can be modified to make greater efficiencies possible. But looking at specific systems — like hospital air filters — and asking how they can be incorporated in ways that save energy without sacrificing performance, is a painless, proven way to build the foundation for a sustainable, and successful, energy future.
*The world leader in air filtration systems and clean air solutions — for health care and other industries — Camfil Farr provides the tools to achieve sustainability, maintain high air quality, and reduce airborne infections; all while lowering total cost of ownership. We’ve helped hospitals, office buildings, hotels, and other facilities go green without ever sacrificing performance. For more information, on how Camfil Farr air filters contribute to energy management for hospitals, visit our newsroom at http://breakingnews.green-air-filters.com, read about the Clean Air Solutions Company at http://green-air-filters.com, or call us at (toll free) 888.599.6620.
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Media Information:
Address: 1 North Corporate Drive, Riverdale, NJ
Phone: 888.599.6620
Url: HVAC Air Filters
