10 steps for upgrading a lighting system for energy savings
It’s estimated that hospitals use the most energy on a square-foot basis of any building type and that lighting comprises about 16 percent of the total load. What’s more, it’s likely to be a higher percentage in older facilities.
It’s not unusual for a large health care complex to build portions of its facility decades apart and therefore have different lighting technologies in place for each. For a large health care institution considering an energy retrofit of its lighting systems, a little planning can go a long way toward making the project run smoothly and successfully.
Following the steps
Retrofits can be as simple as a lamp and ballast change-out or they can involve replacing the old lighting system with a completely new one. Determining which job to undertake comes after initial analysis of the age of the system, the lamp and ballast technology in place, the quality of the existing light and the availability of incentive money through energy grants and tax deductions.
In general, the following 10 steps will provide health care facility professionals with the best results:
1. Conduct brainstorming sessions. Prior to beginning work, brainstorming sessions between the hospital stakeholders and a lighting design professional to discuss existing conditions, current technologies and future needs of the facility can begin to establish goals, bring out concerns and construct a reasonable timeline.
2. Establish goals. A summary report of the findings from the brainstorming sessions will establish the goals and expectations of the project and provide a roadmap from which to move forward. This is especially important if the work is to be executed in phases. This should include an executive summary that will highlight the lighting project’s scope, complexity and cost.
Read the remaining steps at HEALT FACILITIES MANAGEMENT