Improving energy efficiency in a healthcare facility | |
| Author | Baruah, Avishek Rai |
| Call Number | AIT RSPR no.ET-20-10 |
| Subject(s) | Buildings--Energy consumption Health facilities--Energy consumption |
| Note | A research study submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Energy |
| Publisher | Asian Institute of Technology |
| Abstract | The building sector will increase its electrical energy consumption by almost 60% from 2020 to 2030. The commercial building sector is responsible for consuming 40% of the total electrical energy allocated for consumption by the building sector of which healthcare facilities are responsible for consuming almost 20% of the total value. Due to their 24x7 nature of operation, they have the highest Energy Use Intensity (EUI) of all the commercial buildings. Increasing energy costs have accelerated research into reducing energy consumption in healthcare sector as well. Hence, the objective of this research was to study the electricity consumption pattern of a primary healthcare facility and understand its opportunities to reduce its consumption. In order to achieve the objective, a detailed literature review on the process of conducting an energy audit in healthcare facilities was done followed by understanding the parameters for analysing equipment energy performance and finally the technical and operational measures to improve energy efficiency were studied. The site chosen for conducting the study was the Medical Clinic available at Asian Institute of Technology, the primary healthcare facility available on campus. AIT Medical Clinic is a small sized clinic with a floor space of 330 m2and catering to 450 patients in a month for consultation purposes and preliminary diagnosis of any ailments. AIT Medical Clinic has spaces divided according to the function they serve such as dispensary, wound care and laboratory, consultation room etc. First, the monthly electrical energy consumption for past two years i.e 2018 and 2019 was analysed and it was found that the average monthly consumption of the medical clinic amounts to 762 kWh. The total energy consumed for a year divided by the total floor area gives the Energy Use Intensity in kWhlm2/year. AIT medical clinic has an average value of 30 kWhlm2/year, which is quite low compared to the standard values as the clinic neither has imaging facilities nor caters to overnight patients. The load profile for a week was recorded and analysed for understanding periods of peak operation and the total energy consumed during the day. The peak power consumption value was recorded to be 3.87 kW, which mostly occurred during the early morning period when the clinical consultation operations start. Minimum power consumption of the clinic was 0.94 kW, occurring during the night. The energy consumed during the day was found from the daily load profile and it was seen that the daily energy consumption ranged between 33 iv kWh to 55 kWh depending on whether it's was a weekend or weekday. It was also found that the clinic's clinical consultation hours of operation were responsible for 71.8 % of the total energy consumed for the day, during the weekdays. For understanding the energy consumption at the equipment level, the equipment inside the functional spaces were inventoried and their operational structure was noted. Major equipment inside the clinic were mostly lighting, air conditioning and plug loads. The equipment in operation and their operating schedule were analysed for a weekday and a weekend. It was seen that the major contributor to energy consumption were the lighting fixtures at 40% followed by the air conditioning system at 37%. Plug loads contribute to only 20% of the total energy consumption. The lighting fixtures were further analysed on their lux (illumination) output and the Lighting Power Densities. The spaces inside the clinic were well illuminated based on their measured lux output but the lighting power densities were on the higher side, suggesting the need to shift to low power lighting technologies. The air conditioning systems were further analysed on their ability to maintain the set point temperature and the required indoor air conditions (ventilation and humidity). It was seen that the systems were able to maintain the indoor air conditions properly, but the total Air Changes per Hour (ACH) was low. Hence, the requirement was to improve ventilation, keeping the power consumption at a low value. Based on the above requirements in the clinic, the effect of modem energy efficient equipment was analysed from a technical and economic perspective. The lighting fixtures are recommended to be replaced with Light Emitting Diode (LED) fixtures and air conditioning systems to be replaced with systems equipped with Direct Current (DC) motors and system equipped with inverter technology. It was found that on application of the energy efficient technologies, the energy saving potential from lighting amounted to 38% while the air conditioning systems amounted to 57.4%. The lighting technologies simultaneously reduced the Lighting Power Densities of the spaces in the clinic while maintaining the illuminance above the required value. Also, the energy efficient air conditioning systems were able to reduce the power and energy demand while improve the ventilation standards. The simple payback period for replacing the lighting fixtures was lower compared to the air conditioning systems. But the annual monetary savings from the application of the air conditioner systems was higher. |
| Year | 2020 |
| Type | Research Study Project Report (RSPR) |
| School | School of Environment, Resources, and Development (SERD) |
| Department | Department of Energy and Climate Change (Former title: Department of Energy, Environment, and Climate Change (DEECC)) |
| Academic Program/FoS | Energy Technology (ET) |
| Chairperson(s) | Salam, P. Abdul |
| Examination Committee(s) | Singh, Jai Govind;Dhakal, Shobhakar |
| Scholarship Donor(s) | Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship |
| Degree | Research Studies Project Report (M. Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2020 |